Governor Wes Moore issued a directive February 6, 2026, ordering Maryland state agencies to review and strengthen audit resolution procedures, pairing the action with $24 million in proposed FY2027 budget investments aimed at curbing waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs.
The move, announced from Annapolis, responds to persistent audit issues across agencies and seeks to boost fiscal accountability amid economic pressures from federal job cuts and rising costs.
Moore directed cabinet members to implement programmatic oversight, conduct systematic reviews of open state and federal audit findings, clarify resolution procedures, and establish centralized progress tracking. Agencies must collaborate with the Department of Budget and Management’s Audit and Finance Compliance Unit to share best practices and tools. The governor’s chief of staff will oversee compliance and outcomes.
“At a time when the Trump-Vance Administration has slashed 25,000 federal jobs from our state and squeezed families’ budgets by hiking the cost of nearly everything from groceries to energy, Marylanders are rightly conscious about how and where taxpayer dollars are spent,” Moore stated. “We continue to confront outdated practices in our fiscal systems that have spanned multiple administrations and decades head-on. We will act with urgency to drive reform and deliver more results for Marylanders.”
The proposed FY2027 budget allocates the $24 million as follows:
- $16 million to advance replacement of the state’s outdated financial management system, raising total project funding to $66 million.
- $5 million plus new staff positions to tackle recurring audit findings in agencies.
- $2 million to build fiscal leadership capacity and support recruitment.
- $1 million to continue the Government Modernization Initiative under the Governor’s Office of Performance Improvement, targeting cost efficiencies.
Acting Department of Budget and Management Secretary Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann commented, “Governor Moore’s proposed FY2027 budget invests funding in strengthening the State’s fiscal operations, management, and oversight. This administration has proposed a thoughtful and targeted plan that ensures every tax dollar is spent wisely and for its intended purpose.”
Chief Performance Officer Asma Mirza added, “Governor Moore’s new directive is the latest in a series of steps he is taking to improve government operations. We are using a data-driven, heart-led approach to make government work better for Marylanders.”
This initiative extends prior efforts. In January 2025, during Maryland’s most severe budget crisis in two decades, Moore signed an executive order requiring agencies to partner with the Office of Performance Improvement for data reviews to identify savings, streamline operations, and cut redundancies. That effort has yielded $29 million in savings so far—through fleet right-sizing, ending unused phone services, laptop purchasing reforms, and contract negotiations—with projections up to $50 million this year.
The directive and budget proposals align with ongoing modernization commitments, emphasizing measurable outcomes and legislative collaboration via the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee.
No coverage of this directive, the FY2027 budget investments in audit resolution, or related fiscal reforms appeared in searches of the Southern Maryland Chronicle website.
The actions arrive as Maryland grapples with broader fiscal challenges, including a projected $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion shortfall addressed in the FY2027 proposal through targeted cuts, fund shifts, and no new taxes or fees—while maintaining the Rainy Day Fund at 8 percent and reducing operating expenses by $154 million.