Statement Regarding the Impact of Social Safety Net Programs on Poverty in Maryland

Given before the House Appropriations and Senate Budget and Taxation Committees

Poverty is Sixth Largest County, but Investments Make a Difference

Poverty remains a daily challenge for many in our communities. In fact, if the estimated 594,000 Marylanders living below the federal poverty line were their own county it would be the sixth largest, with a population larger than that of Maryland’s eleven smallest counties combined. But poverty would be a much bigger problem without our state safety net.