Labor secretary warns state is ‘dependent’ on federal workforce development funds

The state needs to be “smarter” about how it funds workforce development programs after a $4.7 million cut in federal funds this year with more cuts expected next year, Maryland Labor Secretary Portia Wu told lawmakers Tuesday. “We’re very dependent on the federal funds,” Wu told a virtual meeting of the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee. “So we are in a situation where state investments in workforce are going to be critical in the coming years.”