According to a Baltimore Sun article,  Maryland, which has benefited greatly from federal stimulus money, could feel the effects of a new Republican majority in Congress and its efforts to reduce the size of the federal government.

Few areas of Maryland are likely to be spared as Washington turns its attention to curbing spending growth. Among those who could feel the pinch: taxpayers, commuters and government workers at all levels. In short: almost everyone.

Republicans in Congress want to cut federal spending by $100 billion. President Barack Obama has called for what amounts to a freeze on spending, starting in 2011.

For Maryland, the budget-tightening could hit military and health research facilities, road and mass transit programs, aid to state and local governments and the federal workforce.

There is also uncertainty in the types of alliances that may be built to protect interests or reduce government spending.

The new House of Representatives will have fewer Democratic members than any since the 1940s. That means Maryland’s Democrat-heavy congressional delegation will be limited in its ability to protect the interests of one of the most Democratic states in the country.

Delegation members could even find themselves fighting an unlikely alliance between Obama and the Republicans, over ending earmarked spending and cutting the federal bureaucracy.