ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore this evening delivered an address to Marylanders in the wake of President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ failure to reach an agreement to keep the federal government open. In his remarks, Governor Moore uplifted the
support and resources announced earlier today to help meet the needs of Maryland’s federal workers who are impacted by the shutdown.
Governor Moore’s address as prepared:Hi Maryland. It’s Governor Wes Moore.
At 12:01 this morning, the federal government shut down.
Tonight, I’d like to speak with you about how we got here.
What this shutdown means for you and your family.
And the actions we are taking to help Marylanders.
First: Who shut down the federal government?
After all, a shutdown doesn’t ‘just happen.’ It’s a choice.
So let there be no mistake:
We are here because Washington broke its pact with all fifty states.
It’s a pact that says the federal government is an invaluable partner to ensure every state can achieve its greatest ambitions.
It’s a pact that says if the federal government provides the resources, the states will administer the programs.
It’s a pact that says we must work together for the betterment of our people.
One-third of Maryland’s annual budget is made up of federal funds. That’s true for almost all of our neighbors across the country.
We rely on more than $370 million in federal support each week to run health care and food assistance programs.
So why did federal leaders walk away from their obligations to Maryland and our forty-nine neighbors?
Why did Washington look at us and say, “You’re on your own”?
The answer is equal parts simple, and frustrating.
The President of the United States couldn’t close a deal on making health care more affordable.
Right now, the country is barrelling toward enormous spikes in health care costs.
As many as 190,000 Marylanders could see their monthly premiums go up by an average of 68%.
I’m already hearing from Marylanders who are trying to sort out how they can make their monthly budgets work if costs continue to climb.
Leaders in Congress called on the president to use his authority as chief executive to work with Congress and keep health care affordable.
And President Trump didn’t just say “no.” He would rather see the government shut down than negotiate in good faith.
Now, we’re here. And the consequences are staggering.
A shutdown means wages lost.
A shutdown means programs shuttered.
A shutdown means projects scrapped.
We are all disappointed by this outcome. But none of us should be surprised.
Any Marylander can tell you: The President has been shutting down the government since his inauguration!
Trump has fired more than 15,000 federal workers in our state since he took office. It’s the greatest federal job loss of any state in the nation.
And even when the government was open, policies from the White House have been making our lives harder.
Maryland families are seeing prices go up on everything because of misguided tariff policies from Washington.
More than eight in ten Marylanders say that grocery prices are starting to outpace their income.
Marylanders have seen electricity rates go up by as much as fifteen and sixteen dollars a month since President Trump was sworn in.
I am in our communities every day.
I hear about these issues from you every day.
And under this president, they’re only getting worse.
Trump’s domestic policy agenda could kick a quarter of a million Marylanders off their health care.
More than 684,000 Marylanders — including seniors, children, and veterans — could see their food assistance cut. That’s greater than the entire population of Baltimore City.
And I want to be clear: These impacts won’t hurt a specific political party or a specific zip code.
They will hurt all of us – people from Mountain Maryland to the Eastern Shore – and everywhere in between.
Over 21,000 Marylanders in Wicomico County could lose their SNAP benefits.
The same goes for 60,000 people in Western Maryland who rely on SNAP to pay for groceries.
Carroll County has over 25,000 Marylanders on Medicaid. Many of them are now at risk of having their health coverage stripped away.
Hits to employment and government contracts could serve as one of the most significant strikes to wealth creation that Prince George’s has seen in generations.
Longshoremen at the Port of Baltimore are seeing traffic slow because of tariffs on some of our largest import partners, like Brazil.
The list goes on – from Salisbury to Glen Burnie. From St. Mary’s to Frostburg.
Now, I know there is real and justified fear in our communities. The firings. The high prices. And now, the shutdown.
But in Maryland, we never let fear stop us from protecting each other.
In the military, I learned to live by the motto Leave No One Behind.
In this moment, that is exactly what we’ll do.
I’d like to discuss three actions we are taking to protect Marylanders from the immediate consequences of the government shutdown.
First, I’ve directed state agencies to deploy shutdown contingency plans.
We will ensure that State employees supported with federal funding continue to get paid for as long as possible.
Federal programs administered by the state – like Medicaid and SNAP – will continue to operate.
We will also provide greater flexibility to Head Start programs – and ensure that veterans can continue to access essential resources.
Just because the federal government backs away from its responsibility to govern, doesn’t mean we will.
But I want to be clear: The longer a shutdown lasts, the harder it is to keep basic services afloat.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely. And we will adjust accordingly.
Second, we are working with the private sector to shield federal workers from eviction, foreclosure, and utility shutoffs.
This morning, I sent letters to the State Judiciary and Utility Companies reminding them of statutory legal protections for federal, state, and local government employees who are not receiving a paycheck, or who are at risk of eviction or foreclosure.
If you are a federal worker and you are not getting paid because of this shutdown, it’s important that you know your rights.
To learn more about the consumer protections that we’ve put in place, I encourage everyone to visit:
go.md.gov/federalshutdown
Third, we are protecting and expanding emergency assistance programs for federal workers.
If you are a furloughed employee, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance.
Those who receive unemployment will repay the funds once they start receiving a paycheck again.
We’ve worked with our credit unions and banks to offer financial assistance and payment flexibility for Marylanders affected by the shutdown.
And I encourage all federal workers to contact their credit union or bank for more information.
We also know the President has been vocal about his interest in accelerating federal firings during this shutdown.
So I am announcing that we are extending support for our landmark Feds to Eds Program, to help those who lose their jobs get back on their feet.
This creative program helps to address the teacher shortage by getting interested and qualified federal employees trained and in the classroom as quickly as possible.
And it is already delivering results.
Our federal workers want to serve. And we are working hard to help them to do it.
To learn more about the benefits you may be entitled to under our shutdown plan, please go to:
go.md.gov/federalshutdown
I also want to emphasize that our website features resources for veterans and service members.
It’s not lost on me that about one in four federal workers is a veteran. And as a veteran myself, I am here to say:
In Maryland, we’ve got your six.
These are the three steps we are taking today:
First, keep government programs running, and keep state employees on the job.
Second, deliver protections that help Marylanders keep a roof over their heads, and the lights on, and groceries in the fridge.
Third, expand emergency resources for federal workers who are furloughed, fired, or asked to work without pay.
These are the immediate actions we are prepared to announce today. And we will continue to keep you updated if this shutdown continues.
But in this moment, it can’t be government that steps into the breach, alone.
We share a collective responsibility to help each other.
If you know a federal worker who’s been furloughed – or a family member who’s uncertain about the future of their benefits – or live in a community that’s anchored by a federal facility.
We need your help.
Check on your neighbors. Lend a hand if you can. Make sure your people are ok.
Because we may be in this for the long haul.
I want to be very honest with you tonight: The longer the shutdown lasts, the more likely we are to see serious damage.
We could see big infrastructure projects delayed.
We could see military families going without pay for weeks.
We could see entrepreneurs and small businesses go into the red.
We will do everything in our power to deliver relief to those struggling.
But I need to be direct with you: No state is prepared to fill the gap that’s being created by this federal administration.
So, on behalf of 6.5 million Marylanders, my message to President Trump is very clear:
Stop the shutdown.
You’re the one causing it. We’re the ones feeling it.
Now, Maryland: I know this is a difficult moment.
But this isn’t the time for us to feel powerless – it’s the time for us to understand our power.
While Congress runs up the national debt, we turned an inherited budget deficit into a surplus.
While the federal government crafts policies that make our economy weaker, we’ve attracted more than $4 billion in private investment in Maryland.
While Congress cuts taxes for billionaires, we worked with the General Assembly to cut taxes for middle-class families, and asked those of us who have done very well financially to invest a little more so we can support our firefighters and police officers.
While the president calls in our National Guard to cities so he can distract from an unpopular agenda, we’ve moved in partnership to break the back of violent crime – and have shown that you can achieve performance without being performative.
While the White House tries to freeze funding that’s already been approved by Congress for transportation and education, we’ve pushed to improve our transportation systems and ensure our K-12 schools are the best in the nation.
Despite headwinds from Washington, our state continues to move forward.
Despite the chaos in Washington, Maryland continues to show there is a better way.
A few weeks ago, I was in Baltimore.
I met a woman who was living in a new, affordable housing unit that our administration helped build.
We talked about how she was doing, and the struggles of this moment.
But at the end, she said something that I won’t forget.
She said, “Thank God we’re in Maryland.”
She wasn’t just speaking for herself.
She was speaking for the federal worker fired without cause, who knows that we won’t abandon them.
She was speaking for the immigrant who sees that we will always follow the Constitution of the United States and protect the rights and liberties of all.
She was speaking for the Black entrepreneur who goes to bed at night knowing we refuse to ban books, and erase history, and undermine progress.
She was speaking for the family on the Eastern Shore that no longer has to travel hours to see a doctor because of investments we made in the new Shore Regional Medical Center – even as the federal government tries to pull a quarter of a billion dollars from rural hospitals.
Thank God we’re in Maryland.
She was speaking for all of us.
This is a state where we protect each other, even when the arrows are sharp and the swords are strong.
We always stand tall, and never bend the knee.
Maryland: We’re going to be ok
We’ve faced hard times before. We will face them again.
And we will get through this moment as we always have: Together.
May God Bless the Great State of Maryland – and may we all continue the work to Leave No One Behind.