ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today delivered his third keynote address as governor at the Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference in Ocean City, the largest event dedicated to educational and professional development for Maryland’s local leadership. The governor’s keynote highlighted the Moore-Miller Administration’s work this year to respond to crisis and deliver results for Maryland families in partnership with state and local leaders.
Following are key excerpts from the Governor’s remarks as prepared:
“In partnership with the Maryland General Assembly, we turned a $3 billion inherited deficit into a surplus, we gave middle-class Marylanders a tax cut, we preserved critical investments in health care and education, and we asked those who have done exceptionally well to pay a little more, so we have the best schools in the country and don’t have to lay off cops or firefighters.”
“At a time when Donald Trump is unapologetically divesting from Black and underserved communities, we are going to unapologetically prove there’s a better way.”
“Our strategy is working. We’ve broken the back of violent crime, and homicides, non-fatal shootings, and car thefts are down across the state. Our administration has created nearly 100,000 jobs – more in two years than our predecessors created in two terms. We’ve brought unemployment to national lows and lifted job growth to national highs.”
“The president’s so-called ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ would deliver one of the largest upward transfers of wealth in American history through tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations and by slashing vital services that working class people rely on. MAGA Republicans in Congress want to pay for these tax breaks by making deep cuts to health care and food assistance… This is one of the worst bills for working families that our country has ever proposed.”
“We need to remain nimble in the face of a chaotic White House. I am prepared to use every tool at my disposal as our state’s chief executive to protect our people. Because in Maryland, that’s what we do.”
“Just last month, on May 13, flash floods hit Appalachia – from Garrett to Washington Counties. Schools were evacuated. Streets were flooded. Homes were destroyed. The library was wiped out. I met with many of the leaders in this room to survey the damage after that crisis. And in the face of tragedy, Maryland did what we do best: We came together, Democrats and Republicans… And we had each other’s backs.”
“So in a moment when we see the federal government taking a step back from their commitment to protecting people in the worst of times… From Maryland… to Arkansas… to Missouri… we are going to step in and step up. In this state, we honor our oaths, and we uphold the sacred contract we share with the people we represent. Our fidelity is to the people, our commitment is to our state, and our obligation is to the partnerships we’ve built.”