Last November, we gathered here, in the Governor’s Reception Room, after the 2024 General Election.
I talked about how we’d been preparing for the possibility of a second Trump term since last February – scenario-planning and pressure-testing.
At that press conference, I made clear that we would seek common ground with the new administration on areas of agreement.
But I want to be very clear:
While I will work with anyone, I will bow down to no one.
What we have seen over the last six weeks is worse than anything we could have anticipated.
We have seen tens of thousands of layoffs. We have seen entire agencies practically shut down. We have seen chaos and uncertainty across our state.
At this point, we anticipate almost ALL probationary workers in the federal government either have been or likely will be laid off…
And in Maryland alone, that amounts to around 10,000 people.
Last night, a federal judge ruled that many of these terminations are unlawful. And we are watching that case very closely.
But I fear the arbitrary cuts and firings we have seen over the last six weeks were just the beginning.
Here in Maryland, these draconian moves could lead to tens of thousands of jobs lost, hundreds of thousands of lives disrupted, and the cratering of tens of millions of dollars in income.
Now: In the Army, they teach you that if you get attacked, you don’t just sit there and take it.
You mobilize.
And Maryland: This is our moment to mobilize.
At a time when American patriots are being told their service is no longer useful or welcome…
At a time when those charged with keeping our communities safe are now under attack…
At a time when Marylanders who help seniors receive their insulin are being fired…
At a time when hard-working people who are performing essential tasks are being laid off in the name of efficiency….
We are going to mobilize.
Look: We cannot control the actions of the White House. But we CAN control how we respond.
And that is what we are here to talk about.
I have long said that this administration will lead mission-first, people-always. This moment is no different.
Our top priority is to protect Marylanders, and that includes protecting those who are affected by cuts from Washington.
And today, I am announcing five new steps we are taking to protect our public servants, our communities, and our economy.
First: We are continuing to build out the Maryland Public Servants Resource Website we launched due to sudden federal layoffs.
In just two weeks, more than 51,000 people have visited our website.
And today, we are taking steps to ensure that we offer even more support to Marylanders looking for help.
Our website now includes links to housing support, programs for veterans, local resources, state benefits, and information on nearly 130,000 job openings,
So I encourage all Marylanders who have been affected by federal cuts and layoffs to go to:
response-dot-maryland-dot-gov forward-slash “federal public servants”
Second: We are launching a campaign to connect federal workers with jobs in education.
Maryland is facing a teacher shortage. And we need to fill more classrooms with qualified teachers.
The Maryland Department of Education and the Maryland Higher Education Commission are working together to ensure we meet that mission.
We are going to be uplifting and highlighting resources that empower federal workers to pursue and obtain education licensure.
This approach will support laid off employees AND close the educator shortage at the same time.
And I encourage Marylanders who are interested in this opportunity to visit teach.maryland.gov.
Third: We are moving in partnership with local and county leadership to host job fairs across the state.
Partnership produces progress, and we are grateful for all of our state and local partners who have raised their hand to support Marylanders in need.
These job fairs are designed to connect Marylanders with opportunities in both the public and private sectors –
Anyone who is interested in learning more about these local and county job fairs should go to:
labor.maryland.gov forward slash federal workers
Fourth: We are launching a push to recruit federal workers for open positions in state government.
One thing I learned from serving in the military is that service isn’t just a “WHAT” – it often becomes your “WHY.”
Our federal employees want to continue serving – and serving in Maryland. And we want to make it as easy as possible for them to do exactly that.
On March 7th, we will host a virtual information session about state jobs.
That initial kickoff will be followed by a joint in-person job fair in Prince George’s County and Baltimore City.
Fifth: It isn’t enough to recruit federal workers to serve in state government, we ALSO need to develop internal processes to help us hire quickly.
Today, I have signed three memoranda to that end.
I’ve directed our Department of Transportation to launch a program helping federal workers translate their professional experience to state employment…
I’ve directed the Department of Budget and Management to make our hiring processes more efficient and streamlined…
And I’ve directed the State Department of Education and the Higher Education Commission to identify additional opportunities for federal workers to explore a second career in teaching.
These steps will improve our hiring practices and support the influx of job applications from federal workers that we anticipate this coming month.
Those are the five big steps we are taking today…
First: Build out our online resources…
Second: Connect federal workers with opportunities in education…
Third: Move in partnership with local and county leaders to meet people where they are…
Fourth: Recruit federal workers into state jobs…
Fifth: Update processes to expedite hiring.
Maryland is mobilizing. And we couldn’t have gotten here without a big team.
I want to thank the members of our cabinet.
I want to thank our local leadership.
I want to thank our union and labor leaders.
I want to thank the General Assembly, including the state representatives with us today:
Majority Leader Moon,
Majority Whip Lewis,
Senate President Pro Tem Augustine,
And Senator Charles,
I also want to thank Senator Katie Fry Hester, who couldn’t make it but is also working on these issues.
And I want to thank our federal delegation, including Senator Van Hollen.
The Marylanders gathered here in this room are doing the work to mobilize our state.
But we cannot do it alone. We need everyone to help us mobilize in this moment.
So to our nonprofit partners who offer supports to those in need: We are asking you to mobilize.
To our private sector partners looking for new talent: We are asking you to mobilize.
To our grassroots leaders who want to support their communities: We are asking you to mobilize.
And yes, to our federal workers who have been unfairly laid off: We are asking you to mobilize too.
And I want to end by acknowledging the federal workers with us today, who have had the courage to come forward and share their stories.
We just had the chance to listen to their experiences over these last few weeks.
We spoke to Madelyn.
She grew up in Ellicott City.
Ten months ago, she landed her dream job with the National Park Service, working at Ft. McHenry to protect and preserve our state’s history and culture.
On Valentine's Day, Madelyn and five of her colleagues were fired by email without any warning.
We heard from Darnese. She’s a Marylander by choice. Her family moved here when she was eleven years old.
Darnese has been working at the Department of Health and Human Services, helping manage large federal grants earmarked for building construction.
She tried to log into her work accounts last Tuesday, and she was locked out. When she filed a ticket with IT, they told her she had been terminated.
We heard from Eric. He’s been at the federal Office of Personnel Management for twenty-five years.
He has dedicated his career to recruiting and retaining other public servants across the country…
He is a proud member of the American Federation of Government Employees. And I want to thank our AFGE brothers and sisters for being here.
Like Madelyn – and Darnese – and many others, Eric was terminated suddenly and without cause.
These Marylanders could have taken jobs that gave them more money – and more time with loved ones – and that didn’t demand as much of them…
But they knew our state would be incomplete without their service.
They deserve our utmost respect. But instead, they’ve been villainized and attacked. That is not patriotism – it’s cruelty.
So I want to say to all of the Marylanders here today who have raised their hands to serve – and all of the Marylanders who serve across our state…
Your service matters, no matter what you’re being told right now. Your contributions have dignity, and it is a dignity we can – and we will – uplift.
And Maryland is ready to mobilize.
We don’t sit back and get attacked. We confront crisis with courage. And we always win.
Maryland stands with our federal workers.
And I am honored to now introduce a true public servant to share his story – someone who defines true patriotism in every sense:
Jonathan Hairston.