Gov. Moore boasts funding initiatives in State of the State address, slams Trump

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore touted what he called his administrative success and shook his finger at “Washington’s cruelty” during his fourth State of the State address in Annapolis on Wednesday.

Mr. Moore hit hot-topic political decisions — from legislation to decouple the state’s vaccine authority from the federal government and to handle historic flooding — while blaming one villain: President Trump.

“We’re delivering on energy reform, even when Washington tries to cut clean energy projects,” he said in his speech. “We’re delivering on economic development and diversification, even when Washington slashes our legacy economic foundations. And at a time when the president is tearing apart the Department of Education, Maryland is delivering on our promise to have the public schools the best in the nation.”

Mr. Moore, who is up for reelection and widely believed to have presidential ambitions, stressed the need to “protect our people from the damage caused by this federal administration.”

The nation’s only Black governor, Mr. Moore feuded with the White House this week after being dis-invited to a dinner with Mr. Trump for a National Governors Association event. The White House said Mr. Moore turned down a similar invitation last year.

The governor took plenty of jabs at the Trump administration, including what he called the “unconstitutional actions” of the federal government in its immigration crackdown.

“Marylanders are seeing how the White House agenda is making their lives worse,” he said, citing the tens of thousands of state residents who lost their federal jobs.

The Maryland Department of Labor estimated that federal employment in the state has fallen by 24,900 positions since January 2025, when Mr. Trump took office and began his campaign to slash the size of the federal workforce. 

That year-to-date total is the most of any state in the nation, the department said.

As families grapple with rising everyday prices, Mr. Moore vowed that “we will work together to contain prices where we can and grow our economy and build new pathways to work, wages and wealth — so as prices go up, it doesn’t become a generational catastrophe for our people.”

“And to all Marylanders who are concerned about skyrocketing energy prices, I am here to say in a loud voice: We hear you, and help is on the way,” he said.

He said it’s time to double down on solar, wind and energy storage: “And let’s make sure we’re doing it right here in Maryland.”

He called on new data center projects to hire local workers, engage local government and communities and cover the cost of their own power needs.

He announced $4 million funding “to give our workers hands-on training to succeed in the AI economy” as artificial intelligence usage increases.

Mr. Moore also announced the launch of Citizenship Maryland, an initiative to bring together law firms, the private sector and unions “to make sure Marylanders who are eligible for citizenship know they are — and get the support they need.”

“They are our neighbors. Our friends. Our fellow Marylanders,” he said.

As the state Legislature plans a new pro-Democratic redistricting map, Mr. Moore urged that “Maryland needs to be part of that conversation.”

“The House of Delegates debated it,” he said. “They made adjustments. And then they passed the map. I know there’s disagreement right now between the House and the Senate. So my ask is simple: Do not let the democratic process die in the free state. Debate it, discuss it, make adjustments if necessary. And put it to a vote. That’s how we settle our differences in Maryland.”

His statement notably received some boos amid the applause. The mid-decade redistricting would likely give Democrats an 8-0 edge, eliminating the state’s lone Republican district in the congressional delegation, but is expected to find itself in the middle of a state Senate showdown. 

Senate President Bill Ferguson, Baltimore Democrat, and Republicans have criticized the new congressional lines.

Mr. Moore addressed a “principled disagreement” with Mr. Ferguson on redistricting, even though Maryland Democrats have moved rapidly in response to redistricting in red states at the behest of Mr. Trump.

With celebrations lined up for the semi-quincentennial of the nation’s founding, the Maryland governor said, “This moment has found all of us. We’ve been building toward it not for the past three years, but for the past 250 years.”

“It’s a moment that will set the stage for the 250 years to come,” he said. “And together, if we stay true to the spirit of our people, if we stay true to our state, if we protect, deliver and lead, I know we will build the kind of future that those who came before us fought for — and those who come after us deserve.”