The next is the transcript of an interview with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on March 16, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to the Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, who joins us this morning from Annapolis. Welcome again to Face the Nation.
GOV. WES MOORE: Thanks. Nice to be again.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you could have in your state the Port of Baltimore, one of many nation’s largest ports. The President has put all these tariffs in place, teed them up, and on April 2, is poised to enact 25% tariffs on items from Canada and Mexico. Do you could have any thought when you will notice the influence on delivery quantity, what the influence in your state’s financial system can be?
GOV. WES MOORE: We’re already seeing the impacts of these- of these- of those disastrous and, frankly, not very nicely thought out insurance policies in terms of tariffs. You understand, tariffs are a device. They don’t seem to be an ideology, however this administration is utilizing it like an ideology. And so whereas the choices are being made- made not with us, they’re being made to us, we’re already seeing how that is going to have a big influence on the Port of Baltimore, which is admittedly one in every of these country- one of many nation’s largest and best ports. It is the most important port for roll-on, roll-off automobiles. Additionally it is seeing how the tariff insurance policies are having disastrous impacts on our farmers over within the Jap Shore and our rooster farmers within the japanese shore. This lack of predictability, this erratic habits and this- and the indecisive determination making that is being made is already having very actual influence on prices, it is having a really actual influence on our companies and our small companies, it is having a really actual influence on our financial engines and American competitiveness, in addition to our nationwide safety, and so these are the kind of things- this erratic habits is the issues that folks had been involved about, and we at the moment are seeing in actual time in our states.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, your state was one in every of 20 that determined to legally problem the Trump administration on the choice to dismiss 1300 employees on the Training Division. I am questioning, as you sit there, how do you select which points to battle legally? And is litigation the Democrats’ solely device right here?
GOV. WES MOORE: Properly, it is not. I imply, once you take a look at the- on the flurry of govt actions and govt orders which were laid out by this administration to this point, they actually fall into three completely different classes. It is both ineffective, it’s performative or it’s unlawful, proper? These are the three buckets that every one these govt actions are falling beneath. And those which might be unlawful, we’re going to take authorized motion to guarantee that there are authorized penalties for making these choices that, frankly, the President of the USA doesn’t have the authority to make unilaterally. And so once we discuss in regards to the completely different instruments that we have- simply on this previous week alone, you recognize, I signed- I signed govt motion, govt orders specializing in supporting legislation enforcement and our law enforcement officials and our firefighters and giving them pay raises. As a result of on the federal facet, we have seen continued assaults on our public servants and our legislation enforcement and the slicing of first responders like FEMA. That simply this previous week, I’ve targeted on issues like decreasing pharmaceuticals prices and really creating partnerships with the non-public sector to decrease prescription drug prices, that we’re engaged on laws proper now to extend housing stock that may convey housing costs down, and that’s all in- that’s all opposite to what we’re seeing from the federal authorities. So the authorized device in working with our Lawyer Basic carefully to have the ability to file swimsuit when the federal authorities oversteps his bounds is one device, however we’re going to use each device at our disposal to guarantee that the individuals of Maryland are protected, and we’re ensuring we’re placing further assets and a reimbursement into their pockets.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On Friday, President Trump went to the Justice Division, and whereas he was there, he stated that the FBI headquarters will not be moved from Washington, DC out to the state of Maryland. He known as Maryland a “liberal state,” and he stated he’ll cease it. I do know your workplace thought this was going to herald 7,500 new jobs. Have you ever reached out to the White Home to attempt to persuade them to not take it away?
GOV. WES MOORE: Here is- here is the ironic factor about it’s, I discovered about that announcement from the president by way of the information. That goes to indicate the extent of partnership that this administration is- is that they- that they’ve and they want from our nation’s governors and from our nation’s chief executives and so- so the factor that we find out about this this can be a direct assault and a direct assault on legislation enforcement, a direct assault on the FBI, as a result of Maryland is the place and we have gone- we went by this course of, not only for these previous couple years, since I have been the governor, however for the previous decade, the place Maryland- the place Maryland gained this- this ingredient, this competitors, honest and sq., quantitatively, the place we confirmed that we could possibly be the place that it was the one site-ready place to construct, build-ready web site. That we are the place that we may even have nationwide safety property that they may leverage, notably once you’re speaking in regards to the future mission of the FBI, which plenty of it’s cyber. That we had been the one place that had transportation property that had been shut and close by, that the employees may be capable to profit from. And the place that would get it carried out least expensive to the American taxpayer by speaking about placing it anyplace else, you are speaking about including over a billion {dollars} in prices to the American taxpayer than what now we have already gone by this course of with the GSA, the Basic Service Administration for the state of Maryland. So the constructing is able to go within the state of Maryland, however the President has simply determined to politicize it by speaking about- however he would not need it to go to a liberal state. We can not proceed to politicize nationwide safety when it’s too necessary to the people who find themselves serving us–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –Have you ever known as him? Have you ever known as the White Home?
GOV. WES MOORE: We tried calling the White Home earlier than, and there’s- there’s- there is no response. And albeit, it simply highlights the truth that, once more, I discovered about this announcement by way of information break–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you imagine it?
GOV. WES MOORE: I didn’t discover out about this announcement from the White Home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However you imagine it?
GOV. WES MOORE: The announcement?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
GOV. WES MOORE: Properly, I imagine that the President thinks he has the authority to do that, however I additionally assume that that falls into line of a group of different issues that the President doesn’t have the authority to do. Congress is the one who truly allocates the capital in the direction of the place federal companies are going to go. It is the GSA that made the choice that the brand new FBI constructing needs to be going to the state of Maryland, after going by a radical and a really clear course of. And so I imagine the President of the USA thinks that he can do that. However there’s one factor that I do know, and I say this on a Sunday morning, I do know there’s a King of Kings and a Lord of Lords, and I do know he doesn’t stay within the White Home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I wish to ask you a couple of speech you gave final night time. You represented your occasion on the Gridiron Dinner, an annual gathering of journalists right here, and also you devoted your remarks to federal employees. You stated there was dignity within the work that they do. You additionally spoke about your occasion, although, and the struggles that it’s having. You stated Democrats was the cool ones. You joked in regards to the superior age of your occasion’s leaders, saying their workers has to face round with defibrillators. I do know these are jokes, but- however you are acknowledging one thing right here. Is the problem together with your occasion age? Or an absence of imaginative and prescient? And is the reset underway to repair these issues?
GOV. MOORE: I feel we should be very clear about who we’re preventing for. And I feel we should be very clear in regards to the imaginative and prescient that we’re providing. You understand, I take into consideration what’s occurring, you recognize, on this second, even the dialog across the persevering with decision where- the place everyone knows that the implications of a federal authorities shutdown would have been disastrous on the state of Maryland, that we’d haven’t solely seen our financial system fully downturn into- right into a recession, that we’d have seen our nation’s credit score being downgraded, and alongside these traces, every one in every of us as states, our credit score would have been downgraded as nicely as a result of The US determined that it is now not paying its payments. And we’d have seen hundreds of federal employees unfairly now being laid off or furloughed. So we all know the implications. However one factor we didn’t do was provide an alternate. One factor we didn’t do was articulate the phrases for the American individuals. And so I feel when the American individuals, when they don’t have an possibility, or they are not seeing individuals preventing on their behalf, then sure, there’s going to be a measurement of frustration. So we have got to do every little thing in our energy. I do know within the state of Maryland, we’re mobilizing to ensure we’re defending our federal employees, that we’re streamlining them into not simply non-public sector jobs, but additionally state jobs which might be open and out there. That we’re ensuring we’re growing our unemployment insurance coverage, and we’re doing issues like decreasing the value of pharmaceuticals, and we’re doing issues like growing housing stock, which goes to lower the housing value. We’re doing every little thing in our energy to battle for the individuals, and I feel it turns into extremely necessary, as a result of persons are paying consideration who their fighters are and who their fighters are usually not.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Properly, there have been voices inside your occasion on Capitol Hill who awful- supplied options. They simply weren’t listened to. Do you assume there’s simply no leader–
GOV. MOORE: I do not see a difference–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –in the occasion?
GOV. MOORE: I do not- I do not see a distinction. And albeit, I do not assume the American individuals see a distinction. If they aren’t listening to an alternate, if they are not listening to an alternate plan, if they are not listening to the plan to push again and battle again, if they are not seeing what we’re doing within the streets and within the communities and within the neighborhoods to battle for his or her finest curiosity, I feel for the American individuals, they only take a look at it as theater. And that’s the irritating factor, the performative politics. Individuals are carried out, and they’re exhausted by it. They simply wish to see outcomes, and that is precisely what we’re attempting to supply right here within the state of Maryland.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor Moore, thanks to your time this morning.
GOV. MOORE: Thanks.
