WATCH: Maryland Governor Wes Moore delivers State of the State address
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland Governor Wes Moore delivered his 2026 State of the State address on Wednesday.
In his State of the State, Governor Moore says Maryland’s $1.4 billion deficit will be balanced through shifted costs and delayed spending to avoid new taxes.
Republicans warn there’s still too much spending amid shrinking revenue.
But on redistricting, the governor says Maryland needs to counter GOP states who are targeting Democrats in order to hold onto power in Congress.
"At a time when other states were having a discussion about mid-decade redistricting, I said Maryland needs to be part of that conversation," said Moore.
Much of the speech saw Governor Moore compare and contrast Maryland’s state government with stinging criticism of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.
He also touched on education funding, energy costs, federal immigration enforcement, dropping crime rates and healthcare investments.
Moore addresses budget and redistricting in State of the State
In the General Assembly, the governor pointed to progress in tackling the state’s serious budget crisis — a $1.4 billion deficit that could grow to $4 billion in four years.
The backstory:
Last weekend, Moore was uninvited to the National Governors Association Bipartisan Dinner at the White House. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the entire National Governors Association weekend will only include Republican governors this year.
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Md. Gov. Moore uninvited from White House bipartisan dinner: 'Blatant disrespect'
President Donald Trump announced Friday that this year’s NGA weekend will include only Republican governors, as well.
"This week, I learned that I was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner — a decades-long annual tradition meant to bring governors from both parties together to build bonds and celebrate a shared service to our citizens with the President of the United States," Moore said in a statement on Sunday.
"My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership," Moore said.
"As the nation’s only Black governor, I can’t ignore that being singled out for exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries an added weight — whether that was the intent or not," he added.