Gov. Wes Moore often talks about “leaving no one behind.” But if you want to know a governor’s real priorities, don’t listen to the speeches. Watch what he asks the legislature to do.
Maryland families and seniors are struggling to pay their electric bills. Higher costs are squeezing small businesses. Crime remains a big concern in communities across our state. Affordability issues are tough on everyone.
Yet Moore has called lawmakers back to Annapolis for a special session devoted to one thing: rewriting the Maryland Constitution so that he can redraw congressional districts.
Moore called this special session after lawmakers failed to push through a new map earlier this year. Polling is clear; Marylanders rank affordability, the economy, public safety and energy costs at the top. Redistricting barely registers. Taxpayers will still foot the bill for a session devoted to an issue that ranks far below the problems hitting people every day. It is hard to see this as anything but another move to build Moore’s national profile while Maryland’s real challenges sit on the shelf.
If legislators are returning to Annapolis, we should be debating the challenges that keep Maryland families, seniors and small businesses awake at night: affordability, public safety, government accountability, the Key Bridge rebuild and our state’s fiscal future.
Maryland’s economic outlook has deteriorated dramatically. CNBC recently ranked Maryland’s economy second-worst in the nation. Under Moore’s administration, the state has gone from a $5 billion budget surplus to projected multibillion-dollar structural deficits. At the same time, Moore and the Democrats in Annapolis have passed more than 300 tax and fee increases. Families, retirees and employers are increasingly feeling the effects of a state that has become more expensive to live in and do business. None of these problems will be addressed during the special session.
Public safety belongs at the top of any serious agenda. Last session, Democrats passed soft-on-crime measures such as the Youth Charging Reform Act and the Community Trust Act over the objections of state’s attorneys, law enforcement and community leaders. Repeated teen takeovers at Towson Town Center have left residents wondering whether anyone in Annapolis is serious about crime. Maryland also continues to restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities in ways that critics argue make it more difficult to remove dangerous criminal offenders from our neighborhoods. None of these concerns will be addressed during the special session.
Maryland’s energy policies have created another crisis for working families and seniors. Across the state, electricity bills doubled and, in some cases, tripled compared with last year. One small family-owned grocery store in eastern Baltimore County reported receiving a gas and electric bill of nearly $60,000 for a single month. Annapolis responded with legislation projected to reduce bills by about $12.50 per month, an amount that was completely erased during the hot summer, when electricity demand was high. Taxpayers pay for Moore’s gas and electric bill while residents and small businesses have to absorb ever-higher utility costs. Yet, this will not be addressed during the special session.
Competence matters too. After the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in 2024, Marylanders were promised an expedited rebuild. More than two years later, costs have soared, timelines have vanished and commuters still sit in massive backups. Recent state audits found improper Temporary Cash Assistance and SNAP (food stamp) payments, including benefits sent to roughly 1,800 people in jail, a $2 million lottery winner and other ineligible recipients. Every dollar lost to fraud or failure is a dollar not available for people who actually need help or for taxpayers who expect basic stewardship.
Strengthening oversight and restoring confidence in state government should be a bipartisan priority. Yet government accountability will not be the focus of the special session.
The question before Maryland isn’t simply whether congressional districts should be redrawn. The question is whether that issue should take precedence over the serious challenges crushing millions of Marylanders right now.
Marylanders did not elect leaders to rewrite the state constitution solely to redraw political maps. They elected them to lower costs, including our unaffordable BGE bills, restore order, fix the fiscal mess, rebuild the bridge and deliver an accountable government. This special session does none of that. It is political theater designed to advance Moore’s national ambitions and lock in safer Democratic seats by eliminating competitive, bipartisan representation in Washington. The priorities are clear. The only question is whether anyone in Annapolis still shares your struggles.
Dels. Kathy Szeliga (kathy.szeliga@house.state.md.us) and Ryan Nawrocki (ryan.nawrocki@house.state.md.us) are Republicans representing District 7A of Baltimore County.
