The following is the full transcript of an interview with Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, which can air on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on April 5, 2026, moderated this week by senior White House and political correspondent Ed O’Keefe. The interview was taped on April 3, 2026.
ED O’KEEFE: Well, Governor, thanks for becoming a member of us. We respect it. We’re assembly amid an ongoing struggle that’s having a little bit of an impact on the economic system. Rising fuel costs, inflation retains creeping up. It was an honest jobs report on Friday, however mortgage charges are climbing and mortgage functions are down. You observe this as a governor, and you understand that residents in your state are feeling the financial pinch. What are you able to do as a governor to handle all of this?
GOV. WES MOORE: Well, we’re feeling it, and it’s true that, you understand, a governor doesn’t management the proven fact that vitality costs have spiked over the previous yr. You know, my, my mother’s vitality invoice in March of final yr was $140. It’s now creeping near $500. Governors do not have full management over that. Governors cannot management the proven fact that fuel costs have gone up now over $1 as a result of we determined to enter into one other struggle of selection, that governors can’t management the proven fact that we’re persevering with to look at houses develop into tougher and dearer. But the factor we will do as governors is we will make it possible for regardless that I do not management the value of meals, that I can make it possible for we’re not doing value manipulation, and that these huge companies aren’t gouging our prospects, as we’re doing right here in the state of Maryland. You know, that I can make it possible for regardless that we’re watching vitality costs rise, that we will maintain these knowledge middle firms accountable and in addition ensuring we’re giving a rebate and giving one thing again to the individuals of the state of Maryland, which we’re doing right here.
ED O’KEEFE: Even your approval score seems to have taken successful in current days, not less than in a single survey, and amongst those that disapproved, they cited elevating taxes and charges. There’s been some dialog on this state, not less than, about probably waiving the fuel tax for a short time. It is certainly one of the increased ones in the nation. You say governors cannot do a lot about the fuel value, you might conceivably set up a fuel value vacation, no?
GOV. MOORE: Yeah. I imply, the neatest thing that we may do to have the ability to tackle fuel costs is by cease preventing international wars and cease watching fuel costs bounce up over $1.
ED O’KEEFE: So you agree with the president’s principle that it’ll return down as soon as the struggle is over?
GOV. MOORE : No, I disagree, as a result of I believe the president nonetheless doesn’t have a full articulation as to why fuel costs are going up in the first place, or what is going on to be crucial or required to have the ability to carry them down. You know, I take into consideration what we have executed right here in Maryland to handle that, the place we have truly given the center class in Maryland a tax lower. Because I do imagine that we have to give the center class slightly bit of additional reduction now, and we ask the wealthiest of Marylanders to have the ability to make investments slightly bit extra, so we will do issues like having the rising, you understand, will increase in studying and math scores like we’re seeing in Maryland, and the proven fact that Maryland now has amongst the quickest drops in violent crime wherever in the United States of America. And we ask the wealthiest of Marylanders to have the ability to do extra to take part in that.
ED O’KEEFE: So fuel tax holidays off the desk, then, in your view?
GOV. MOORE: Yeah, I believe we have to cease preventing these, these eternally wars. And, you understand, and I take into consideration the proven fact that we’re, we’re very dangerously- we’re lurching once more into one other eternally struggle. And this can be a eternally struggle that’s similar to the one which I fought in, the place I led troopers with the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. And I do know that the United States was in Afghanistan for 20 years, that it price this nation over two and a half trillion {dollars}, that we misplaced over 2,400 American lives. And we did it as a result of we stated we wished to vary the Taliban. And 20 years later, you understand who’s accountable for Afghanistan? The Taliban. And so I really feel like we’re lurching into one other certainly one of these eternally wars that we’re asking the American individuals to pay for, however we have now still- however the president of the United States and the commander in chief has nonetheless but to articulate what precisely it’s that we’re doing.
ED O’KEEFE: As we meet right here, there are search and rescue operations underway now inside Iran as a result of a U.S. fighter jet has been shot down. In current days, the president instructed this operation shall be executed in two to a few weeks. That does not appear to sit down with you.
GOV. MOORE: It’s- that is sitting horribly with me, as a result of I’m fascinated about these households. I’m fascinated about the households of our service members, who proper now who’re afraid to select up the cellphone as a result of they’re afraid to listen to what’s on the different finish of the line. That we had a president of the United States discuss the navy success that we have now seen so far, whereas nonetheless acknowledge- with out acknowledging the truth of the lengthy street forward and nobody understands or can art- has been articulated to us, what precisely it’s that we’re doing, or what success appears to be like like. And so, I’m- I’m praying for these households, but additionally what I’m praying for is a few readability from the White House.
ED O’KEEFE: You’re giving three graduation addresses this season to members of the Class of 2026. And certainly one of them is at the navy prep faculty that you just attended. A bunch of these college students could also be heading into the companies straight away. What could be your message to them?
GOV. MOORE: I’m so pleased with the proven fact that I- I’m going to provide the graduation of the faculty that helped to save lots of my life. You know, I acquired, I acquired despatched there as a result of individuals at all times say, why’d you select to go to navy faculty? I say, nobody chooses to go to navy faculty. I used to be despatched as a result of I used to be indignant, as a result of I used to be pissed off, as a result of I had a troublesome childhood, and that place helped to save lots of my life. And I’m proud to return and speak to those cadets. I additionally know that there shall be a few of these cadets who will then select to hitch the navy, and what I’m going to inform them is I’m pleased with them. I’m pleased with them for selecting a lifetime of service. I’m pleased with them for having the ability to combat for our nation and combat for our democracy. But I’m additionally praying for them, and I’m praying for the management of this nation, that they may make selections with them and their households in thoughts, and never simply merely make selections that I believe have been simply wrong-headed and silly on their face.
ED O’KEEFE: Part of the cause I wished to talk with you is in one other current interview, you floated a principle of what the subsequent president goes to have to determine and the right way to set up what President Trump has executed in, as you stated, into 5 distinct buckets: what’s damaged and irreparable, what’s damaged and may be fastened, what’s damaged and must be fastened otherwise, what survives however must be damaged and what survives and must be sustained. You’ve given this some thought, so I wished to stroll you thru some particular issues and kind of surprise what- what buckets they’d fall into.
GOV. MOORE: Okay
ED O’KEEFE: Where would you place Iran?
GOV. MOORE: Well, I might truly put Iran into a bigger bucket, and that is–
ED O’KEEFE: A sixth bucket?
GOV. MOORE: Well, how we take into consideration international wars.
ED O’KEEFE: Okay.
GOV. MOORE: Right? Because, you understand, I take into consideration Donald Trump ran making three guarantees, proper, that he was going to carry costs down, that he was going to launch the Epstein recordsdata, and that he was not going to get us concerned in international wars. And the American individuals voted for that. And it is strike one, strike two, strike three, as a result of on every a kind of issues that he promised he didn’t make occur. And so once I discuss how the United States navy can and needs to be used ,as somebody who has served, as somebody who has fought for this nation, I do know there is- there are occasions when the- when the- when the United States navy, the world’s biggest navy, can and needs to be used. And let’s be clear, let’s not confuse navy success with the United States navy with strategic success.
ED O’KEEFE: So pondering forward Iran, is it damaged and irreparable? Does it survive and must be sustained? Is it damaged, must be fastened otherwise, the relationship with Iran?
GOV. MOORE: I believe that- that the relationship with Iran proper now is- isn’t just damaged, however I’m unsure if there was an articulation of what the path ahead is. And after we’re speaking about Iran, you are not simply speaking about the relationship with Iran, you are speaking about Iran’s relationship with different nations. You’re speaking a few bigger international coverage, you understand, complication. And by the manner, we have now determined to begin this struggle after we’re additionally doing two separate issues that we have basically obliterated what we have now when it comes to our tender energy, USAID, how America does its international assist, and we’re doing it whereas the Department of Homeland Security, whose job it’s to maintain the homeland secure, is shut down. So that is the- that is the- the- the- the frankly, the- simply the foolishness in the manner that we’re approaching problems with struggle and peace that I believe we have got to have the ability to tackle.
ED O’KEEFE: What bucket would you place the U.S.’s relationship with Israel in?
GOV. MOORE: Well, I- I believe the U.S. relationship with- with Israel is- is a vital relationship. But I believe with any essential relationship, there must be accountability. You know, I have a look at the proven fact that we’re preventing this- this- this- this struggle in Iran, and certainly one of the issues that- there’s three belongings you at all times hope for as a soldier, proper? That struggle ought to at all times be the final resort, that the second piece ought to at all times be that you’re clear about your mission and clear about your finish recreation and the third is that you just constructed a world coalition. We have not executed any of these issues with this struggle that we’re waging in Iran.
ED O’KEEFE: In the midst of all this, the President in current days, informed a gathering at the White House that, in his view, due to the 50 states, quote, it is not attainable for us to deal with daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these particular person issues. He argues the federal authorities should not must pay for these packages as a result of, quote, we have now to deal with one factor, navy safety.
GOV. MOORE: That’s nonsense. And that is not what any of us need. We do not wish to be preventing international wars when you’re taking away our well being care.
ED O’KEEFE: Could a state even pay for Medicaid and Medicare–
GOV. MOORE: No
ED O’KEEFE: –daycare with out federal help?
GOV. MOORE: So a lot of the selections that this White House is making, they’re making with a transparent understanding that no state has a funds to say, okay, properly, we’ll simply take on well being care, or we’ll simply take on meals insecurity. We noticed that occur final yr when the President of the United States broke the regulation so as to lower SNAP. In truth, we sued them, and we gained, and we beat him in court docket on this. But we–
ED O’KEEFE: Sounds like he will attempt once more, although.
GOV. MOORE: And- and- and he did attempt once more. He truly tried to enchantment the truth, you understand, threw a mood tantrum, as a result of he felt- as a result of the judges informed him that really, no, you might want to pay for meals help for individuals. And what we ended up doing is, in Maryland, I truly took $63 million out of our fiscal duty fund, which is a fund that’s made up of capital good points taxes. And I stated, properly, I’m not going to let the individuals of my state go hungry, as a result of Washington is throwing- having a meals combat. And so we made certain that SNAP and SNAP advantages weren’t going to be lower for the individuals of Maryland. But it’s a deeply unfair ask to ask states and or governors, as a result of we do issues that the federal authorities has by no means executed, we truly stability our budgets. And it’s an unfair ask to ask us to take on what needs to be a joint duty, as a result of the federal authorities has determined to cease doing its job.
ED O’KEEFE: We have to go away it there, Governor. But thanks for taking the time. Happy Easter.
GOV. MOORE: Thank you. Happy Easter.
