The following is a transcript of an interview with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Democrat, on “Face the Nation” that aired on June 16, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we turn now to the Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore. Joining us from Annapolis. happy father's day
GOV. WES MOORE: Thank you very much, I really appreciate it. Happy Father's Day to everyone watching.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, last week, you reopened the Port of Baltimore, just three months after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. How long before full shipping traffic returns and you see this benefit to your economy?
GOV. MOORE: Well, the benefit has already begun. And — and I'm very inspired by the work that this state has done. I mean, let's show that in Maryland we do great things. Because that morning, I know people were saying that this could take, you know, six to nine months, up to a year to clear the federal channel. And what many people said would take 11 months, we did in 11 weeks. And it's because we worked together. So the fact that the port of Baltimore is reopened, the fact that the full federal channel, 700 feet by 50 feet deep, now has full access is an extraordinary achievement.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And the federal government has been supportive here as well. I have read reports that the cost of rebuilding the bridge could be nearly $2 billion. Is this accurate?
GOV. MOORE: You know, I can tell you that the Biden administration has been phenomenal partners. So we know that the estimated cost could be between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion. And the reason we're asking for federal cost-sharing and 100% cost-sharing is simply because we have to move quickly. And I have to do it on time and on budget. We know that to move forward quickly, we must achieve 100% cost sharing. So we spend time working with members on both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans. But knowing that if we can work together right now, we're going to get something really important done for the American economy.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Congress would still have to sign off on that. And President Biden has pledged, as you just mentioned, to use federal dollars to rebuild, but we're close to an election. Do you think you will get that support and those funds appropriated before we see a possible change in administration?
GOV. MOORE: I've been incredibly encouraged by the amount of support we've received from both Democrats and Republicans. And I'm sure we'll make it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about another tragic death in your state. A Maryland mother named Rachel Morin was murdered last August and yesterday a suspect in her murder was arrested in Oklahoma. He is a 23-year-old man from El Salvador, and Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said he had gang ties and had killed another woman in El Salvador. Take a listen.
(PLAY VIDEO)
SHERIFF JEFFREY GAHLER: To 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and to all members of both houses of Congress. We are 1800 miles away here in Harford County. We are 1800 miles from the southern border. And American citizens are not safe because of failed immigration policies.
(END VIDEO)
MARGARET BRENNAN: I know the sheriff is a Republican, governor, but does that also make the federal government partially responsible for the death of this Maryland resident?
GOV. MOORE: My, my heart is broken for the Morin family. As is our entire state. She should still be here. And… and the sheriff is absolutely right. I mean, we have an immigration policy that should have been addressed and it wasn't. And the consequences fall on us as the chief executives of our state, the consequences fall on us as the leaders of our individualized jurisdictions. And — and we know that we have to fix a broken immigration policy. And we know we need Congress to act on it. And that's why it's been so incredibly frustrating that when you have a coalition that's a bipartisan coalition of both Democrats and Republicans, it literally comes down to the line to be able to reach an agreement, because you have a — the president had Trump who said this was not politically advantageous, that the deal was killed. There is incredible frustration. And that's what people don't like about politics. We need to make this deal and we need Congress to act on it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The president took executive action recently to try to close the border by cutting off asylum applications, in effect. I know the ACLU just filed a lawsuit to try to stop him. Do you agree with the president's decision?
GOV. MOORE: I agree with the executive action, I also know it won't be enough. And this is not politics, politics must not get in the way of public safety. And I know for all of us who have to deal with the downstream impacts of broken policies, we know that — and with that — we know that we need Congress to act on this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On the political side, I know you're a surrogate for President Biden, and helping with his campaign, you were in Philly with him recently as part of a strategy to build support among black voters. According to our CBS nationwide poll, President Biden is effectively tied with Donald Trump, but among black voters, Mr. Trump has 18 percent support. That's double the level it received in 2020. So why do you think it's increasing?
GOV. MOORE: Well, I think there's a bigger challenge that we're seeing among African-Americans, and especially African-American men. This is an American problem. And I think we also have to understand the history of all of this, which, you know, I'm the — I'm the governor of Maryland, in a state where we have an eight-to-one racial wealth gap in the state of Maryland. And we know it's not because a group works eight times more. I know that I am the governor of a state where our largest city, Baltimore, is home to the red line and the historic red line where home assessments and home values and affordability were based on lines racial So these have been long-standing challenges and long-standing issues that, frankly, our country has not fully addressed. Now, what I know that we're seeing with President Biden is that we're actually having plans and not locations to be able to address these issues. So when you look at the president focusing on things like home ownership, where we have one of the fastest growth rates in home ownership that we've seen, in the last 20 years, the fastest rate of black-owned businesses, and especially for black men, that we've seen now in 30 years. These are plans that are really paying off. And that's the kind of thing we have to be able to recognize.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, more things to talk to you about, but we have to leave it at that. Thank you for your time today. FACE THE NATION will be back in a minute. stay with us
