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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told a gathering of county leaders Saturday that he is preparing to take action that he said will ease the cost of housing by spurring new projects.
“We must go faster on affordable housing,” Moore told an audience of county leaders and state Cabinet officials as he delivered the traditional speech to close out the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference in Ocean City.
Housing has been a priority for the governor, but a bill that was part of his legislative priorities was derailed in the 2025 legislative session in part because of opposition from MACo, the association that represents governments in the state’s 24 major political subdivisions.
Moore, speaking at what will be his last summer conference before the 2026 primary, issued a call to action. Half of all Maryland renters pay more than 30% of their income toward housing, he said. The state is ranked 43rd in housing affordability and permitting for new housing units is down almost 40% compared to the period before the 2008 Great Recession, Moore said.
“And it’s not just our people who are hurting,” Moore said. “It’s Maryland’s housing market and economy. If we want to build new bridges to wealth, bring down costs, and supercharge growth, we need to prioritize housing that’s affordable and located near jobs and transportation.”
Moore provided few details on what actions he would take.
He said his effort would focus on streamlining state permitting, leveraging public land for new housing and setting statewide housing goals and tracking progress toward those goals.
Moore also hinted at a potential carrot for counties who work with him.
“This is the moment to reward those jurisdictions that are stepping up to be pro-housing … because everyone must participate for us to succeed,” he said.
Earlier in the week, some county leaders complained Moore and his Department of Housing and Community Development iced them out of a housing policy meeting.
State officials met with county leaders at a hotel away from the convention center. And while state officials said the list of attendees was not exclusive, association officials were adamant that they were explicitly not invited.
Moore’s focus on housing was the largest kernel of policy in a more than 30-minute speech.
Unlike his previous two summer keynote addresses, in which he delivered tough state budget news, Moore this year mentioned the budget only long enough to note that he and lawmakers had to erase a projected $3.3 billion structural deficit as they crafted a compromise balanced budget.
During his remarks, the governor rattled off a list of accomplishments during his time in office.
He also used the platform to criticize — though not by name — Republican President Donald Trump.
The remarks drew mixed reactions.
Maryland is a state where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 2-1. But most of those blue votes are clustered in central Maryland and outside the District of Columbia. Most of the counties on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland are majority Republican jurisdictions.
And as Moore began to bullet-point federal actions that would hurt the state, he took on the cadence of a man leading a big tent revival.
“Look, I understand that some people view Maryland as a ‘deep-blue state,’” Moore said. “But these policies from D.C. are hurting Democrats and Republicans.”
And as Moore drew attention to counties that would be affected — Montgomery and Prince George’s and Allegany and Wicomico — he punctuated each point with: ” Let’s get really specific.”
Much of the crowd remained polite but silent. Small pockets of others called out in agreement, a response to Moore’s call at a time he said was “steeped in danger and laced with uncertainty.”
“The truth is we are going to lead through this moment, knowing that history has taught us that there is only two things that can get us through difficult moments: God’s grace and steady leadership,” he said.
Moore charged county leaders to join him in a fast-paced effort to deliver results to residents
“We must move with the speed that shows them we understand how fast things are breaking in their lives,” Moore said.
