Transcript: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on “Face the Nation,” June 16, 2024

The following is a transcript of an interview with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, on “Face the Nation,” which aired June 16, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And we turn now to the Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore. He joins us from Annapolis. Happy Father’s Day.

GOV. WES MOORE: Thank you very much, I really appreciate that. Happy Father’s Day to everyone watching.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, last week you reopened the Port of Baltimore, just three months after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. How long before full shipping traffic returns and you see that benefit to your economy?

GOV. MOORE: Well, the benefit has already started. And I’m so inspired by the work this state has done. I mean, we showed 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, even a year to clear the federal channel. And what many people said would take 11 months, we managed to do in 11 weeks. And it’s because we work together. And so, the fact that the Port of Baltimore has reopened, the fact that the entire federal canal, 700 feet by 50 feet deep, now has full access is an extraordinary feat.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And the federal government has provided some support 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, the Biden administration has been a phenomenal partner. So we know the estimated cost could be between $1.7 and $1.9 billion. And the reason we’re asking for federal cost sharing and 100% cost sharing is simply because we have to act quickly. And I need to do it on time and on budget. We know that to move quickly, we must achieve 100% cost participation. So we’re spending time working with members on both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans. But knowing that if we can work together right now, we can accomplish something really important for the American economy.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Congress would still need to approve this. And President Biden has promised, as you just mentioned, to use federal dollars to rebuild, but we are very close to an election. Do you believe you will get that support and those funds appropriated before we see a potential change in administration?

GOV. MOORE: I was incredibly encouraged by the amount of support we received from both Democrats and Republicans. And I’m sure we will achieve this.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about another tragic death in your state. A Maryland mother named Rachel Morin was killed last August and yesterday a suspect in her murder was arrested in Oklahoma. He is 23 years old and from El Salvador and Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said he had ties to a criminal gang and had murdered another woman in El Salvador. Listen.

(PLAY VIDEO)

SHERIFF JEFFREY GAHLER: To 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and to all members of both houses of Congress. We are 1,800 miles away here in Harford County. We are 1,800 miles from the southern border. And American citizens are not safe because of failed immigration policies.

(END OF VIDEO)

MARGARET BRENNAN: I know that sheriff is a Republican, Governor, but do you also hold the federal government partially responsible for the death of this Maryland resident?

GOV. MOORE: My… my heart is… broken for the Morin family. Just like our entire state. She should still be here. And… and the sheriff is absolutely right. I mean, we have an immigration policy that needed to be addressed and wasn’t. And the consequences then fall on us as the chief executives of our state, the consequences fall on us as the leaders of our individualized jurisdictions. And we know we have to fix a broken immigration policy. And we know we need Congress to act on this. And that’s why it was so incredibly frustrating that when you have a coalition that is a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans, that literally goes to the line to get a deal done, that’s because you had a- you had President Trump who said that this was not politically advantageous, that the agreement was cancelled. There is unbelievable frustration. And that’s what people don’t like about politics. We have to get this deal done 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 executive action, but I also know it won’t be enough. And this is not politics, politics should not interfere with public safety. And I know for all of us who have to deal with the downstream impacts of broken policies, we know that we – and with this – we know we need Congress to act on this.

MARGARET BRENNAN: In politics, I know you’re a surrogate for President Biden and, helping with his campaign, you were recently in Philadelphia with him as part of a strategy to shore up support among black voters. According to our nationwide CBS poll, President Biden is effectively tied with Donald Trump, but among black voters, Trump has 18% support. That’s double the level he received in 2020. So why do you think this is increasing?

GOV. MOORE: Well, I think there’s a greater challenge that we’re seeing among African-Americans, and particularly among African-American men. This is an American problem. And I think we have to understand the history of all this as well, which, you know, I’m the governor of Maryland, in a state where we have an eight-to-one racial wealth disparity in the state of Maryland. And we know that this doesn’t happen because a group works eight times as hard. I know that I am the governor of a state where our largest city, Baltimore, is home to redlining and historic redlining, where home assessments and values ​​and the ability to buy a home were based on racial lines. And so these have been long-standing challenges and issues that, frankly, our country has not fully addressed. Now, what I know we’re seeing with President Biden is that we actually have plans and not platitudes to be able to resolve these issues. So when you look at the president focusing on things like homeownership, where we have one of the fastest growing rates of homeownership that we’ve seen, in the last 20 years, the fastest rate of black-owned businesses, and particularly for Black men, who we’ve seen for 30 years. These are plans that are really bearing fruit. And these are the kinds of things we should be able to recognize.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, we have more things to talk about with you, but we have to leave it there. Thank you for your time today. FACE THE NATION will be back in a minute. Stay with us.