Maryland governor on impacts of tariffs in the state and Democrats’ vision

(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the impact tariffs will have of Maryland's state economy.

Brennan asked Governor Moore when he will see the impact on the shipping volume and economy in the state when President Donald Trump enacts a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada on April 2, to which Moore said:

"We're already seeing the impacts of these disastrous and, frankly, not very well thought out policies when it comes to tariffs. You know, tariffs are a tool. They're not an ideology, but this administration is using it like an ideology. And so while the decisions are being made not with us, they're being made to us, we're already seeing how this is going to have a significant impact on the Port of Baltimore, which is really one of these country- one of the country's largest and most effective ports. It's the largest port for roll-on, roll-off vehicles. It is also seeing how the tariff policies are having disastrous impacts on our farmers over in the Eastern Shore and our chicken farmers in the eastern shore. This lack of predictability, this erratic behavior and this...and the indecisive decision making that's being made is already having very real impact on costs, it's having a very real impact on our businesses and our small businesses, it's having a very real impact on our economic engines and American competitiveness, as well as our national security, and so these are the type of things...this erratic behavior is the things that people were concerned about, and we are now seeing in real time in our states."

Brennan also said Maryland was one of 20 states, including Arizona, to "legally challenge the Trump administration on the decision to dismiss 1,300 workers at the Education Department," prompting Brennan to ask the governor how he chooses which issues to fight legally and if litigation is the Democrats' only tool, to which Moore said:

"Well, it's not. I mean, when you look at the- at the flurry of executive actions and executive orders that have been laid out by this administration thus far, they really fall into three different categories. It's either ineffective, it is performative or it is illegal, right? Those are the three buckets that all these executive actions are falling under. And the ones that are illegal, we are going to take legal action to make sure that there are legal consequences for making these decisions that, frankly, the President of the United States does not have the authority to make unilaterally. And so when we talk about the different tools that we have...just in this past week alone, you know, I signed executive action, executive orders focusing on supporting law enforcement and our police officers and our firefighters and giving them pay raises. Because on the federal side, we've seen continued attacks on our public servants and our law enforcement and the cutting of first responders like FEMA. That just this past week, I have focused on things like lowering prescription drugs costs and actually creating partnerships with the private sector to lower prescription drug costs, that we're working on legislation right now to increase housing inventory that can bring housing prices down, and that is all in...that is all contrary to what we're seeing from the federal government. So the legal tool in working with our Attorney General closely to be able to file suit when the federal government oversteps his bounds is one tool, but we are going to use every tool at our disposal to make sure that the people of Maryland are protected, and we're making sure we're putting extra resources and money back into their pockets."

During the interview, Brennan and Moore talked about what the public needs from the Democratic Party going forward.

"I think we need to be very clear about who we're fighting for. And I think we need to be very clear about the vision that we are offering. You know, I think about what's happening, you know, in this moment, even the conversation around the continuing resolution where we all know that the consequences of a federal government shutdown would have been disastrous on the state of Maryland, that we would have not only seen our economy completely downturn into- into a recession, that we would have seen our nation's credit being downgraded, and along those lines, each and every one of us as states, our credit would have been downgraded as well because The United States decided that it's now no longer paying its bills. And we would have seen thousands of federal workers unfairly now being laid off or furloughed. So we know the consequences. But one thing we did not do was offer an alternative. One thing we did not do was articulate the terms for the American people. And so I think when the American people, when they do not have an option, or they're not seeing people fighting on their behalf, then yes, there is going to be a measurement of frustration. So we've got to do everything in our power. I know in the state of Maryland, we are mobilizing to make sure we're protecting our federal workers, that we're streamlining them into not just private sector jobs, but also state jobs that are open and available. That we're making sure we're increasing our unemployment insurance, and we are doing things like lowering the price of prescription drugs, and we're doing things like increasing housing inventory, which is going to decrease the housing price. We're doing everything in our power to fight for the people, and I think it becomes incredibly important, because people are paying attention who their fighters are and who their fighters are not."

Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD)

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Moore, click here.