Reeling from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is urging business leaders to take risks in 2026 and curb the state economy’s reliance on what he called “eds, feds and meds.”
“I want economic growth, economic diversification, and I want to move fast,” he said.
Moore told a group of business leaders gathered at a Greater Washington Board of Trade meeting at National Harbor on Tuesday that Maryland, and the greater D.C. region, needs to diversify its economic bases.
“I think, for anyone in the region, we all understand the complication of thinking that if you have a reliance on Washington, D.C., that somehow that is a good bet,” he said.
Traditionally, Moore said, Maryland’s economy has been built on three things — education, the federal government and health care.
“The challenge is when you have one of those stools that has not just been altered, in many ways it’s been severed, how do you come up with new ways to focus on economic growth?” he said.
Moore said he wants to make it simpler for businesses to come to Maryland, stay in Maryland and grow industries that can provide long-term employment.
“You have to take big bets, and if you’re not going to take big bets, then, frankly, get out of the seat and let someone else sit in it,” Moore said, in reference to business leaders as they think about 2026.
Moore said he was exhausted by the idea that every business venture requires a five-year analysis.
“We’ve got to stop being the place of no and slow and start being the place of yes and now,” he said.
When it comes to the greater D.C. region, Moore said he’s excited to work with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger to foster alignment. That collaboration helps him recruit businesses to his state, he said.
“Do you know one of the main things I’m selling them on? It’s not just the assets of Maryland, it’s the DMV,” Moore said.
Even still, Moore said he keeps a competitive edge: “I still want to beat them every time I get a chance, though.”
