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Gov. Wes Moore says DOGE could learn something from his own efficiency push in nearby Maryland

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Gov. Wes Moore says DOGE could learn something from his own efficiency push in nearby Maryland


  • The forthcoming DOGE commission has been the talk of Washington in recent months.
  • Just miles away, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland is pushing his own government efficiency plans.
  • Moore wants to save the state $50 million by weeding out waste.

President-elect Donald Trump’s planned Department of Government Efficiency has been the talk of Washington, especially since Tesla CEO Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will co-lead the effort.

A perhaps less talked about but also significant government efficiency effort, however, is also taking shape not far from Capitol Hill.

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland announced this month his state would launch an initiative to weed out waste. His goal: Find $50 million in savings for the current fiscal year.

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Maryland faces a $3 billion budget gap. So Moore is proposing $2 billion in spending reductions to his $67.3 billion budget plan. An executive order that Moore signed earlier this month directs state agencies to identify cost savings and eliminate redundancies.

Moore told Business Insider in a recent interview that while he didn’t know DOGE’s full slate of proposals, he thinks they “should probably take a look” at what his administration is doing to boost government efficiency in Maryland.

“We’re looking at everything from fleet management to how we’re looking at IT consolidation to how we’re looking at real estate,” he said. “These items alone are going to save the state of Maryland tens of millions of dollars.”

“DOGE should pay attention to what we’re doing with our government modernization,” he added.

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Moore is a first-term Democrat leading one of the country’s bluest strongholds, while the DOGE is a national GOP-led effort. When asked if more Democrats should embrace government efficiency efforts, Moore said voters are looking for results.

“If people are asking, ‘Where’s the future, and what should I look to for inspiration?’ I would say, ‘look at the states,’” he said. “The budget that I just proposed is giving a tax cut to nearly two-thirds of Marylanders — and 82% of the people in my state are either about to get a tax cut or have no change at all in their tax code.”

Moore told BI his plan would cut corporate taxes and eliminate the inheritance tax. The plan would also create a 6.25% tax rate for single filers making at least $500,000 and a 6.5% tax rate for state residents who earn $1 million or more. Under the current tax code, single filers in Maryland who make over $250,000 have an income tax rate of 5.75%.

Similar to the optimism of DOGE’s leaders, Moore believes his state’s efforts can serve as a model for forthcoming efficiency efforts.

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“We’re doing a lot of things that people are paying attention to… and a lot of innovation that we’re hoping for is actually happening within our state,” he said. “I’m really proud that Maryland is helping to lead the charge on that.”





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Maryland

Maryland AG condemns Trump administration for giving ICE access to Medicaid data

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Maryland AG condemns Trump administration for giving ICE access to Medicaid data


Maryland’s attorney general is condemning the Trump administration’s decision to share the personal information of 79 million Medicaid enrollees with immigration authorities.

“This agreement is a grave breach of the public’s trust and a direct threat to the privacy and safety of families across our state. It undermines the core purpose of our healthcare system by turning it into a tool of surveillance rather than a source of care,” Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement Friday.

In a statement to NBC News, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin described the latest data-sharing agreement between her agency and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as “an initiative” to ensure undocumented immigrants don’t access Medicaid benefits. The Associated Press first reported the new agreement, which hasn’t been made public yet.

Immigrants who are in the country illegally, and some lawfully present immigrants, are already barred from enrolling in Medicaid.

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Under the agreement, officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement will use Medicaid data to get identity and location information of people ICE believes are in the country unlawfully.

Brown’s office said news of the data sharing agreement “alarmingly” comes after Maryland joined a multi-state lawsuit challening the Department of Health and Human Services’ decision to give ICE broad access to individual personal health data. A hearing on the states’ motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for Aug. 7.

“This reckless policy will deter people from seeking routine and urgent care, leading to worse health outcomes and placing an unsustainable burden on our hospitals and clinics when preventable conditions become emergencies,” Brown said in his statement. “We will use every legal tool available to safeguard the personal medical information of our residents and uphold the integrity of our healthcare system. This is not only unlawful—it is a deeply harmful act that will separate families, sow fear in our communities, and put lives at risk.”



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Maryland man charged with making threats against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

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Maryland man charged with making threats against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene


A Maryland man is now facing federal charges after he allegedly made multiple threats toward Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.  

The charges

What we know:

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Seth Jason, a resident of Edgewater, was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police and the Anne Arundel Police Department on the morning of July 17.

Jason will make his initial appearance this afternoon before a magistrate judge in U.S. District Court.

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He’s been charged with influencing a federal official by threatening a family member, influencing a federal official by threat, interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, and anonymous telecommunications harassment.

The backstory:

According to the indictment, between Oct. 11, 2023, and Jan. 21, 2025, Jason made threatening calls to the Dalton and Rome District Offices for Rep. Greene.

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Following an investigation, U.S. Capitol Police discovered that the phone calls were made from various phone lines connected to studios and control rooms at Voice of America headquarters, where Jason had worked as a longtime employee. 

In eight calls made over fifteen months, Jason threatened the use of firearms to kill Greene, her staff and their families.

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Congresswoman responds

Full statement:

“For 15 months, I received terrifying death threats from one individual who worked alarmingly close to my office building at the Voice of America. That kind of sustained, targeted harassment is deeply disturbing. I truly feared for my life, as I do with all of the death threats I receive. I want to thank U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, Senior Advisor Kari Lake, the Capitol Police, and the prosecutors who took this threat seriously and acted decisively to stop someone who was planning to kill me. Threatening an elected official, their family, or their staff is not free speech; it’s a crime, and it must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. My family and I are incredibly grateful. Justice must be served.”

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PSEG seeks more land access for MPRP project in Maryland

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PSEG seeks more land access for MPRP project in Maryland


The company that plans to build a controversial power line, known as the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, through Baltimore, Frederick and Carroll Counties has filed an additional lawsuit to get access to more people’s property.

PSEG filed the suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court against nearly 200 landowners.

It says it needs access to the private land so it can survey the property.

In June, in a separate lawsuit, a judge granted PSEG the right to access more than 100 pieces of private property.

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A group that is fighting the power line is appealing that decision and calls the new lawsuit a direct assault on property rights.

In a statement, PSEG said it had reached out to landowners to get voluntary access agreements.

“Because many landowners refused our efforts, and in order to obtain this survey data information, PSEG previously sought and has obtained a court order confirming that State law allows us to access a number of properties to complete the required surveys,” PSEG wrote. “That process continues with the additional properties included in today’s (Tuesday’s) filing.”

PJM Interconnection, which runs the electricity grid that serves Maryland, selected PSEG for the job. It says the MPRP is necessary because of an increased demand for electricity coming at the same time old power plants are being retired.

But when the project was made public one year ago the opposition grew quickly and has been intense. Opponents of the project jammed public hearings in the three affected counties.

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In a statement Joanne Frederick, the President of Stop MPRP, Inc. said, “Hundreds of landowners across Maryland are now being dragged into federal court simply for saying no to forced corporate access and defending their right to control what happens on their land.”

Maryland’s Public Service Commission will decide if the MPRP will be built.

This story may be updated.





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