The following is the transcript of the interview with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Nov. 9, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're joined now by the Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore. Good to have you here in person.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, Governor, one in eight Americans use food stamps. In Maryland, you have about 700,000 people, as I understand it, who rely on this for food aid. Since the Supreme Court put that stay in place on Friday, do you know whether that money will actually be available to residents in your state to buy food?
GOV. MOORE: We don't know, and that's why we're not waiting. It is why, just in the past few days, I have authorized over $10 million that's going towards heating assistance for people in the state of Maryland. Over $10 million has gone to our Maryland food banks that we have made public transportation free for all of our federal workers, because they are, in many cases, are going to work and not being paid. And I have also authorized $62 million to go towards SNAP to make sure that SNAP is not going to be interrupted for the people of Maryland for as long as we can, despite the fact that we are waiting for the President of the United States to finally do his job. We are watching the president who is literally breaking the law so people can starve, but we're not going to sit there and tolerate in our state.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you just heard Director Hassett say that they are trying to follow the law, which is why they went to the courts. The USDA did say they were going to work towards implementing full payments and then there was this Supreme Court stay put in place. So, do you have clarity on when money might be coming through at all, what's the federal government telling you?
GOV. MOORE: There is no clarity- clarity at all. In the past- in the past six days, we've received four different measures of guidance from the USDA and from the Trump administration about how to handle it. Where initially it was said, well, listen, we want the states to help, to support and despite the fact that this program was built as a partnership between the federal government and the states, where the federal government were really helping to underwrite these costs for people, and then once we decided to step up and say, we are going to make sure that our people are going to be okay--
GOV. MOORE: -- That we are going to front the money. We've now received guidance saying the states are going to be punished for fronting the money. There is a chaos, and it is an intentional chaos that we are seeing from this administration, and where they have money for everything. They got money to fight wars, they got money for ballrooms, they got money for everything, but when it comes to supporting the American people, that's now when they are crying, well, we're broke, and that's not what the law requires us to do.
MARGARET BRENNAN: As you know, the White House says those- those sponsorships for the ballroom are separate from government money. But on- on the issue, though, of the shutdown itself. On Friday, we did see the Democratic Leader Schumer offer to end it if Republicans agree to a one-year extension of the Obamacare health care subsidies. Republicans said that's a- that's a nonstarter. This is going to make this a big issue for the midterms. But would you- would you tell the Democrats on Capitol Hill to dig in? That the pain that the people who are living in your state is somehow going to be worth it in the end, for an extension of a tax credit?
GOV. MOORE: There is no pain that is worth it. Our people are hurting, and they're hurting because of these games that we continue to see from Washington, DC.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But would you tell Democrats, just take the vote, open the government, then keep negotiating health care?