Wes Moore Defends Veto of Maryland Reparations Bill
Gov. Wes Moore Defends Veto of Maryland Reparations Bill Amid Criticism
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is defending his decision to veto a General Assembly-approved reparations bill, pushing back against critics who questioned why he drafted a similar plan of his own but never moved forward with it.
Some lawmakers and advocates expressed frustration that Moore’s draft order closely resembled the legislation they worked to pass.
Moore’s chief of staff, Fagan Harris, defended the governor in a written statement, criticizing what he called inaccuracies in the criticism and defending Moore’s approach.
“The Governor has been clear he wants action, not to wait and see, or to sign the state up for legislation with an unknown price tag to Maryland taxpayers,” Harris wrote.
The bill lawmakers passed would have cost about $55,000 a year for staff support for a 23-member reparations commission. That panel would study Maryland’s history of slavery and racial discrimination over two years, and recommend ways to redress harms, from formal apologies to policy changes like property tax relief, tuition assistance, and business incentives. Any recommendations would still require action by the governor and legislature.
Harris disputed claims by some lawmakers, including Dels. Aletheia McCaskill and Joseline Peña-Melnyk, that the governor’s draft executive order was nearly identical to the bill.
McCaskill said that in an April meeting, Moore showed her the draft order and a rollout plan that included a media strategy. Harris denied her account.
“Delegate Aletheia McCaskill and the governor met, but her recollection of the events are inaccurate,” Harris said in the statement. “The governor vetoed this legislation, and the staff’s draft alternative differed greatly from her proposal. No documents showing a press plan were shared, those are lies, and the governor highlighted his continued concerns about her legislation.”
Asked whether Harris was present at the meeting between Moore and McCaskill, the governor’s office did not respond. Nor did it provide a copy of the draft executive order.
In a statement Monday, McCaskill stood by her version of events. She added that the only substantive difference between her bill and Moore’s draft was that he wanted to add two more members to the commission — an offer she said she was willing to accept, but Moore declined.
Harris maintained that Moore and his staff were in regular contact with lawmakers throughout the legislative session about the reparations proposal and expressed reservations about the bill all along.
“The governor himself met with many of the legislators that pushed this effort, and at numerous occasions the office expressed hesitancy with the proposed legislation — to say anything to the contrary is simply false,” Harris wrote.
But McCaskill and others said that while the governor raised concerns, he never proposed specific changes.
Now, McCaskill and other advocates are focusing on overriding the veto.
“While I appreciate Governor Moore’s commitment to addressing Maryland’s past and advancing efforts to build economic equity, my firm belief is that moving forward with this legislation is the clearest way to ensure accountability,” McCaskill said.
Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, acknowledged “a fundamental disagreement” with the governor over how to proceed, but expressed hope for future collaboration.
She called the reparations commission “a serious, comprehensive plan to implement reparations in our state and an investment in justice for Black Marylanders.”
“We remain committed to ensuring this critical step toward reparative justice is realized and implemented with the care, urgency, and depth it deserves by overriding the veto,” Wilkins said.
