On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) wrapped up his third State of the State address, an annual exercise in political pageantry and bipartisan backslapping.
However, this year, Maryland’s fiscal disaster, which unfolded under Gov. Moore’s watch, overshadowed a speech Mr. Moore perhaps envisioned as his official entry into the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.
When Mr. Moore took office in January 2023, he inherited a budgetary surplus from his Republican predecessor, Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.
But when Uncle Sugar stopped sweetening Maryland with COVID-19 federal funding, the Moore administration and his Democratic allies in the General Assembly continued throwing seemingly endless cash at bloated education mandates, Medicaid expansions, and childcare subsidies, spiraling far beyond their original price tags.
Meanwhile, state revenues flatlined, leaving the Moore administration scrambling for scapegoats instead of owning up to their reckless budgeting.
Here’s where the fun begins.
Shortly after Mr. Moore finished his State of the State speech, along comes Carter Elliott, Mr. Moore’s obsequious press secretary, who the late Joseph F. Steffen Jr. would have gleefully assigned an indelible moniker.
Mr. Elliott took to social media to challenge Maryland Republicans — who control precisely zero levers of power in Annapolis — to “submit a budget proposal” of their own.
Here’s the problem: elected state Republicans cannot constitutionally submit their own budget.
It’s not because elected Republicans lack the votes (which, of course, they do) but because the Maryland Constitution expressly forbids it.
The governor of Maryland — and the governor alone — is responsible for drafting and submitting the annual state budget.
It’s not a matter of political strategy or tradition; it is the ironclad law of the state, codified in Article III, Section 52 of the Maryland Constitution.
The General Assembly’s power over the budget is explicitly limited to making reductions or modest reallocations, not generating a competing budget proposal.
State lawmakers can only introduce additional spending through supplementary appropriation bills, which require a dedicated revenue source (such as new taxes or spending cuts) and a three-fifths majority vote for approval.
This means Carter Elliott’s challenge to Republicans is constitutionally baseless, as the minority party has no legal authority to draft or submit an alternative budget.
This kind of mistake is embarrassing for a governor’s press secretary — whose literal job is to communicate accurate information.
The Maryland Constitution: A Document Carter Elliott IV Should Read
One must not embark on an exhaustive legal inquiry to understand why Mr. Elliott’s comment is absurd.
Article III, Section 52 of the Maryland Constitution establishes an executive-driven budget process, stating in no uncertain terms:
“The Governor shall submit to the General Assembly a Budget for the next ensuing fiscal year.”
Not the General Assembly. Not the Republican minority. Maryland’s governor.
Further, Maryland’s constitution prohibits the legislature from increasing or initiating new spending beyond what the Governor proposes. Lawmakers can only make reductions or reallocate funding within the existing proposal.
Instead, Mr. Elliott issued a politically charged, detached-from-reality demand, demonstrating a fundamental ignorance of Maryland’s legal framework.
The Role of Maryland’s Press Secretary: Spokesperson or Misinformation Machine?
One might forgive a casual observer for making such a mistake.
Though Carter Elliott IV is not an anonymous social media troll – he’s rather explicit about his social media trolling while operating on the taxpayers’ watch.
Mr. Elliott is infamously known for blatantly engaging in partisan politics while operating on taxpayer time.
(More on this in future articles. Stay tuned.)
Md. Code, SPP § 2-304 explicitly restricts state employees from engaging in political activity while on duty.
The state press secretary’s job is not to score cheap partisan points, nor is it to issue factually incorrect statements that erode public trust.
It is, above all else, to convey accurate information.
When a state official as crucial as the governor’s chief spokesperson fundamentally misunderstands the governing process, it damages their credibility and the credibility of the administration they represent.
If Mr. Elliott cannot be bothered to verify basic constitutional facts before making sweeping pronouncements, one has to wonder: What else is Carter Elliott IV getting wrong?
The Political Reality: Carter Elliott’s Misstep is a Smokescreen
Of course, one must consider whether Carter Elliott’s remark was born of ignorance or deliberate misdirection.
It’s hard to tell what Carter Elliott means sometimes.
His hybrid position – part political operative, part official state press secretary – is often muddied by his social media feed’s unsubtle political pronouncements – even though state law clearly says he can’t do that.
Given Maryland’s deep blue legislature, it is politically convenient for the Moore administration to deflect blame onto the Republican minority —no matter how constitutionally preposterous that notion may be.
Mr. Elliott’s attempt to shift blame to the powerless state Republicans is a classic straw man argument:
- The budget is unpopular.
- The governor owns the budget.
- The governor’s press secretary wants someone else to take the fall.
- The powerless minority party makes for a perfect scapegoat.
If Gov. Moore’s administration wishes to pretend Republicans bear equal responsibility for the budget, they are welcome to make that argument. But they should at least be competent enough to craft a defense that doesn’t collapse under the weight of constitutional reality.
Facts Matter, Even in Politics
Gov. Moore should be commended for his forthright acknowledgment of the state’s profound budget challenges, even when critics disagree with the specifics of his proposals.
However, the governor should ensure that his communications staff avoids fatuous public declarations that underscore their unfamiliarity with the state’s basic constitutional mechanisms.
Marylanders deserve facts from their government, not ill-informed partisan bomb-throwing.
Mr. Elliott’s choice is clear: if he wishes to be a Democratic operative, fine; he should resign as the governor’s spokesperson and pursue that path.
We would wish him all the best.