Maryland Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey and Minority Whip Justin Ready have called out what they described as an alarming trend of mismanagement and failure under the leadership of Governor Wes Moore, following three damaging state audits that have come to light in the past two weeks.
“These are not isolated mistakes – they are colossal failures that point to a Governor who either doesn’t know what’s happening in his own agencies, or worse, doesn’t care to find out,” Hershey said in a statement. “Normally it would speak volumes that we haven’t heard from the Governor about the failure of his agencies being outlined in these audits however, we know once we do, we are assured it will be just his blaming of these findings on the prior administration. Governor Moore should spend less time focused on the politics of Washington, D.C., and more time on the inter-operations of his government agencies. Maryland families deserve a government that can perform its basic functions and protect its most vulnerable citizens.”
Ready added: “Taxpayers have a right to expect their dollars will be spent responsibly, but even more importantly, Marylanders must be able to trust that their government will safeguard children and those who cannot protect themselves. These audits show a disturbing lack of oversight and leadership at the highest levels of the Moore Administration. This is not about partisanship – this is about whether the Moore Administration is doing its job for the people of Maryland. Right now, the answer is clearly no.”
$359 Million in Unauthorized Expenses
The most high-profile audit involved the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). A report released earlier this month found that SHA shifted $359 million in federal funds to cover budget shortfalls in the state’s transportation program. According to auditors, the maneuver was not authorized and concealed deficits that should have been disclosed.
The report also cited “inappropriate” accounting practices, including double-charging federal programs for employee overtime and improperly shifting costs to federal accounts. In some cases, SHA failed to maintain adequate documentation for how funds were used.
The revelations have prompted calls from House Republicans for Attorney General Anthony Brown to investigate whether SHA officials knowingly misrepresented the state’s transportation finances.
The highway audit is only the latest in a series of damaging findings. Recent reviews have flagged problems across multiple state agencies, including failures in safeguarding children and vulnerable Marylanders. Republicans argue that the problems reflect a broader leadership issue under Governor Moore, not isolated mistakes.
Senate GOP leaders said the pattern raises questions about oversight at the highest levels of state government, particularly as Maryland faces a looming budget deficit projected in the billions.
Hershey and Ready said Senate Republicans are exploring legislative remedies to strengthen oversight of state agencies and hold the executive branch more accountable. With the General Assembly scheduled to reconvene in January, they signaled that audits and accountability will be a central issue in the 2025 session.
“Democrats in Annapolis cannot ask for one more dime from taxpayers until the Moore Administration demonstrates it can manage the money it already has and protect the children entrusted to its care,” Hershey said.
· MSN / Associated Press – Maryland Highway Administration charged $359M in unauthorized expenses, audit finds https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/maryland-highway-administration-charged-359m-in-unauthorized-expenses-audit-finds
· Conduit Street (Maryland Association of Counties) – State Highway Administration Shifted $359M to Conceal Transportation Fund Shortfall, Audit Finds https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2025/09/11/state-highway-administration-shifted-359m-to-conceal-transportation-fund-shortfall-audit-finds/
· WBAL-TV 11 – SHA audit questions accounting practices, federal funding, overtime https://www.wbaltv.com/article/sha-audit-accounting-practices-federal-funding-overtime/66053438
· The BayNet – Maryland House Republicans Call for Attorney General Probe into SHA’s Efforts to Hide Transportation Deficit https://thebaynet.com/maryland-house-republicans-call-for-attorney-general-probe-into-shas-efforts-to-hide-transportation-deficit/
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
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