Maryland’s Democratic governor tapped one of the world’s largest risk management firms for a short-term contract to prepare for Republican President-elect Trump’s move next door.
Gov. Wes Moore hired Accenture PLC, an Irish IT and consulting firm with roughly $60 billion in revenue, to be the eyes and ears as Trump returns to Washington, DC
Two days after Trump was projected to win, Maryland settled on a $190,000 contract.
Consultants at Accenture have been charged with analyzing how Trump and congressional Republicans will affect Maryland, including on federal money sent down the Anacostia River as the new administration signals major belt-tightening.
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Maryland Governor Westley Moore (Getty)
The contract includes a section focused on identifying the country’s “resources and efforts and considering potential paths to legal challenges.”
It also sought to track Trump’s agenda and circle involvement with third-party groups like the Heritage Foundation, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Moore appeared to acknowledge that there will be Maryland interests at odds with the White House, but suggested that Accenture’s hiring would not create the murky relationship that critics have suggested.
Moore’s spokesman appeared to reject claims the governor was trying to make a fight, saying there were four principles guiding him into the new Trump era: “Defending our constitutional rights, growing our economy, and restoring faith in our public servants (and ) our institutions, and our democracy us.”
“Governor Moore is ready to work with the incoming administration to ensure that these goals are met, and where there is common ground to be found, he will find it. – The Miller Administration represents.”
The spokeswoman said hiring a firm like Accenture is a standard practice in business, and given the “unique role” the federal government plays in Maryland’s economy, it’s important to understand how best to work with Trump.
“With billions of dollars in potential liabilities for the state, it would be reckless of the Moore-Miller administration not to be prepared for any new policy direction taken by the federal government.”
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Wes Moore (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Like Virginia and the District of Columbia itself, Maryland is inseparable from the federal government, which also comprises less than 10% of the state’s workforce.
The Old Line State houses several federal agency headquarters. NASA’s Goddard Space Center has a private exit off the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the NIH campus is located in Bethesda and the FDA calls Silver Spring home.
Geographically, what remains of the original federal district is also Maryland territory – since Arlington and Alexandria retreated to Virginia in 1847.
Fox News Digital sought comment from state House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, R-Cumberland.
Buckel told Maryland Matters that the contract is “not in the best interest of Marylanders, especially under the combined control of the federal government by Republicans,” and suggested that the contract is not timely given Maryland’s reported billion-dollar deficit.
DC and Virginia have also implemented changes that the Trump administration could bring to these areas.
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Maryland state capitol in Annapolis (Getty)
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested a meeting with Trump, according to FOX5DC, while Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin — unlike the other two leaders — is a prominent Trump supporter with some clear concerns.
“I hope to have the wind at our backs rather than in our faces in terms of everything we do because we’ve gone from the bottom of job growth to near the top of the country,” Youngkin said.
However, in Fairfax County, which, like Maryland’s Prince Georges and Montgomery counties, is home to a high proportion of federal workers, top municipal leaders warned of repercussions.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay told FOX5DC that Fairfax must “prepare to deal with the potential impact of the new administration.”
He said Trump’s second term poses “risks” and noted that Trump aims to “dissolve government bureaucracy.”
A representative for Accenture referred Fox News Digital back to Moore’s office.
