Since he was elected in 2022, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has lost 9 of his cabinet members either by firing or resignation. The latest is HHS Secretary Rafael Lopez who officially left his position Monday, February 16, after a string of scandals. He will vacate his office on February 23. Lopez released this statement regarding his resignation:
“Though I am resigning my post as secretary for health-related reasons, I will always be invested in making sure that our people have access to the services and support they need to thrive,” López said in a statement released by the governor’s office. “It has been an honor to serve in the Moore-Miller administration, and I am immensely proud of the progress we have made in service to Marylanders.”
Former Maryland Health and Human Services Secretary Rafael Lopez
Lopez had to leave after discoveries that the state’s foster children were being placed in homes with criminal and sex offenders and in hotel rooms in the City of Baltimore. One teenager, Kanaiyah Ward, 16, was discovered dead in her hotel room after she committed suicide. She was alone at the time as her adult supervisor was at another job. Her mother has since filed to sue.
DHS has since adjusted policy to prohibit placements in hotels, offices and with unlicensed providers.
While these problems were pointed out last year, there were ongoing problems. In October testimony in front of a legislative committee, Lopez admitted that the system had problems and they were repairing issues “with urgency.”
Maryland Audit Finds Foster Children Placed With Sex Offenders – The Easton Gazette
The tragedy brought sharp criticism from Maryland Republicans, including those in the Maryland Freedom Caucus.
Delegate Mike Griffith, a member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, was the most vocal as he grew up in the foster care system. He recently filed HB 0980-Child Protection and the Office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman (Kanaiyah’s Law). Griffith noted that the goal of the bill is to prohibit placing foster care children in hotels for more than a week without the review and authorization from the Secretary of Department of Human Services and will require training, licensing, and criminal background checks for one-on-one providers. The bill will have a hearing on February 26, 2026 in the Judiciary Committee at 1:00 p.m.
Delegate Griffith said in a statement; “I think this is a step in the right direction. While some of the problems in the department go back years, the secretary demonstrated time and again that he was not the agent of change the department needed to keep children safe.”
This is Griffith’s bill:
Those who wish to testify for the bill can register to do so between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24th. They can register at https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/
This is not the only scandal in the Maryland Department of Health and Human Services. Whistleblowers in the department reported that top leadership in the administration had been plotting to defraud the federal government of hundreds of millions in federal taxpayer money by intentionally maintaining high error rates in payments to avoid penalties.
Those whistleblowers were fired.
Other state agencies have problems as well. In June of 2025, Department of Juvenile Services head Vincent Schiraldi resigned after an audit revealed major problems with that agency, including facility management and lax criminal background checks.
Moore’s office issued this statement regarding Lopez’s resignation, “I am grateful for Secretary López’s leadership — especially during one of the most challenging times in the history of our state. Secretary López built a more solid foundation for service, and together we will continue to build upon that progress.”
Deputy Secretary Gloria Brown Burnett will serve as interim secretary until April 1, after which former Baltimore County Administrative Officer Stacy Rodgers will begin as acting secretary and serve until the search to fill the cabinet post is complete.
More problems with State agencies surfaced today, as it was discovered that the Moore administration also allowed hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage to pour into the Potomac River from Maryland. President Donald Trump announced on “X” that he will send in FEMA to clean up the mess:
Moore has also faced a great deal of criticism lately for proposing to redistrict Maryland’s Congressional Districts so that the State’s only Republican Congressional Representative would lose his seat.
This is seen to be a way for Moore to get national attention and favor from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Despite denials, many in Maryland think that Moore is paying more attention to a potential run for President in 2028 instead of fulfilling his current job.
Recent reports have also shown that the Governor was not truthful and forthcoming about his life, his career, and his family history. One particular fabrication was that he was given a Bronze Star when he served in the military. Moore admitted that he hadn’t actually been given the award but that it had been “applied for.”
Eventually, in what was seen by many as a publicity stunt and attempt to ameliorate the damage from the lie, Moore was given the Bronze star in his office last year. Many military members called his earlier claims of having been given the award as a form of “stolen valor.” Here is a post from a commenter on social media:
Please post your bronze star citation Governor. Your constituents want to read it. In the interest of transparency and public trust, you need to provide the citation on your Maryland.gov site. Please also provide your retirement certificate from the US Army for public viewing. The Maryland veteran community has questions and as our Governor, you owe answers. Your fellow veterans are waiting…
There were other problems with Moore’s official story of his life and education. Two weeks ago, he told a seemingly fabricated story about his great grandfather, a pastor, being chased out of the United States to Africa by the KKK.
Did Wes Moore Lie About His Academic Career? – WCBM News-Talk Radio
Maryland Gov Wes Moore in hot seat after report questions claim about grandfather and KKK
There are so many questions that Moore can’t seem to answer honestly.
Sometimes it is difficult to keep stories straight, particularly if they are not true.
And now it appears that it is difficult for Moore to keep his staff. Too much corruption, too little oversight.
And virtually no leadership.
The citizens of Maryland are beginning to see that Moore is not what he claims to be. Rather than solving the state’s problems, he has run Maryland into a huge financial deficit and failed to solve problems with high power costs and other management issues, leaving many Marylanders to make a choice between staying in the state and going bankrupt or looking for a better future elsewhere.
Tens of thousands of them are deciding to do the latter. According to the State Comptroller’s office, approximately 40,000 a year have moved away during Moore’s three years in office.
High housing costs are driving people out of Maryland, new state report finds – Maryland Matters
-Jan Greenhawk, Author
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