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Blue state residents ‘fleeing in droves’ after ‘insane’ progressive takeover, says top state attorney
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A top state attorney in Democrat-controlled Maryland says he has had enough and is throwing in the towel after saying the Old Line State has suffered an «insane» «ultra-progressive» takeover.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Haven Shoemaker, state attorney for Maryland’s Carroll County, said that after decades in public service, he is «sick to death» of the policies that «emanate» from the state capital in Annapolis. He said he is especially disgusted with Maryland’s «sanctuary» policies and the high taxes he said are being levied in part to pay for more services for illegal immigrants.
«Maryland has become California on the Chesapeake,» said Shoemaker. «It only gets worse. It’s not getting better. And at some point, I just had to make a personal decision that it’s time to throw in the towel and head for what I believe are greener pastures.»
Shoemaker is not the only one. He said that he sees Marylanders giving up on the state «all the time.»
«The State of Maryland has one of the worst outward migration numbers of any state in the country right now,» he said. «So, I don’t know who’s going to be the last to foot the bill for the profligate spending that Annapolis likes to engage in, but it’s not going to be me, I can tell you that.»
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Marylanders are «fleeing in droves» under Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and the Democra-controlled State Assembly, according to Carroll County State Attorney Haven Shoemaker. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Moore’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions. Fox News Digital also reached out to Maryland House Speaker Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson for comment.
Born in Baltimore in the 1960s, Shoemaker spent three decades in local and state politics before taking the job as Carroll County’s top prosecutor in 2023. His career in public service includes seven years as mayor of Hampstead, Maryland, four years as a Carroll County commissioner and nine years in the Maryland House of Delegates. He rose to the role of House Minority Whip for the Maryland Republican Party.
Despite years deeply involved in state politics, Shoemaker said his decision to abandon Maryland has been a long time coming.
«I’ve been contemplating this move for a while, but the linchpin for me was this most recent legislative session where they essentially made Maryland a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants,» he told Fox News Digital.
Earlier this year, the Maryland General Assembly passed an emergency measure to ban local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through what is known as the 287(g) program. Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, whose name has been floated as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, signed the bill into law.
While emphasizing that law enforcement would continue cooperating with ICE on deporting individuals who «pose a risk to public safety,» Moore lauded the bill, saying, «We will not allow untrained, unqualified and unaccountable agents to deputize our brave local law enforcement officers,» according to WYPR.
While signing the measure, Moore stressed his view that «Maryland is a community of immigrants,» saying, «It is not our weakness, it’s our strength.»
FOUR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LINKED TO MS-13 INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MURDERING 14-YEAR-OLD BOY IN MARYLAND PARK
The Maryland State Capitol building in Annapolis, Md. (Getty Images)
Shoemaker, meanwhile, said that Maryland’s sanctuary-style policies are «just part of the problem.»
«In addition to that, their tax policy here is horrendous,» he said. He pointed to how state leaders raised taxes in Maryland last year by $1.6 billion.
The tax raise was passed by the State Assembly and approved by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore as part of a $67 billion state budget in 2025. The raise was part of a plan to address roughly a $3.3 billion budget deficit. Maryland’s budget is relatively large compared to other states, despite the state ranking 18th in population and 42nd in land size.
Shoemaker said that state leaders are «already looking at a structural deficit going into next year’s budget of another billion and a half or so.» He asserted the «handwriting is on the wall» that «Maryland politicians are beholden to their ultra-progressive base.»
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speak to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2024. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg)
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In the end, Shoemaker said that he has finally decided to escape to the South and head for North Carolina.
«A lot of taxpayers from across the State of Maryland are fleeing in droves,» he said. He added a warning to Moore and other Maryland leaders: «If you want to staunch the bleeding that’s occurring, maybe you should rethink your policies.»
maryland, democratic party, immigration, taxes, illegal immigrants, sanctuary cities
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Elecciones en Colombia: el inédito pedido de una diputada para suspender a Gustavo Petro de su cargo agita la campaña
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First on Fox: Trump admin opens new front in fraud crackdown targeting health insurers, drug middlemen
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FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is lifting the hood on federal health benefits programs that cover millions of Americans, ordering insurance carriers to tighten fraud controls as part of a broader crackdown on waste and abuse, Fox News Digital learned.
«Working alongside the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, OPM is taking additional steps to safeguard the premiums paid by federal employees and taxpayers, protect beneficiaries, and ensure health insurance companies are meeting the highest standards of accountability,» said Office of Personnel Management (OPM) director Scott Kupor to Fox News Digital.
OPM functions as the federal government’s human resources agency, overseeing civilian personnel policy and administering benefits for federal employees, retirees and their families.
OPM, partnered with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, is sending new compliance expectations on Wednesday to insurance carriers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits programs, directing them to strengthen fraud prevention, payment reviews, pharmacy benefit oversight, subcontractor accountability, audits and reporting, Fox News Digital learned.
READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD
FEHB cost taxpayers about $70 billion and provided more than 8.2 million federal employees, family members, and other eligible individuals in in 2024. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The push also targets pharmacy benefit managers, the drug-pricing middlemen that administer prescription drug benefits for health plans and negotiate with drugmakers and pharmacies.
The FEHB program cost the government and enrollees about $70 billion in fiscal 2024 and covered more than 8.2 million federal employees, family members and other eligible individuals, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
«OPM is a valuable partner and leader on the Task Force. The steps taken today will protect taxpayers and our federal workforce,» White House Task Force Executive Director Scott Brady told Fox News Digital.
OPM is also building a data science and audit team with the agency’s inspector general to review anonymized claims data and detect fraud, waste and overbilling more proactively.
HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES NEW TASK FORCE, PROBES ALLEGED $250B MEDICAID FRAUD IN OHIO
The White House Task Force has amped up its fraud investigations narrowing in on medical corruption. (Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)
The Government Accountability Office said in a July 2025 report that OPM should do more to manage fraud risks in the FEHB program, citing risks including benefit card sharing, improper inducements, insufficient or fraudulent documentation, kickbacks, marketing fraud, theft of personally identifiable information, provider ineligibility and self-referrals.
The announcement marks the latest crackdown in medical programs following the launch of a nationwide probe into Medicaid.
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OPM has given orders to insurance companies handling federal employee health benefits to launch investigations into payments, pharmacy benefit oversights, and subcontractors. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CMS directed all 50 states to submit plans to revalidate high-risk Medicaid providers, including providers subject to less rigorous enrollment standards or operating without a National Provider Identifier in April.
Vice President JD Vance, who is leading the task force, amplified the call in May, saying during a news conference that states could lose federal funding if they fail to aggressively pursue Medicaid fraud.
The push comes amid heightened focus on large-scale fraud cases, including Minnesota’s $250 million «Feeding Our Future» scheme, which became a national flashpoint in recent months.
white house, health care, enforcement, donald trump, jd vance
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Costa Rica: Comisión de Hacendarios aprueba recorte de unos USD 86.8 millones, al presupuesto de los CEN-CINAI
La Comisión de Asuntos Hacendarios de la Asamblea Legislativa aprobó este martes un recorte de ₡40,000 millones (USD 86.8 millones) al presupuesto asignado para 2026 a la Dirección Nacional de Centros de Educación y Nutrición y de Centros Infantiles de Atención Integral (CEN-CINAI). La decisión, que contó con el respaldo de ocho diputados, forma parte del primer presupuesto extraordinario de la República para el presente año y se justifica por la necesidad de cubrir el déficit presupuestario de las pensiones del Régimen No Contributivo (RNC) de la Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS).
La iniciativa fue impulsada por la fracción oficialista del Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), mientras que los legisladores del Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) se opusieron a la medida. La bancada liberacionista argumentó que el recorte tendrá consecuencias negativas sobre los sectores más vulnerables, particularmente la niñez que depende de los servicios de los CEN-CINAI.
El órgano legislativo también aprobó una moción adicional que reduce en ₡30,000 millones (USD 65,1 millones) los recursos que el Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda (Banhvi) gira al Fondo de Desarrollo Social y Asignaciones Familiares (Fodesaf), lo que afecta directamente la financiación de programas de vivienda social y apoyo familiar.
La diputada Ángela Aguilar, vocera del PLN en la Comisión, advirtió que la rebaja de fondos representa el 28,7% del presupuesto 2026 destinado a los CEN-CINAI. “Me preocupa porque los CEN-CINAI enfrentan situaciones relacionadas con órdenes sanitarias y otras necesidades. Además, brindan atención y cuido a niños y niñas”, señaló Aguilar durante la sesión. La legisladora insistió en que el impacto de este recorte podría traducirse en una disminución de cobertura y calidad en la atención que reciben miles de menores en condición de vulnerabilidad en todo el país.
Por su parte, el presidente de la Comisión de Asuntos Hacendarios, Nogui Acosta (PPSO), defendió la decisión y sostuvo que no se deben reducir los recursos destinados a los pensionados del RNC, subrayando que la propuesta cumple con la legalidad vigente. Acosta explicó que el Estado enfrenta una presión fiscal significativa y que, ante la urgencia de financiar las pensiones del régimen no contributivo, se recurrió a la redistribución de partidas presupuestarias. El diputado oficialista enfatizó que se trata de una medida responsable y que el gobierno mantiene el compromiso de atender las necesidades de la población en situación de pobreza extrema.
La fracción del Partido Liberación Nacional consideró que la moción aprobada evidencia una deficiente planificación presupuestaria y cuestionó el procedimiento seguido en la Comisión, al señalar que la aprobación no se ajusta a lo establecido en el Reglamento Legislativo. Además, los opositores recalcaron que la decisión afectará de manera directa a los programas de nutrición, educación y cuido infantil, así como a las familias beneficiarias de proyectos de vivienda social.
El recorte a los CEN-CINAI generó preocupación en organizaciones sociales y defensoras de los derechos de la infancia, que advierten sobre el riesgo de retrocesos en la atención integral a la niñez y la reducción de oportunidades para familias en comunidades vulnerables. Los CEN-CINAI ofrecen servicios fundamentales como alimentación, educación y cuidado a miles de niños y niñas en todo el territorio nacional, especialmente en zonas rurales y urbanas de alta exclusión social.
Hasta el momento, las autoridades de la Dirección Nacional de CEN-CINAI no han emitido un pronunciamiento oficial sobre el impacto que tendrá esta disminución presupuestaria. Diversos sectores sociales y políticos han solicitado una revisión de la medida y la búsqueda de alternativas que no impliquen recortes en programas sociales esenciales para el bienestar infantil y el acceso a la vivienda.
El debate legislativo en torno a la distribución de recursos públicos continúa en un contexto de restricciones fiscales, donde la prioridad del Ejecutivo se centra en asegurar el pago de pensiones y cumplir con las obligaciones del Estado en materia de seguridad social. La discusión sobre el financiamiento de los programas sociales y la protección de los sectores más vulnerables se mantendrá en la agenda parlamentaria durante las próximas semanas.
niños,educación,presupuesto,recorte,escuela,kinder,futuro,protesta,gabacha,uniforme
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