Wes Moore Takes NGA Chair With Service, Federalism Agenda
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore became chair of the National Governors Association on August 1, giving him a national platform to press state concerns on federalism, elections, workforce policy and health care.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun became vice chair and chair-elect as the NGA announced its 2026-27 executive committee at the close of its summer meeting in Oklahoma City. The meeting ran from July 30 through August 1.
Moore’s leadership year also begins with Service United, an NGA-led initiative backed by $10 million in private philanthropic support. The program is intended to help states expand paid service opportunities and connect young adults with job skills, credentials and employers.
What changed at the NGA
The NGA represents the nation’s governors and does not pass laws, run elections or direct state agencies. Its executive committee does have general authority over the association’s policy work and primary jurisdiction over federalism and the role of governors and states in federal policymaking.
In practice, that gives Moore and Braun a way to coordinate governors’ positions, develop recommendations and advocate with Congress and federal agencies. It does not give the NGA power to impose nationwide rules. Changes involving elections, Medicaid, workforce systems or emergency operations still require action by states, Congress, federal agencies or agreements between governments.
The Oklahoma City meeting included sessions with federal officials on homeland-security coordination, rural health and Medicaid program integrity. The NGA also listed discussions involving artificial intelligence, the future of work and other state policy concerns. Those discussions identified areas for continued engagement; they did not themselves create a new federal program or nationwide policy.
Service United opens state grant round
Service United is Moore’s signature NGA chair initiative. The NGA says the campaign is backed by $10 million from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and the Schultz Family Foundation.
The initiative calls on governors to create or expand paid state service programs that meet community needs while helping young adults build skills and career connections. The NGA says it will evaluate and help scale service models in participating states, provide technical support to selected early-adopter states, and develop a resource center and policy lab focused in part on artificial intelligence and workforce development.
Through the Service United Fund, states can seek grants of up to $1.5 million. The first grantmaking round is open, but the NGA announcement does not say that grants have already been awarded or that participating states have been selected.
Service United is not a federal program. Its initial support is philanthropic, and the eventual effect on young adults and state workforce systems will depend on applications, awards and how individual states implement the programs.
Election authority is an early federalism test
As he took the chair, Moore told the Associated Press that he was “very concerned” President Donald Trump could use federal power to interfere with the 2026 midterm elections. AP reported that Moore pointed to disputes involving voting by mail, access to voter information and the possible presence of federal personnel at polling places.
Those comments describe Moore’s position and concerns; they are not a court finding that federal interference has occurred. AP also reported that outgoing NGA chair Kevin Stitt, an Oklahoma Republican, said states should control their own elections and expressed confidence that elections would be conducted without federal intervention.
Election administration is carried out primarily by states and local jurisdictions, although federal law and federal enforcement can affect parts of the process. That division of authority makes elections a particularly sensitive test for the NGA’s federalism agenda before the November 2026 midterms.
What to watch next
The practical test for Moore’s chairmanship will be whether the NGA turns its summer-meeting discussions into formal recommendations, congressional requests, agency negotiations or state-to-state initiatives.
For readers, the most immediate potential effects are indirect. Young adults may eventually see new paid service opportunities if states receive grants and build programs. Governors will also continue negotiating with federal officials over rural health, Medicaid oversight, homeland security, energy, education and artificial intelligence.
The new leadership team’s ability to keep Republicans and Democrats working together while disputes over election authority and federal power intensify will determine how much influence the NGA has during the 2026-27 policy year.
Sources
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