Text of the 2026 State of the State Speech
Good afternoon, and thank you for that warm welcome.
To Lieutenant Governor Gay,
To Speaker Minor-Brown, President Pro Tem Sokola,
To Members of the 153rd General Assembly,
To Chief Justice Seitz, each of the members of our Supreme Court, and members of Delaware’s respected and world-renowned judiciary,
To my fellow statewide and local elected officials, leaders of our higher education institutions, members of the Cabinet, and all guests gathered here today,
And to all of my fellow Delawareans:
Right now, at this very moment, there are Delawareans who have put on the uniform of a law enforcement officer, Delawareans who have raised their hands to keep you and me and each and every person here in Legislative Hall safe.
Right now, as is true every day, there are hundreds of individuals across our state, standing watch. Standing between danger and our communities. Standing in service. We pray that each and every one of these officers will return home safely to their families tonight. We work toward that goal and pray for that every single day.
On December 23, 2025, Corporal Ty Snook did not return home to his family. Ty’s life was extraordinary, an incredible career as a trooper, as a top wrestler and first and foremost, as a father and husband, a son and a brother, an uncle and a great friend and teammate.
Today, we honor that service. We are joined today by many members of Ty’s family, including his parents Karen and Matt.
I would like to ask Ty’s wife Lauren to join me up here, as we honor his heroism by awarding Ty with the highest honor in our state, the Order of the First State.
I also want to recognize Delaware State Police Trooper First Class Scott Smith for his heroic actions that day. He is here today along with his family and Troop 2 leadership.
Please join me in honoring Trooper Smith with the Governor’s Award for Heroism and Bravery.
I want to thank all of the first responders, police – especially the Delaware State Police and New Castle County Police – emergency dispatchers, emergency responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who responded that day.
I also want to thank the DMV employees and customers who helped each other and worked to protect one another in the midst of tragedy. I appreciate your resilience and continued commitment to customer service and public service.
And I want to thank the leadership of Secretary Bushweller, Colonel Crotty, Secretary Hastings, Deputy Secretary Clymer, and DMV Director Anthony – leaders who ran toward danger to support their teams and their fellow Delawareans.
Moments like these test a state.
Over the past year, we have faced challenges, tragedy and unprecedented uncertainty, but I am here to report to you that despite this, the State of our State is strong.
We have not backed down to threats.
We have not retreated.
We have not allowed chaos to define us.
Instead, we have met each challenge head on, together.
Now is not the time to shy away from difficulty. Because challenge creates opportunity.
And opportunity – when met with purpose – makes us stronger.
Delaware faces forces beyond our control.
Political division is deeper than at any time in generations.
Markets reach historic highs while working families struggle to keep up.
Hardworking Delawareans just looking for a fair shot can barely get by, while federal dysfunction often adds instability instead of solutions.
Climate change remains a real crisis to the lowest-lying state in America, especially in Sussex County, an epicenter for tourism and agriculture.
And the cost of living continues to go up.
Yet – we are working – with purpose – to face these challenges head on. And continue to deliver for Delawareans.
Our quality of life remains high.
Our open spaces remain protected.
Our cost of living remains more affordable than for our neighbors.
Companies are choosing Delaware.
Families are choosing to grow here.
And a record number of people are choosing to call the First State their home.
We are seeing more incorporations, more job creation, fewer crimes, Delaware students launching world-class innovations from Price’s Corner to Paris, France.
But let’s be honest. We still have work to do.
To expand opportunity,
To protect affordability,
To keep communities safe,
And to ensure Delaware wins the future in a fiercely competitive global marketplace.
And that work begins early – before a child ever walks into a classroom.
Delaware families deserve the best early childhood education system in America.
Thanks to the leadership of Secretary Marten and the partnership of the Lieutenant Governor and her office, Delaware recently secured a competitive national grant – and with our proposed budget, along with your support – we will make a nearly $50 million investment in early childhood education in the next year and add to that success.
With this historic investment and crucial partnerships across my administration, I am proud that the Lieutenant Governor will lead the effort to build stronger systems that invest in families.
We will address waiting lists,
Support working families,
And partner with employers to expand access to childcare.
We look forward to continued partnership with Speaker Minor-Brown, Senator Lockman, and Representatives Kam Smith and Romer, passionate advocates for early childcare providers and families.
Equal educational opportunity is the foundation of a thriving First State.
Equal educational opportunity is the bedrock of a just and fair Delaware.
If a child cannot read, they cannot succeed.
A year ago, we declared a Literacy Emergency, and we meant it.
Every elementary school – kindergarten through third grade – is now using Literacy Screeners, an early warning system to identify challenges.
More schools are adopting The Science of Reading – proven, evidence-based, instruction.
And through Your Voice, Your Choice, in partnership with Donors Choose, we are putting funds directly in teachers’ hands.
More than 41,000 books,
More than 18,000 instructional kits,
More than 4,000 classrooms directly supported.
Thank you, Representative Williams and Senator Paradee and all our legislative partners, for making this possible.
We are joined today by a teacher, Ms. Maddie Rearick from Sussex Central Middle School, whose students with visual impairments now learn alongside their peers because of this program.
And thanks to Secretary Marten, and her team, we won an additional $8.7 million grant to improve evidence-based literacy in grades four through eight.
This is what smart investment looks like.
We also know we cannot fund schools in 2026 using a formula written in the 1940s.
Thanks to the leadership of Senator Sturgeon and Representative Williams and the entire Public Education Funding Commission, historic progress was made last year.
This year, let’s finish the job!
Let’s pass a fair funding formula that directs resources based on students’ actual needs.
At the same time, we must reduce bureaucracy and demand accountability to produce actual gains in student performance.
The Redding Consortium has been focused for years on producing better student performance.
The Consortium’s bold recommendations include a historic consolidation of districts. We know there is a lot more work to be done, and we must move forward thoughtfully.
Combining districts alone will not deliver more equitable educational opportunity. But done right, this could be a major leap forward for equal opportunity in our communities.
Thank you to Senator Lockman, Representative Chukwuocha, former Lieutenant Governor Denn, and other legislators for your leadership.
And thank you to former President of the State Board of Education Shawn Brittingham for your years of service to the state. I appreciate the Senate’s timely consideration of public servant and former teacher, Jon Sheehan, for this important role.
Our focus is simple: Student outcomes.
If something works, we invest more.
If it doesn’t, we change course.
Because innovation must exist not just in labs – but also in classrooms.
A few weeks ago, my wife Lauren and I watched a 60 Minutes piece about cutting-edge synthetic biology work being done by high school students in Atlanta, Georgia, at one of about 15 schools in America. Those Atlanta students went to Paris to a global science competition.
Lauren turned and asked me, “Why not in Delaware? Why can’t we do this here?”
The answer: We already are.
Students from the Charter School of Wilmington, one of those 15 schools nationally – their iGEM Team represented our country and brought home a gold medal at the International Jamboree in Paris last fall, for their work bioengineering bacteria to better degrade oil spills.
We are joined today by iGem program founder Margit Olson, advisor Dr. Michael Valenti and team member Subi Srinivasan. Please join me in thanking them for their hard work and success.
That is Delaware talent on the world stage. And we need to make sure our students are global leaders in every corner of our state.
But innovations in classrooms must be matched by innovation in care.
Let’s not sugarcoat it. No one would design an American healthcare system the way it exists today.
My wife Lauren sees it every day in the emergency room.
Too many Delawareans lack primary care.
Too many Delawareans have lost insurance due to federal cuts.
And our senior population is growing faster than our provider workforce.
We must work harder to support those who need healthcare – especially when thousands of Delawareans’ healthcare premiums are going up by thousands of dollars due to congressional Republicans’ unconscionable cutting of ACA subsidies.
Thank you to Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro for fighting to keep insurance premiums down.
After touring health providers across Sussex and Kent Counties, we developed 15 transformative healthcare programs – and applied for federal rural health transformation funding.
Thank you to the numerous legislators who are contributing to this effort and other healthcare efforts, especially Speaker Minor-Brown, Leader Townsend, Senator Pinkney, and Representatives Chukwuocha, Hilovsky and Berry.
Because of this work, the federal government has sent preliminary notice that we will, over the next five years, receive more funding than any other competitive grant in state history.
That opportunity allows us to pursue Delaware’s first medical school, training physicians to serve state-wide, expand training for nurses and physicians’ assistants and bring care directly into homes through telehealth, Food is Medicine, and community health programs.
To make this work, we must act.
That means expanding the scope of practice – so providers can work at the top of their licenses.
We must reform Certificate of Need to increase both access and competition.
We are also expanding mobile health units – through more than 300 events annually – reaching more Delawareans and distributing twice as many overdose-reversal kits.
This is what meeting people where they are looks like.
A transformational program like this one only comes together with the collaboration of many people. Thank you to Health Care Commission Chair Dr. Hockstein, the Delaware Hospital Association, the many healthcare providers across the state, and our DHSS Secretary Young.
We look forward to partnering with the legislature to implement these programs that will enhance access and improve health across our state.
And we are protecting our youngest brains by aggressively addressing lead exposure – thanks to the leadership of Majority Leader Harris, Senator Pinkney, and countless advocates.
Housing remains one of our greatest challenges.
We face a shortage of nearly 20,000 affordable units statewide.
One-third of housing costs today have nothing to do with construction – and everything to do with red tape.
So, we are streamlining permitting, digitizing approvals, and working with counties and municipalities to make Delaware the most efficient state in the nation to build affordable housing – without sacrificing farmland or open space.
We need to be focused on smart growth that fills the housing needs of our working families while also protecting the environment.
Our proposed budget continues our state’s commitment to farmland preservation and open spaces while developing housing, transportation and energy in strategic ways.
Thank you to Housing Authority Director Heckles and Secretaries Hastings and Clifton for your work on these initiatives.
In the coming months, we will implement the first of a series of reforms to make building affordable housing, affordable. Delaware will have the most streamlined, efficient and transparent permitting systems in the country when it comes to addressing our housing crisis.
Thanks to the work of Senator Huxtable and Representative Johnson, we are already helping communities implement zoning reforms to enable increased housing production. Thank you to the nine local jurisdictions who have already stepped up to join this initial program.
We are building housing for all, and that includes giving real opportunity to our most vulnerable neighbors.
The HOPE Center in New Castle County has been a bridge to a better tomorrow for Delaware families. Thanks to the federal rural health grant, we will develop new counterparts to the HOPE Center in both Kent and Sussex Counties.
We look forward to collaborating with Senator Buckson and other members of the General Assembly, as well as community partners, on these new centers so that in our Delaware – in this prosperous and technological age – no one gets left behind.
And too many Delawareans today – hard-working Delawareans – are getting squeezed simply by turning on their lights.
You and I are not doing anything different than we were last year or the year before. Our energy bills are spiking. A couple in Bear just told me how they are trying to understand their bill jumping from $150 a month two years ago to $600 a month today. That is unacceptable.
Delmarva Power must stop overcharging Delaware families.
In a world where Delmarva can benefit from a never-ending cycle of profiting from building infrastructure, your monthly bill will always go up and never go down.
Customers are getting squeezed from all ends. Regional costs are skyrocketing. The underlying cost of energy is increasing. Pushed higher and higher by rapidly growing demand.
Rate increases far beyond inflation are unacceptable.
Delmarva’s out-of-state shareholders should not take advantage of Delaware’s families working to make ends meet. We must hold monopolies accountable.
To that, I appreciate the work that Representatives Ross Levin, Burns, Heffernan, Snyder-Hall, Phillips, and of course, Senator Hansen, and so many of you, are doing around energy affordability.
We set up an energy affordability fund last year together and that is actually helping Delawareans. But we must do more. Now.
Today, I call on the Public Service Commission to stop approving any Delmarva rate hikes. They cannot repeatedly pass along egregious price increases to Delaware families. Last year, this legislature with Senator Hansen’s leadership took action – and I signed into law – tools that the PSC can use to hold utility companies accountable.
It is also critical to our future economic success that we generate more power here in Delaware – of multiple types.
Now, forget about politics for a minute. Power projects cost a lot of money and can take a long time to get up and running, often a decade or more. Imagine if we could turn on 1.7 gigawatts of power generation. That is more than a flux capacitor. That is more than enough energy to power every household in Delaware.
We need more homegrown energy to lower electricity bills. And that is why U.S Wind, a 1.7-gigawatt project can and must be part of the solution.
We also need safe, modern nuclear energy.
I thank Senators Hansen and Richardson and Representatives Burns and Hilovsky, for their participation on the Nuclear Energy Feasibility Task Force. Let’s move this forward now.
Because affordability depends on increasing our energy supply and becoming more efficient. We look forward to partnering with you on energy solutions in the coming months.
Delaware is closer than ever to being the first state in the country with universal high-speed broadband.
Today 72% of Delawareans can make a high-speed video call from home. That’s darn good for America, but it’s not good enough for Delaware in 2026.
Thanks to former broadband director, Roddy Flynn, and the DTI team, including outgoing CIO Greg Lane, Delaware secured historic funding to bring high speed internet to thousands of homes and businesses.
We will continue to stand up for Delawareans when federal actions threaten Delaware families.
Delaware must be a place where those who fall down can get back up.
When SNAP shut down, we stepped up.
Secretary Young was in her first weeks on the job – but thanks to her leadership and the DHSS team, families had food on their tables on Thanksgiving.
Delaware National Guard Major General Benson worked tirelessly to support his command through the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. Numerous military heroes in our state worked without pay for 43 days.
New to her job – but not new to the fight – is Veterans Affairs Secretary Karen Berry. She is working tirelessly to make sure our veterans are heard, supported, and getting the assistance that they have earned and deserve.
Thank you to Representative Carson, Senator Poore, and all the legislators who led the charge to establish this new Secretary-level role. I would like to extend a personal thank you to Senator Lawson for your advocacy for veterans in Delaware, fueled by your own experience as a combat veteran.
We can do all of this – and keep taxes low – because we are the preeminent home to the corporate franchise.
Delaware is the jewel of corporate governance, not just for America, but truly for the world.
We are achieving record success. Today, more companies than ever are incorporated in Delaware. In the first ten months of 2025, nearly 280,000 new entities incorporated in Delaware, 14% more than the first ten months of 2024.
OK, it may not beat Delaware’s chicken population – but 280,000? That is more new entities than the total population of Kent County.
Clarity, stability and fairness remain our goals. While other states race to the bottom, we will continue to lead the nation and the world.
We need to thank House and Senate Democratic and Republican leadership – including Senate President Pro Tem Sokola, Speaker Minor-Brown, Representative Osienski, as well as Leader Townsend and Representative Griffiths, and so many of you, for your steadfast and united support for prioritizing our corporate franchise.
Secretary of State Patibanda-Sanchez’s dedication and leadership on this important issue is why Delaware remains the premier destination for incorporation. Thank you, Secretary Patibanda-Sanchez, and thanks to her team, I am happy to report that Delaware’s corporate franchise is stronger than it has ever been.
Delaware can’t just be the best place to incorporate your business.
Delaware must be the best place to do business.
A place where businesses start, invest, and hire. Grow and succeed.
That’s happening right now. Merck’s $1 billion life sciences investment – one of the largest private investments in our state’s history – is a signal to the country and the world that Delaware is open for business and ready to lead.
Delaware is on the forefront of the innovation economy. With companies like Aternium working to lead in hydrogen. Qnity, manufacturing chip parts. And Incyte and ILC Dover leading in life sciences.
The First State will continue to back innovation, strengthen our workforce, and compete in a global economy that is not slowing down for anyone.
We’re also embarking on an ambitious modernization of Delaware’s banking and payments framework. This is about updating rules for an increasingly digital world, while maintaining strong consumer protections.
With the leadership of Senator Mantzavinos, we are laying the groundwork for the most significant update to our banking laws in decades – once again positioning our state to lead, not follow, in the future of banking.
Speaking of innovation, the Delaware Prosperity Partnership is expanding its mission – not only to recruit large employers, but also to grow an innovation economy that starts here at home.
Because small business owners are facing true headwinds: rising costs, workforce shortages, constantly shifting federal policy and tariffs, and regulations that too often make it harder to grow.
Growth doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when talented people have the tools, capital, and support they need – at the moment they need it.
Thank you, Senators Walsh and Pettyjohn and Representatives Bush and Yearick, for your commitment to our state’s economic success through your work on the DPP Board.
Small businesses are the heart of our communities as small businessowners Leaders Hocker and Dukes, and Representatives Spiegelman, Short, and Vanderwende know. And my administration is listening closely to what you’re telling us.
That’s why we strengthened the EDGE grant program — to help Delaware small businesses get the equipment, space, and support they need to grow. Last year alone, we helped nearly 50 Delaware small businesses take their next step.
We put more than $14 million in federal small business funding to work last year — helping companies expand, innovate, and create jobs without using a dollar of your state tax funds.
And because we worked hard to get this assistance to our small businesses, Delaware has unlocked another $20 million of federal money this year.
Thank you to the Division of Small Business for your extraordinary work.
We also recognize that the creative economy matters. Delaware has talent. Delaware has stories. Delaware has potential that can translate into jobs and investment if we take it seriously.
So, it does not make sense that Delaware is one of the few states without a film tax credit. From farms and suburbs to big buildings and beaches – we have everything, all within a 90-minute drive at the longest. We actually don’t have ski slopes, but that may change this weekend.
The new Superman movie is literally set in Delaware. They should be shooting here. Hey Aubrey Plaza, how about White Lotus Rehoboth?
But seriously, we’re just going to let so many other neighboring states soak up all of that Hollywood money? I may look more like Clark Kent than Superman, but not on my watch.
This is what smart government looks like,
It’s what smart investment looks like,
Real investment, real return.
At the same time, we’re making long-term infrastructure investments that will shape our economy for decades.
The Diamond State Port Corporation continues to move forward on the Edgemoor Port expansion – a once-in-a-generation project that will create jobs, strengthen our supply chain, and position Delaware for the future. I thank their entire Board for their leadership.
And as we build our economy, we must prepare people for the jobs that come next.
That’s why we strengthened coordination through the Office of Workforce Development and revitalized the Workforce Development Board. Thank you to Senator Poore and Representative Lambert for your leadership on this effort.
And we’re starting earlier — breaking down silos so more young Delawareans can move from school, to training, to good-paying jobs right here at home.
I charged multiple leaders with improving our fragmented youth workforce development programs. Thank you to Secretaries Gordon, Moultrie, and Marten for collaborating to bring more young Delawareans into our state workforce.
We didn’t just look outward; we also worked to make sure our own house was in order.
Thanks to the work of Budget Director Brian Maxwell and his team, our budget includes $65 million in new efficiencies and cost savings.
And thanks to the efforts of Finance Secretary Michael Smith, I am looking forward to presenting a responsible budget next week that truly puts families first.
Thank you in advance to Representative Williams, Senator Paradee, Senator Walsh and Representative Heffernan for your partnership as we work to sustainably fund critical services.
For the first time in years, my proposed budget will return our state to manageable growth – under 5%.
But good government isn’t just about efficiency. Good government also involves transparency, which Auditor York champions every day.
Also, it’s time for meaningful election reform, which is why I support Representative Bolden’s and also Representative Gorman’s bills to make our primary election system work better for Delawareans.
For years, our Unemployment Insurance Office has been saddled with inefficiency and, unfortunately, even misconduct. The consequence is Delawareans are unable to receive their unemployment benefits fairly and on time.
One year ago, we brought on Secretary Moultrie and asked her to fix it.
As of today, a backlog of open cases has decreased by 70%, from over 7,000 claims when I took office a year ago to fewer than 2,000 today.
This backlog, growing for years before our administration, will be gone in a matter of weeks. Thank you, Secretary Moultrie and team for your hard work for Delaware.
I also wanted to highlight a sea change at DNREC, where in his first weeks, Secretary Patterson has transformed the culture into one of efficiency and collaboration.
From reforming the reservation system for Drive-on Beaches, to creating dashboards and improved systems for air and water permitting, thanks to Secretary Patterson’s leadership, tides are turning at DNREC.
In Delaware we are proud of our Attorney General Kathy Jennings and heroes at the Department of Justice who have been on the front lines defending our State and our people when we’ve come under attack.
Our Attorney General has been a national leader in the legal battle to ensure that the dollars allocated to all states keep flowing without cruel and unlawful restrictions. Under her leadership, our Delaware Department of Justice has saved $856.7 million for Delaware since January of last year.
We will continue to work to stand up for our values, welcome all communities, and do what’s right.
Thanks to the fearless work of Senator Pinkney, and Representatives Gorman, Ortega, and Lynn, as well as many other legislators, last year, we took strides to protect the most vulnerable communities and families in our state.
Delaware is safer thanks to the work of countless public servants and the success of so many community initiatives. Senator Hoffner has been a champion on so many criminal justice reform initiatives. Recidivism is at historically low rates thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Taylor and the whole Department of Correction.
Families and children are safer because of the work of Kids Department Secretary Yeatman.
Shootings in 2025 were at some of the lowest numbers we have seen in years. And we are going to continue to work on this because one shooting is one shooting too many.
On November 24, New Castle County Police noticed a car with their lights on in Canby Park after hours. Attentive, diligent policework by New Castle County Police Officers Jay Scerbo, Nathan Jupiter, and Christoper Hewlett thwarted a planned terrorist attack on the University of Delaware.
Please join me in recognizing those officers, who are represented today by New Castle County Police Chief Jamie Leonard.
Before I close, I want to acknowledge the impactful service of multiple people here with us today who have announced their retirements and a few who are not with us.
Justice Karen Valihura, thank you for your 12 years of continuing exceptional service to our Supreme Court.
Treasurer Colleen Davis, thank you for your commitment to making it easier for Delawareans to save for college and retirement and for your stewardship of state tax dollars.
To retiring legislators Dave Lawson, Rich Collins, Charles Postles as well as, for nearly four decades, Dave Sokola – Thank you for your constant advocacy on behalf of your respective constituents and your collective decades of service to all Delawareans.
I also want to acknowledge some Delaware legends whom we lost this year.
Governor Mike Castle, a public servant whose thoughtful mind, steady hand, and bipartisan spirit earned him the respect of colleagues and constituents across the political spectrum.
Dr. Jerome Lewis, a role model who opened doors and taught so many listening today about effective public administration.
Charlie Paradee, who exemplified the values of hard work, integrity and service.
John Kowalko, one of the strongest progressive voices in the legislature.
Ray Firmani, one of the longest living World War II veterans.
And John Brady, who served as the first openly gay elected official in the state, and who was instrumental in shaping the legal and civic landscape of Sussex County and beyond.
Each of these people we lost in 2025, including Ty Snook – they each believed in the goodness of our community and our state, and were willing to sacrifice for it.
Listen, we all know that within this building there are heated debates. And outside this building, with trillion-dollar social media companies printing money by triggering your anger and our division, it is harder than ever to come together and move this state forward.
But we owe it to the legacies of these tremendous leaders to work together to get real work done for Delawareans now.
I want to thank my parents, Bob and Ellen, who are here today. Your unconditional love – and frequent babysitting – has meant more to Lauren and me than words can express. Without you, I certainly would never be standing here today.
And last but certainly not least. Thank you to my wife, our First Lady, Dr. Lauren Meyer. There are 50 states in this country and nearly that many first ladies and first gentlemen.
But there is no First Lady in America today who is saving lives daily like you do. And I know that you barely miss any of our kids’ performances, practices or games.
Thank you for all you do for me, for our family, for your patients, and for our fellow Delawareans. I love you.
We have about 48 hours to get ready before the snowstorm. Dress warmly. Shovel your walkways. Once the snow starts, be careful out there, and follow any government directions so that we all stay safe. And a plug from Secretary Clifton, don’t wait to the last minute to buy milk at the grocery store. Support your farmers. Buy local.
May G-d bless the extraordinary heroes who work as first responders, and in the National Guard.
May G-d bless the State of Delaware.
And may G-d bless our United States of America.
Thank you.