Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Attorney General Brian Frosh want lawmakers on Capitol Hill to provide more financial relief amid the coronavirus pandemic as a recent surge in cases grips the state.
The Republican governor wrote a letter to the transition team for Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, pressing the incoming administration to create a new stimulus package for states and small businesses.
“Every day that Congress has failed to deliver a new stimulus package, American families have suffered and small businesses have permanently closed their doors,” Hogan tweeted Monday. “As lawmakers return to Washington, this critical relief must be their utmost priority — no more excuses.”
Meanwhile, Frosh, a Democrat, joined a coalition of 43 attorneys general in requesting Congress to extend the $2 trillion CARES Act funding through the end of 2021 to assist state and local governments.
“The pandemic is not going to end Dec. 31,” Frosh said, The Frederick News-Post reported. “Congress needs to act now to ensure that state and local governments can continue to use CARES funding to protect their residents from the impacts of COVID-19.”
As of Tuesday, Maryland has 201,135 coronavirus cases — more than 52,000 coming in November alone —and 4,156 virus-related deaths, according to state health department statistics.