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Maryland will join two dozen other Republican-led states whose governors have decided to end enhanced unemployment benefits, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. announced late Tuesday.
The move, which takes effect on July 3, will end the $300 supplemental weekly payment that some out-of-work residents have been receiving under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program.
Hogan鈥檚 decisions will end unemployment insurance checks at 26 weeks.
A pandemic-era change extended them to 39 weeks, but that will expire early next month.
Hogan鈥檚 move also ends a $100-per-week payment available to 鈥渕ixed earners鈥� 鈥� typically gig workers who have multiple sources of income.
In making the announcement, Hogan (R) cited Maryland鈥檚 improving economy, the increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines, and the growing number of 鈥淗elp Wanted鈥� signs springing up around the state.
The moves come as Republican leaders express the concern that unemployment assistance is keeping some workers from seeking new jobs.
鈥淲hile these federal programs provided important temporary relief, vaccines and jobs are now in good supply,鈥� said Hogan, a potential 2024 candidate for president, in a statement.
鈥淎nd we have a critical problem where businesses across our state are trying to hire more people, but many are facing severe worker shortages. After 12 consecutive months of job growth, we look forward to getting more Marylanders back to work.鈥�
Democrats said Hogan鈥檚 decision will harm working families.
鈥淭here have been many thoughtful decisions made by Governor Hogan during this pandemic. This is not one of them,鈥� said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) in a statement.
鈥淭his rash and rushed decision will hurt Marylanders who have been hit the hardest during the pandemic, having lost jobs through no fault of their own. It feeds into a hard right-wing narrative that denies human dignity, puts profits over people, and puts politics over sound economic research.鈥�
Del. Dereck Davis (D-Prince George鈥檚) said the state should have kept the commitment it made to keep enhanced benefits in place through August 鈥� particularly in light of difficulties that the Maryland Department of Labor had getting checks to some applicants.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to make the claim that folks are taking advantage or folks don鈥檛 want to work,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 think people do want to work.鈥�
Many of the 24 Republican governors who decided to end supplement benefits in May said the aid served as a crutch. But research distributed by the economics team at JPMorgan Chase last week cast doubt on that theory.
The move to cut federal unemployment benefits seems 鈥渢ied to politics, not economics,鈥� those economists concluded,聽.
鈥淲hile some of these states have tight labor markets and strong earnings growth, many of them do not,鈥� researchers wrote.
Last month, Hogan 鈥� a business tycoon before entering politics 鈥� hinted that the state would soon curtail supplemental benefits.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hearing over and over again about businesses not able to staff up because people won鈥檛 come back to work,鈥� he told reporters on May 14.
Davis, who chairs the House Committee on Economic Matters, said many of the people who are still out of work are struggling with child care issues, sick parents and other concerns.
He accused the state of 鈥減ulling the rug鈥� from people who are in need, despite a commitment to continue passing on federal assistance to unemployed Marylanders through the summer.
鈥淲e could have waited. Another two months wasn鈥檛 going to kill us,鈥� he said.
According to the statement issued by Hogan鈥檚 office, Maryland has 鈥減rioritized鈥� the reopening of child care centers. 鈥淎s of today, 92% of licensed providers in Maryland are open and operating.鈥�
Since March 2020, the State of Maryland has paid out more than $12.3 billion in unemployment benefits to 730,759 recipients, resolving more than 97% of claims, the statement added.
In addition to ending the pass-through of supplemental federal benefits, Maryland has reinstated the requirement that aid recipients engage in three 鈥渞eemployment activities鈥� each week, beginning on July 4.
Those who fail to do so may become ineligible for future benefits.
Out-of-work Marylanders can submit a job application through the state鈥檚 workforce exchange, complete an American Job Center workshop, or attend a job fair.
Additional employment opportunities and services can be found at .
bruce@marylandmatters.org
