April 29, 2020

Dear Neighbor,

Last week, Congress passed another major economic relief package for small businesses, hospitals and COVID-19 testing. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Health Care Enhancement Act replenished PPP funds and strengthened components of the CARES Act, the bipartisan $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package we passed last month.

I wanted to take a moment to share how federal funding from the CARES Act has flowed into Maryland -- more than $1 billion so far -- to help our state fight the coronavirus and survive this calamitous public health emergency.

• Counties and Cities: $48 million to help Maryland counties and cities respond to the economic and housing effects of COVID-19.

• Health Care System: $17.1 million to support our state health care system’s response to COVID-19, including funds for lab equipment, supplies, staffing, shipping, infection control, surge staffing, monitoring of individuals and data management.

 • Community Health Centers: $15.6 million to help Maryland’s Community Health Centers (CHCs) respond to COVID-19. 

• Hospitals and Health Care Providers: $742 million for Maryland hospitals and health care providers to help cover the cost of responding to COVID-19 and continue delivering high-quality and affordable care to Marylanders.

• K-12 Schools: $200 million to help school districts pay for the costs of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes planning and coordinating long-term school closures and purchasing educational technology to support online learning for all students.

• Online Learning: $45 million for Maryland school districts and institutions of higher education to plan for and coordinate long-term closures and purchase educational technology to support online learning for all students.

• Higher Education: $170 million for Maryland’s higher education institutions, half of which will provide direct assistance to students.

• COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness: $3.8 million to help Maryland mitigate and contain the virus, including funds for surveillance, epidemiology, lab capacity, infection control, communications and other preparedness and response activities.

• State Airports: $107 million for Maryland airports, including more than $87 million for Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI).

• Child Care Centers: $45 million to help Maryland child care centers meet emergency staffing needs and continue providing child care services for frontline health care workers, emergency responders, sanitation workers and other essential employees.

• Dislocated Workers: $1.6 million to help create jobs and job-training programs for laid-off Maryland workers.

• Legal Aid Services: $422,000 in federal funding for Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) to help low-income Marylanders navigate legal problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic -- including job losses, evictions and domestic violence.

• HIV/AIDS Programs: $2 million for programs that serve Marylanders living with HIV/AIDS -- an immunocompromised population at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and suffering serious health complications.

As Congress works on the fourth COVID-19 relief package, rest assured I remain committed to working closely with my colleagues in the Maryland congressional delegation to deliver the critical resources we need for our state

As always, I encourage people across the 8th District to continue to share their concerns and insights with me and my staff by contacting my office or connecting with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 

Stay Healthy and All Best Wishes,

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