I'm writing to request immediate relief for the thousands of Marylanders still waiting for their unemployment benefits.

In April, Republican Governor Phil Scott directed Vermont’s Department of Labor to send $1,200 checks to any resident whose unemployment claim had not been processed. We urge you to follow Vermont’s lead by immediately mailing checks to every Marylander who has waited longer than two weeks to receive their full benefits.

With so many Marylanders still waiting for the benefits they paid for, it’s time to put people over process. You should send relief now, and worry about bureaucratic box-checking later.

Thousands of Marylanders spend their days on hold, listening to the ice cream truck version of a Beethoven composition, in the off chance that someone will answer and help them afford housing, medicine, and food. With a pen stroke, you can mitigate mass suffering, hardship, and depression.

Cut the checks now.