The holidays are upon us, and there’s no doubt that this holiday season will look and feel quite different than past years due to the pandemic.

I am glad to finally be able to say that Congress has passed the next COVID-19 relief legislation.

I’ll be honest though: This bill should have never taken this long, it is not perfect, and we have a lot of work we still need to do. We need increased aid for state and local governments, and I promise to continue fighting for it. But it was a necessary and urgently needed step forward in the right direction. This measure will undoubtedly save lives and livelihoods.

The COVID-19 relief measure includes:

• Stimulus checks of up to $2,400 for a family of four
• An extension of $300-a-week unemployment benefits
• Hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for small business PPP loans and grants
• Funding for vaccine distribution, COVID-19 testing, and contact tracing
• Resources to help schools safely reopen and to strengthen access to child care
• Support for our transit, airlines, and railways
• Rental assistance and an extension of the moratorium on evictions
• Tens of billions of dollars in food assistance
• Funding to prevent a government shutdown

I also fought to make sure key Maryland priorities were included in the package, including millions of dollars for Maryland’s military installations, the Port of Baltimore, and the Chesapeake Bay.

The holiday season is a time of hope for the future. I am looking forward to the New Year when we will have a new president in the White House who recognizes the seriousness of this health crisis and the unique struggles it has posed for American families.

I’m confident we will be able to work together, find common ground, and make life better for Marylanders and Americans across the country.

Wishing you and your family a happy and safe holiday season.

Your friend,

Dutch