Maryland governor’s politically-driven effort to slash federal unemployment benefits must end | COMMENTARY

Gov. Larry Hogan’s 0-for-3 record with the state judiciary over his effort to end enhanced federal benefits to unemployed Marylanders should give any pragmatist pause. The governor’s claim that the $300 weekly payment hampers the state’s recovery from the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was dubious from the start, but there also is a serious legal question over whether the governor even has the authority to pull the proverbial plug.

In response to legal challenges over Mr. Hogan’s shutdown attempts, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill on Saturday issued a temporary restraining order allowing the program to continue, which was upheld that same day by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and again on Monday by the state’s highest court, the Maryland Court of Appeals. And yet, the Hogan administration continues its assault against the unemployed by spending state tax dollars on high-powered private attorneys in a vain attempt to prematurely pull enhanced federal benefits — which, incidentally, expire on their own in September — from unemployed residents.

What sort of cruelty is this? Oh, right, the political kind. This appears to be nothing more than a potential candidate for president trying to boost his standing with Republican primary voters outside Maryland in 2024 by following what has been a national pattern of GOP governors rejecting enhanced benefits on the unproven grounds that it discourages job applicants. To date, 26 states have sought to opt out, including Maryland. Only one is governed by a Democrat, Louisiana’s John Bel Edwards, but in that case, the effective date is not until the end of July. Sorry to break it to them, but the notion that removing these benefits will suddenly allow some employers — presumably the lower-paying variety — to find the job applicants they currently lack in great numbers doesn’t hold water. What it is certain to do, however, is cause beneficiaries to suffer and money to be removed from the state’s economy.

And there’s this: Under a recent revision to state law, approved overwhelmingly by the legislature and unopposed by the governor, Maryland is obligated to, among other things, “expand access to unemployment benefits” — language Judge Fletcher-Hill mentions in his decision. Whether such instruction is enough to halt further action from the governor is not entirely clear. He could easily save face by recognizing that the Democrat-controlled legislature mandated acceptance of benefits. Such finger-pointing is not exactly a new concept for Mr. Hogan, and it might even offset to some degree his administration’s well-documented failures to keep up with the unemployment claims.

It would also relieve him from having to persist in this fiction that he’s standing up for the business community. Are there certain individuals who find it more lucrative to collect unemployment than work? Probably. But there are also people facing serious hardship who would happily go back to work but are prevented by circumstances — from the COVID-19 risk to the lack of child care to the rather miserable pay and benefits that certain employers are offering. Denying them federal benefits is no cure for these circumstances. States that have already suspended enhanced benefits aren’t seeing some dramatic rise in the labor pool. In Mississippi, Missouri and Iowa, for example, job searches are below the national average despite all three states having rejected the greater federal benefits nearly one month ago, according to a recent Indeed.com analysis.

Had Governor Hogan been serious about expanding the labor pool, he might have taken proactive steps to boost pay, or provide child care or transportation or other means to help companies recruit. Cutting off benefits is a short-term punishment for families already struggling; it does not solve long-term problems. And did we mention that it saves Maryland taxpayers not one thin dime? It may, in fact, prove a net loss for the state as those federal UI dollars head elsewhere. As we’ve observed before, this isn’t the sort of behavior the majority of Maryland residents expect from their elected leaders. It is the sort of behavior GOP presidential primary voters in New Hampshire, Iowa or South Carolina may expect, but that’s not the work Mr. Hogan is currently paid generously (by Maryland tax dollars) to perform.

Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.