When the United States faces an unprecedented crisis, it is the solemn duty of Congress to respond expeditiously to protect the American people. In response to small businesses being upended by COVID-19, Congress allocated $349 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that was explicitly designed to aid small employers who needed to fund their payrolls. Last week, the American people woke up to troubling news that funding for the PPP ran dry and that no new loan applications were being accepted by the Small Business Administration. You may be wondering why Congress did not step in immediately to address this problem. The simple truth is: Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer chose to block additional funding and decided that the fate of small businesses was better served as a bargaining chip.
When Senator McConnell sought to bring financial relief to small businesses by increasing funding for the PPP on April 9th, his unanimous consent request was shot down by Senate Democrats. In response, Speaker Pelosi appeared on the late-night talk show circuit to laud her Senate colleagues while showing off a pair of $24,000 refrigerators stocked full of tubs of $20 ice cream. ‘Tone deaf’ is an understatement. It’s clear that Nancy Pelosi’s appetite for partisan showboating supersedes her willingness to work in a spirit of bipartisanship with her colleagues across the aisle.
Despite Democrats blocking this critical funding, Republicans remain undeterred in our mission to support small businesses across the country. This week, both the House and Senate secured additional funding for the PPP. Finally, our nation’s small businesses will receive the aid they so desperately need. Strong-arming relief for small businesses into submission is a recipe for disaster. When people's livelihoods are on the line, anything less than immediate action is unacceptable.
New Scam Update
On Wednesday, Google’s Threat Analysis Group revealed new information on two state-sponsored scam campaigns that have targeted Americans through email accounts. The report indicates that these scams are tied to fake promotional campaigns from accounts operating under the guise of popular restaurant chains. By clicking on these links, people unknowingly introduce malware on their personal devices that steals personal and identifiable information. What’s more, over 18 million malicious COVID-19 emails are detected per day.
This underscores the importance of diligence both online and via email. If you receive emails offering promotional items, ensure that they’re from credible sources before clicking on them. You can also report certain emails to your email service provider through your desktop or mobile applications.
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