Larson Calls for Immediate Action for Small Businesses, Frontline Workers

Hartford, CT – Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs and called for an immediate relief package.

"I have heard from businesses of all sizes and types, including minority-owned and rural businesses, non-profits, and the self-employed. These businesses were told that ‘help is on the way.' It is clear that the relief provided by the CARES Act was not enough and Congress urgently needs to provide additional relief. Further, too many businesses faced barriers accessing these funds or were shut out of the process altogether. This has had devastating impacts on our small businesses and their employees who are the backbone of our economy. We must fix this and immediately pass the next relief package.

"This crisis is a health crisis, first and foremost; the sooner we can address this as such, the sooner we can get our economy back up and running. We must take care of our frontline health workers – including essential businesses and employees in harms-way – and our local and state governments who are also on the frontlines of this crisis. It's time to act with the urgency that this crisis demands and get our businesses and employees the support they need now.

"The bottom line is that the health of our citizens and the health of our economy are inextricably linked. We need more funding for testing, tracking, treatment, and, ultimately, a vaccine. All of these are critical to a strong economic recovery."