Democrats Helped Small Businesses Re-Open. Every Republican Voted No.

As family-owned businesses were getting back up and running, congress was working on legislation to offer them the support they needed.

Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan without any Republican votes in the House or Senate. This package invested heavily in small businesses by offering the following grants:

• Small Business Support Voted Against by Every Republican Includes
  • $28.6 billion for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a new grant program for restaurants and bars to meet payroll and other expenses. Individual businesses will be eligible for $5 million each.
  • $15 billion for Emergency Injury Disaster Loans (a long-term, low-interest loan program of the Small Business Administration); priority for some funds would go to “severely impacted small businesses with fewer than 10 workers.”
  • An additional $7 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, and an expansion of the eligibility criteria to some non-profit organizations previously excluded from the program.
  • $3 billion for a payroll support program for aviation manufacturers. The industry itself will be responsible for funding half of the program, and the program will last six months.
  • $1.25 billion in funding for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant for music halls and other concert venues.
  • $175 million for a Community Navigator Program to reach out to eligible businesses

Republicans turned their backs on small businesses when they needed help.

Sources

Congress.gov: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

US Chamber of Commerce: What Businesses Need to Know: American Rescue Plan Act