Duckworth Joins Wyden in Calling on SBA to Immediately Issue Emergency Grants to Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 17 of her colleagues in writing to U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza demanding SBA ensure small businesses receive the new Emergency Economic Injury Grants (EEIGs) within three days of application as required by Congress. The letter follows reports that small businesses across the country are not receiving EEIG advances, despite the fact that they are eligible entities and have taken the necessary steps of applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and requesting an EEIG. The Senators also asked the SBA to clarify whether small businesses who applied for an EIDL prior to March 27, 2020, when the CARES Act was signed into law, must now reapply in order to receive it and the EEIG, and if the SBA requires additional action or resources from Congress to be able to fully execute the small business relief provisions of the CARES Act.

"Small businesses across the country are counting on this federally-mandated relief, and it is imperative that the SBA ensure they receive it efficiently and effectively," the Senators wrote. "Businesses are receiving conflicting guidance on the expected timing for receiving these critical funds, and many businesses cannot afford to wait as they try to keep their employees on payroll and pay their rent."

The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Doug Jones (D-AL).

The full text of the letter is available online here.

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