Capitol Hill is enveloped in partisan gridlock as Democrats delay additional funding for the newly rolled-out Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), after the original funding for the small business relief program ran out on Thursday morning. Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Schumer have repeatedly blocked the GOP’s proposed bill to add more funding to the program, ensuring that small businesses see no gap in relief.
The pair of Democratic leaders, and their members, have dug their heels in and refuse to compromise. Republicans have pressed Democrats to put partisanship aside for the sake of the American people, but now a former Obama administration official joins the GOP’s effort.
Karen G. Mills, who served as the Small Business Administration’s chief during former President Obama’s first term in office, encouraged Democrats to pass the funding, per Roll Call:
— Doug Andres (@DougAndres) April 16, 2020
“Congress has to act as soon as possible...What I’m saying is: Number one, get the money replenished.”
Democrats unveiled a laundry list of demands that must be included in the appropriations bill for PPP, including funding for state governments, hospitals and other beneficiaries unrelated to small business relief:
NEW … PELOSI AND SCHUMER GO BIG … The dem ldrs say they want
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 8, 2020
— 100 bn for hospitals
— 150bn for state and locals
— 15% more in SNAP benefits
— of the 250bn, they want 125bn targeted for farmers, family, women, minority, vet-owned biz in rural, tribal, suburban and urban areas
Leader McConnell’s proposal is simply adding funding to PPP as quickly as possible, which is staunchly different from Democratic leadership’s wish-list attached to small business relief:
“...Things that have to be implemented quickly can’t have a lot of bells and whistles, or else there will be too many unintended consequences — one of which is delay. And we don’t have time to delay,” Mills told Roll Call.
Additional funding for PPP remains stalled, at the hands of Democrats in both chambers.
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