FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact
Conan Knoll
conan@emccommunications.com 
(831) 524-6764

Congressional relief package is a welcome start but there’s more work to do to save nation’s job creators and help their employees

Statement by Dr. Erika Gonzalez, Co-Chair of Small Business for America’s Future and CEO, President, & Co-Founder of South Texas Allergy and Asthma Medical Professionals (STAAMP) and STAAMP Clinical Research

Washington, D.C., Dec. 21, 2020—After months of damaging delays, we’re glad to see the Republican leaders in the Senate finally recognize small businesses and ordinary Americans must have more financial relief to weather the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The $900 billion package delivering relief to small business and ordinary Americans passed today is a long-needed step forward--but it is disappointing that so many elected officials remain detached from the challenges business owners and their workers face in keeping their businesses afloat and open.

Some good news in this bill includes: 

●      Simplified Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness that is welcome for the truly small businesses that benefited from the program

●      An additional round of direct assistance to working families that make up the small business consumer base and are bearing the brunt of the pandemic 

●      Enhancements to the Earned Income Tax Credit that will put more money into the pockets of working families that have been hit hardest by the economic downturn created by the pandemic

●      Language to end the practice of surprise billing, and additional measures to ensure accessibility to health care. 

Still, we want to be clear: More support will be needed in the months ahead to ensure Main Street entrepreneurs and their employees make it through what is sure to be a challenging winter.

This bill provides stop gap relief for small businesses and their employees, but the need is vast and we urge our leaders to continue working on implementing long-term aid once President-elect Biden takes office. A November national survey of more than 1,000 small businesses in Small Business for America’s Future’s network found 39% of small business owners say that they won’t make it past the end of the year without further financial assistance, but the majority of small business owners also believe the pandemic will impact business well into 2021. Seventy-seven percent of small business owners say that passing financial relief for small businesses should be the top priority for the incoming administration. 

It’s clear small businesses need long-term help. Our leaders must provide Main Street small business owners and their employees financial assistance to get through what is sure to be a long hard winter. If they don’t, small businesses will fail, taking jobs with them and weakening chances for an economic recovery. Lawmakers must also make sure the program reaches the truly small businesses that are suffering so we don’t continue to see the incompetence that allowed large businesses to cash in on a program meant to help Main Street.

We sincerely hope our leaders in Washington will avoid playing politics with our entrepreneurs and economy and prioritize the needs of small businesses and their employees to ensure they survive and can help our economy have a strong recovery.

To request an interview with Dr. Erika Gonzalez, contact Conan Knoll at (831) 524-6764 or conan@emccommunications.com. 

###

About Small Business for America’s Future
Small Business for America’s Future is a national coalition of small business owners and leaders working to provide small businesses a voice at every level of government. We’re committed to ensuring policymakers prioritize the nation’s 30 million small businesses to create an economy that works for them, their workers and their communities. Visit www.smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. #SmallBizAF.