Small Business

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and seven colleagues sent a letter to Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-Md.) calling for an additional hearing on Dilawar Syed, President Biden’s nominee for SBA deputy administrator. The senators’ concerns come from recent inflammatory statements from Emgage Action, a vocally anti-Israel political action committee of which Syed is a member of the board.

Following new revelations today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for Biden nominee Dilawar Syed to explain his work for an organization that has engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric. Syed is the Biden Administration nominee for deputy director of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Syed previously sat on the board of an organization, Emgage Action, that has echoed the anti-Semitic remarks of Representative Ilhan Omar and others, including calling Israel an “apartheid state” and accusing Israel of “war crimes.”

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) sent a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Guzman blasting the SBA for its poor performance in administering the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program. The SVOG program, which was authorized by Congress in December, is a relief program intended for movie theatres, museums, and other entertainment venues that have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Congress has provided the program with more than $16 billion in appropriations, but after almost six months, only a small fraction of venue operators have actually received their grants from the SBA.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza criticizing persistent delays in disbursing disaster loans and an unacceptable lack of communication from the agency. In response to reports that loan amounts under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program have been capped at $150,000, Senator Hawley writes that applicants have been permitted to borrow up to $2 million in previous disasters, andthe intent of Congress was not for the SBA to place, new arbitrary limits on EIDL loans related to the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza asking they conduct rigorous oversight of the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program. In the letter Senator Hawley condemns big banks who offered wealthy clients VIP treatment, fast-tracking their applications at the expense of other small businesses who may have applied first.

Following local reports that small business owners have not received Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza demanding the funds be distributed as soon as possible. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the SBA must provide grants of up to $10,000 to businesses within three days of their application to the EDIL program.

On the first day small businesses can apply for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza asking they immediately issue follow-up guidelines that make clear that religious organizations can seek relief under the program along with other small businesses and non-profit. Unlike their earlier guidelines, the law is clear. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act non-profit entities with under 500 employees that are structured as 501(c)(3) organization—including churches and other religious non-profits—are eligible for assistance.

Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza calling on SBA leadership to correct local and regional offices who are communicating to churches and religious non-profits that they are not eligible to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, non-profit entities with under 500 employees that are structured as 501(c)(3) organizations–including churches and other religious non-profits–are eligible for assistance.

Today, U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced a bipartisan bill to support innovative startups across the country by establishing a competitive grant program for incubator networks. Incubators help startups by providing resources such as low-cost space, access to capital, business counseling, and mentorship opportunities during their early stages of development. According to a study conducted for the Economic Development Administration, investment in business...