September 18, 2021
Dear Friends,
There is no denying that we’ve come a long way in 19 months facing this crisis. But the highly contagious Delta variant still raging through our communities, causing spikes in caseloads and hospitalizations in our Capital Region and across the country, has shown that we still have further to go.
I want to make sure that you have the latest updates and information at your disposal to help best support you, your family and our community. That’s why this week, I’m sharing a few of the most pressing updates on the latest efforts at the federal level to tackle this crisis and support our families, workers and businesses.
Taking bold action to combat this pandemic
In recent weeks, we have seen an increased push to protect our communities from the pandemic. With increasingly worrying trends in COVID cases and hospitalizations, President Biden took strong action to develop a Path Out of the Pandemic with goals to:
- Get Americans vaccinated, requiring vaccines for employees in the federal government and those at most health care settings
- Keep schools safely open, providing resources to increase testing in schools and pledging to restore 100% of pay to teachers and school officials who have their pay withheld by any governor over state mask mandates
- Protect our economic recovery with investments in several federal programs that lift up struggling communities and businesses
I will work alongside the President and do all in my power to get our nation on the other side of this pandemic. We can all play a role in keeping ourselves, our families and our communities safe.
Expanding SBA loan programs
The U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced major enhancements to the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The EIDL program provides federal disaster relief to better serve and support small businesses still reeling from the pandemic, particularly in hard-hit sectors such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels.
Key changes to the program include:
- An increase to the COVID EIDL cap from $500,000 to $2 million
- Implementation of a deferred payment period, establishment of a 30-day exclusivity window
- Expansion of eligible use of funds to prepay commercial debt and make payments on federal business debt
- Simplification of affiliation requirements to streamline to application process
Applicants must have an eligible small business, nonprofit, or agricultural business located in the United States or its territories. The program will run until Friday, December 31, 2021, or until funds are exhausted, so it is recommended that eligible applicants apply as soon as possible.
Visit www.sba.gov/eidl to learn more about eligibility and application requirements and apply HERE!
These past 19 months have been trying, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know we can defeat this virus if we follow the science and work together to protect ourselves and our communities. Thank you for your continued strength.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
