At least four lawmakers, or their families, have profited from Congress' loan program for small businesses shut down by COVID-19
Mark Crispin Miller
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kyle Cheney is a Congress reporter for POLITICOCheney joined the Congress team after covering the 2016 presidential election on POLITICO's politics team. He covered the Republican primary field with a focus on the national GOP, the Republican National Convention and the internal machinations of the party as it adjusted to the emergence of Donald Trump.
Cheney came to POLITICO in June 2012 to cover health care and spent two years covering the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and its political implications. He also covered the 2014 midterms for POLITICO's Campaign Pro. He joined POLITICO after five years reporting on Massachusetts government and politics for the State House News Service, an independent wire service in Boston.
Cheney, a New York native, graduated from Boston University in 2007 with a journalism degree after a semester as editor of BU’s independent student paper, The Daily Free Press.
CORONAVIRUS CASH FOR CONGRESS — At least four lawmakers or their families have benefited directly from the multibillion-dollar loan program Congress set up to support small businesses rocked by the pandemic. The real number may be much higher, but it’s impossible to know while Treasury and the Small Business Administration sit on the data. Sarah, Mel and Zach Warmbrodt take a look at the potential conflicts and the black hole of information to determine the extent.
“Republicans on the list include Texas Rep. Roger Williams, a wealthy businessman who owns auto dealerships, body shops and car washes, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, whose family owns multiple farms and equipment suppliers across the Midwest. The Democrats count Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada, whose husband is the CEO of a regional casino developer, and Florida Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, whose husband is a senior executive at a restaurant chain that has since returned the loan.
“And there are almost certainly more, according to aides and lawmakers. But only the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department have that information, and the Trump administration is refusing to provide any. That leaves it entirely up to business owners — including elected officials — to decide whether to come forward about a loan, which can be as large as $10 million.” https://politi.co/2Y5DSJN