April 16, 2020

Manchin: Congress Must Approve More Funding For Rural Small Businesses

Charleston, WV – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) running out of funding for loans to American businesses and the need for Congress to approve additional funding. 

“West Virginia small businesses are hurting. It’s time to stop the partisan bickering and come together to fix this. Congress must act in a bipartisan way to quickly invest more funding into the PPP and we need to do so in a way that protects small businesses and healthcare providers like those across rural West Virginia. In an analysis of PPP funds approved for distribution, West Virginia ranked 45th out of 50 states. We know our small businesses have as much need as businesses in larger, more populated states and we must ensure there is dedicated funding for small businesses in rural communities like ours,” Senator Manchin said. “Finally, many of our rural hospitals are struggling to stay afloat and we need to allow them to be eligible to apply for SBA loans. We cannot afford to lose a single rural hospital, especially during this healthcare crisis. As a country we have always come together during a crisis and I believe we will do so again and get this funding out the door as quickly as possible.”

Senator Manchin launched an information resources page where West Virginians can learn more about the coronavirus pandemic and how to protect themselves and their families. To learn more please click here.

To receive daily updates from Senator Manchin on the coronavirus pandemic, please click here.