Political Quotes

“Mr. President, first, I want to thank Senator Collins for her leadership on this issue. I want to thank Senator Shaheen for her help in getting this done. This bill is widely supported. It passed the House by 415 to 3, supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the NFIB, and numerous other stakeholders in small business. It will be 1 year since the passage of the CARES Act, and the PPP program has saved millions of small businesses from being shuttered. It has helped save our unemployment insurance system by keeping small- employer employees on the payroll. It has kept workforce together for small businesses, which is critically important to get through this pandemic. Small businesses need additional time because we have changed the eligibility, we have changed the calculation, and you have to find private banks that are willing to take on this loan. And we are now into a second round. There is over $50 billion available at the end of this month to continue the program. I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I would yield the remainder of our time to Senator Collins. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine”