Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the House Appropriations Committee for their hard work on this important piece of legislation. I rise today in support of the passage of H.R. 8294, which contained a crucial amendment I introduced to help find and prosecute cases of fraud within COVID-19 economic relief. My amendment provides critical investment for the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General to ensure that they continue to hold Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program fraudsters accountable. It is deeply disturbing to hear about the recent flurry of fraud convictions related to these two relief programs that provided vital resources to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are dollars that were meant for small businesses struggling due to the pandemic, and to help their families, not to help greedy cheats looking to profit off the backs of their neighbors. My amendment supports efforts for the SBA to identify and prosecute cases of EIDL and PPP fraud more aggressively. Applicants from businesses in my district may have been denied critical financial resources because of the actions of these crooks, and we owe it to all of our constituents to hold these bad actors accountable. I strongly urge all my colleagues in the Senate to pass this critically important provision. ____________________”