Paycheck Protection Program (Cong. Rec., June 1, 2020)
Summary
Page S2627 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for June 1, 2020, headed Paycheck Protection Program, in interleaved columns. A speaker quotes Fort Worth chef Tim Love describing the loss to restaurants as worse than a tornado, hurricane or fire, and says a bill will reduce the share of funds that must be used on payroll from 75 percent. Another speaker, discussing George Floyd, says peaceful protest is the way to achieve justice, and that his pleas that he could not breathe did not stop what happened, which is that speaker's view.
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“Paycheck Protection Program (Cong. Rec., June 1, 2020).”
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June 1, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2627
paying, meaningful jobs that can sup- violent, peaceful protest is the way to Back in March, Fort Worth chef Tim
port the social fabric that is the foun- achieve the justice and equality that we all Love described the situation as ‘‘Arma-
dation of our democracy. deserve.’’ geddon.’’ He said:
There is much to do in the months I understand and share the passion It’s worse than a tornado, it’s worse than a
and the years ahead. I just hope that and the anger that have spread across hurricane, it’s worse than a fire. This is
the loss of Mr. Floyd will serve as a the country and support those who are going to destroy everything that I have
fresh beginning, an opportunity for a peacefully protesting and demanding built.
new start, for Americans from every that justice be served. There should But the restaurants weren’t alone; I
corner of this country, from every po- never be a time in which the color of heard similar concerns from countless
litical background, from every race someone’s skin determines whether other small business owners across
and ethnicity, to stand together and to they live or die, and we have to do ev- nearly every sector of the economy—
say: We commit ourselves anew to this erything in our power to prevent these hospitality, tourism, retail, manufac-
Constitution that we love, to this Na- tragedies from occurring in the first turing, and the list goes on.
place. But that change can’t happen Keeping our small businesses open
tion that we call home, and we are de-
when businesses are being looted, when means much more than having another
termined now more than ever to seek
vehicles are being set on fire, or when restaurant to eat in or a shop to buy
and to build a more perfect union.
innocent people are being harmed. It from on Main Street; it is one of the
I yield the floor.
only can happen when we come to- most effective ways to support our
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
gether and learn to empathize with one economy, by protecting those jobs.
ator from Texas.
another and understand the struggles Across the country, small businesses
f have employed nearly half of all U.S.
our neighbors are facing.
REMEMBERING GEORGE FLOYD I would note that there is good evi- workers. They are the lifeblood of our
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, ours dence that many of these acts of vio- local economies and provide critical
lence are being instigated not by vic- services to each of our communities.
is a nation with a split screen of a bat-
tims of injustice but by outsiders de- Without customers coming through
tle on two fronts. One is the pandemic the front doors each day, it is hard to
that we have been fighting now for termined to stoke the rage that many
feel and thus incite them to that vio- cover your business expenses and keep
many months, and the other is to con- employees on the payroll. In fact, it is
tinue the fight to defeat racial injus- lence.
I was glad to hear the Attorney Gen- not just hard, it is impossible.
tice that has sadly divided our Nation Whether you are a new business just
since its very inception. eral of the United States say on Sun-
day that the Department of Justice starting out or a decades-old commu-
One week ago today, George Floyd, a nity staple, the financial squeeze
native Houstonian, tragically died in will treat violence by individuals asso-
ciated with Antifa and other groups as caused by this virus and the mitigation
the custody of a law enforcement offi- efforts that ensued are unavoidable.
cer. As the gut-wrenching video of his domestic terrorism and calling some of
these protests following George Floyd’s As we worked on coronavirus re-
death has spread, so has the passion sponse legislation here in March, we
death to have been hijacked for an-
and the anger among all of us who won- knew that small businesses needed our
other destructive, antisocial agenda.
der, how can something like that hap- support. That is why we established
Investigators are also tracking social
pen? media posts and looking into whether the Paycheck Protection Program and
Our Constitution guarantees every initially funded it with $350 billion.
foreign agents are behind an active
American the right to protest injus- propaganda campaign using social This funded loans that were available
tice, and I believe we all have a respon- media, trying to divide us further, to for these businesses to keep their em-
sibility to stand up for what is right stoke the anger and rage that many of ployees on their payrolls and cover
and condemn what is plainly wrong. other necessary expenses, and if they
us feel. Officials have seen a huge surge
People of all colors, backgrounds, did so, that loan would turn into a
in social media accounts with fewer
and ages are demanding that justice be grant.
than 200 followers created in the last It was so popular—and it’s not hard
served in the case of George Floyd. The month—a textbook sign of a
first step in that process came on Fri- to see why—and the need was so great
disinformation campaign by a foreign that that initial funding ran out in
day when the officer who had him in power, much as we saw in 2016 during
custody was himself arrested and about 2 weeks, so we wisely, in my
the Russian active measures campaign opinion, decided to replenish it with
charged with third-degree murder. leading up to the election.
Devastating events like the death of another $320 billion.
Righteous rage is one thing; being An IT and document management
George Floyd remind us that we have a manipulated by instigators of violence
long way to go in the fight for equal company in Sugar Land, TX, called
and foreign powers is quite another. Function 4 was one of the recipients of
justice under the law, but we cannot f
yield to the temptation to fill the void one of those PPP loans. One of the
created by this tragedy with violence. PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM partners, Bill Patsouras, said that if it
Too many protests across our coun- wasn’t for the PPP, they would ‘‘abso-
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, on
try have turned into riots with looting lutely have to start letting people go.’’
to another matter, I was glad to be
But instead of layoffs, all 89 employees
and vandalism and destruction, hurting able to get back home to Texas this
of Function 4 are still employed and
innocent people and tearing our cities last week, where our communities are
still working.
apart. In response to these escalating slowly coming out of a coronavirus This is a familiar story, I am sure,
protests last night, there were more shutdown. Churches have begun safely not just in Texas but elsewhere. As of
curfews in place than at any other time welcoming worshippers, restaurants May 23, small businesses in Texas have
since the assassination of Martin Lu- are beginning to safely seat customers, received more than 350,000 PPP loans
ther King. albeit with the appropriate social totaling more than $40 billion. That is
One man who experienced that period distancing, and retailers are now begin- an average loan size of less than
of American history firsthand is our ning to safely reopen their doors. After $115,000. These are for small and me-
colleague on the other side of the Cap- weeks and in some cases months of dium-size businesses.
itol, Congressman JOHN LEWIS. He hunkering down, it is a welcome sign of In speaking to my community bank-
fought and marched alongside Dr. our progress in the fight against the ers last week, I learned that one bank
King, fighting for equal rights, and coronavirus and the first step in our had approved a loan request for as lit-
continues fighting today for equal jus- economic recovery. tle as $300. So while the average loan
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
tice. When stay-at-home orders were first was $115,000, some businesses needed
Over the weekend, he denounced the put in place, small business were wor- far less than that, including this one
rioting and looting that occurred and ried—understandably so—about their loan for $300.
said: ability to survive. Many said they No matter how large or small, these
‘‘Be constructive, not destructive. History couldn’t survive more than a couple of loans have allowed businesses, church-
has proven time and time again that non- weeks under those circumstances. es, nonprofits, and some of our most
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S2628 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 1, 2020
valuable community institutions to percent to 60 percent. This will make happened. That photo is still embla-
survive. That is not to say, though, it sure that the bulk of the funding con- zoned in my mind, as I am sure it is for
was perfect—at least to start with. tinues to protect jobs and support all of those who have seen it.
When it was first established, no one workers, while giving businesses the The look in that policeman’s eyes, in
expected the rollout to be perfect. I flexibility they need to stay viable. the videotape that was being taken of
think that would be an exercise in hope This legislation also gives borrowers that incident, was cold, hard, distant
over experience because no government another valuable asset, and that is the and unmoved by George Floyd’s plea
program this big and created this asset of time. The PPP as originally and the plea of those around him. What
fast—and we knew both of those were written gave borrowers 8 weeks to use a tragic moment for our country. What
important. We needed to go big, and we these funds, and I have repeatedly a tragic moment for that family. What
needed to deal with the need urgently. heard from my constituents that 8 does it say about who we are in the
We knew there would be some prob- weeks is simply not enough. For those United States of America that in the
lems. A brand-new loan program draft- who received these loans at the outset year 2020 this sort of thing can happen
ed and passed in such a short time- in early April, their window to use the with such frequency?
frame is bound to have some hiccups. PPP loan is quickly closing, and al- The heartbreaking killing of George
So over the last several weeks, I have though businesses are now just starting Floyd follows years of similar trage-
been working and talking to my con- to safely reopen, it is going to take dies and needless loss. In 2012, 17-year-
stituents—as we all have—to identify some time before we find our new nor- old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed
what needs to be fixed or improved, mal. by a vigilante as he walked home with
what gaps need to be filled; figure out I don’t think we want a situation a bag of Skittles that he just bought
what is working, what isn’t, and how where, after being back at work for 8 from the local 7-Eleven. His crime?
we can make it even more effective. weeks, employees are let go because of Black in America.
Well, I heard repeatedly that the big- an administrative policy that makes In 2014, the words ‘‘I can’t breathe’’
gest need was for flexibility in the use no sense. It is completely arbitrary, were seared into our minds when we
of those funds, and that is where they and that is exactly what could happen saw the video of Eric Garner struggling
are needed the most. if we don’t act. The bill passed by the for his life and dying as a police officer
The main goal of the Paycheck Pro- House would extend that period of time held him in a choke hold. His crime?
tection Program is right in the name— to 24 weeks for borrowers to use those Black in America.
protecting paychecks. That is why we funds. It will ensure that businesses Weeks later, Michael Brown was shot
said that 75 percent of the money need- and nonprofits have the time to safely and killed by a police officer in Fer-
ed to be used for payroll; otherwise you reopen and rebuild their operations guson, MO, despite being unarmed. A
were going to have to pay the money while using the PPP to help cover pay- couple of months later, on the streets
back. We said originally that the re- roll and other business expenses. This of Chicago, IL, Laquan McDonald was
maining 25 percent could be used for a would be a win-win. I rarely have heard shot and killed by a police officer. The
range of other expenses, like rent or from my constituents back home that next month, after he was killed, Tamir
utilities. But based on the feedback I we have done anything that has been so Rice was shot and killed by a police of-
have gotten—and I am confident that I universally appreciated as the PPP ficer while playing with a toy gun in a
am not alone—we missed our mark by program, or the Paycheck Protection Cleveland park.
establishing that 75-percent require- Program. The tragic list of Black individuals
ment. For many who had no business This legislation that has passed the whom we have mourned and marched
because they were shut down as part of House and I hope we will take up and for continues to grow: Walter Scott,
the mitigation efforts, their payroll ex- pass this week extends the benefits of Freddie Gray, Philando Castile,
penses—they couldn’t use the three- this incredible program and provides Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, and
quarters of the loan for payroll—at more stability for small businesses many more, including Sandra Bland,
least not in the short timeframe we al- without spending anymore taxpayer another resident of Illinois whose life
lowed for. They needed to be able to dollars. It doesn’t cost us anything. was taken when she drove down to
spend more on other expenses, like rent Giving small businesses and nonprofits Texas to interview for a new job. I at-
and mortgage. more flexibility to use this money tended her funeral ceremony. The loss
The company owned by Tim Love, when and where it is needed is impor- of such a wonderful young woman is
whom I mentioned a moment ago, who tant to our long-term recovery. still unexplained.
described this crisis as Armageddon, I have heard very positive feedback Now we come together to mourn the
received a PPP loan and so far has been about these changes from the small lives of two Black men and a Black
able to hire back 80 percent of their 490 business owners I represent, and I am woman—lives that were cut far too
employees. A couple of weeks ago, he eager to support the passage of the lat- short in incidents of inexplicable and
participated in a roundtable at the est House bill here in the Senate. inexcusable violence: Ahmaud Arbery,
White House, and he asked for adjust- I yield the floor. Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.
ments to give businesses more flexi- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Once again, those gut-wrenching
bility. He said: Democratic whip. words—‘‘I can’t breathe’’—have us to
We’re not asking for more money. We’re f tears.
just asking for the opportunity to spend it As activist Brittany Packnett
the way that you want us to spend it, the
PROTESTS Cunningham has pointed out, justice
way it was intended; to take care of our em- Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, his for George, Breonna, and Ahmaud
ployees when we’re able to open up. name was George Floyd, and 7 days ago would mean that they would each still
That is precisely what we are work- he was killed on the streets of Min- be alive and breathing today.
ing to do, and I hope we can get legisla- neapolis. He was not the first African What we must now seek is account-
tion to the President’s desk this week American to be the victim of racism ability. The arrest of former Min-
to make those needed changes. and criminal misconduct by the police. neapolis police officer Derek Chauvin
Last week, the House passed a bill to This has happened in our history many is a first step in that direction, but
provide that flexibility for small busi- times, but this was different. This was there is so much more that must fol-
nesses to use these funds where they a killing which we watched in low.
are needed most. This effort was spear- realtime. Too often, police officers have
headed by a fellow member of the In fewer than 9 minutes, a Min- crossed the line from lawful protection
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Texas delegation, Congressman CHIP neapolis police officer, with his knee of our communities to baseless tar-
ROY, and it passed by a vote of 417 to on the neck of George Floyd, took his geting, harming, and killing of un-
1—a rare feat these days in the House life away. Despite Mr. Floyd’s begging armed Americans of color. Perhaps an
of Representatives. over and over again, his pleas that he arrest of the officer will be made, but
The bill will reduce the level of funds couldn’t breathe, even invoking the our system of justice rarely leads to
that must be used on payroll from 75 name of his mother, it didn’t stop what real consequences that follow. How
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