SBA Administrator Statement on GAO Findings: PPP Program Increased Lending

Summary

In news release 21-91, published September 24, 2021, the U.S. Small Business Administration issued a statement by Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman responding to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released that week. The release says the GAO found that changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) made earlier that year had the intended effect of increasing loan access for the smallest and minority-owned businesses largely left out of earlier funding. In the statement, Guzman says targeted community outreach and programmatic changes were directed to level the playing field, and that those decisions have paid off, according to the GAO.

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Archived news release 21-91

SBA Administrator Statement on GAO Findings: PPP Program Increased Lending to Smallest Businesses, Underserved Communities

Published on September 24, 2021

WASHINGTON – U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman issued a statement in response to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released this week that found that critical changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) implemented under her leadership earlier this year had the intended effect of increasing loan access for the smallest and minority-owned businesses that were largely left out of earlier funding.

“It is one of my top priorities as SBA Administrator to expand opportunities for our smallest small businesses and underserved communities and center equity in all our programs. When it became clear that Mom-and-Pop ventures and businesses owned by historically disadvantaged groups were facing unique challenges in getting PPP loans, the Biden-Harris Administration and I directed our team to take action to engage in targeted community outreach and to implement key programmatic changes to level the playing field. I’m proud to say those decisions – and the efforts of the thousands of civil servants at the SBA who do the day-to-day hard work of running this program – have paid off, according to the GAO – the gold standard for oversight. Main streets and industrial centers in every zip code across America are coming back to life and leading the way in our nation’s economic recovery, and we’ll continue working with our small businesses to help them strengthen our communities, create new jobs, and set our economy back on track.”

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality.  As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov .

Media contacts

U.S. Small Business Administration Email Press_Office@sba.gov

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