Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s gulf coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with the Florida Farm Bureau as well as local agricultural producers, farmers, and growers to discuss the storm’s impact. Photos are courtesy of...
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Photos: Rubio Visits Barrier Islands Post-Hurricane Helene
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Rubio, Scott, Florida Colleagues to POTUS: Expedite Resources to Floridians
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite state-requested resources and authorize key policy flexibilities in order for Floridians to make a swift...
Rubio Staff Hosts Hurricane Helene Recovery Assistance
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host two in-person events to assist constituents affected by Hurricane Helene and help navigate applications for FEMA assistance. Food, water, and additional resources will be available at the events. Event...
Next Week: Rubio Staff Hosts Mobile Office Hours
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
Rubio, Scott Urge FEMA to Expedite Hurricane Reimbursements
Following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Debby, some local governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could disrupt disaster recovery efforts. If these local governments receive reimbursements for past hurricanes from the Federal Emergency...
English/ Español: Rubio, González-Colón Highlight Importance of PPP for Small Businesses in Puerto Rico
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) released the following statements after federal aid to small businesses in Puerto Rico increased 700 percent in the second round of funding of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The CARES Act established the PPP and appropriated $349 billion in funding to assist small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 1, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved an estimated 2,856 loans through local banks totaling $658,573,638.
Congress subsequently passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act of 2020 which provided an additional $310 billion for PPP. During the second round of PPP, 19,961 loans to small businesses in Puerto Rico have been approved, totaling $987,677,005.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to help Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and that includes our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico,” Chairman Rubio said. “It is clear the program is working for small businesses and their employees in Puerto Rico. As we move forward and slowly begin to reopen, we must continue to prioritize our small businesses and protect the dignity that comes from work.”
“This is the most direct aid that reaches our small businesses and therefore maintains the payroll of thousands of employees in Puerto Rico. A large percentage of our island’s economic engine is based on small and medium-sized merchants, many of whom continue to receive aid and recover after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the recent earthquakes. We have advocated from Congress, with the Treasury Department and SBA to achieve the disbursement of more funds and in this second round we see that the numbers of loans approved are over six-time higher than in the first round,” González-Colón said.
RUBIO, GONZÁLEZ-COLÓN DESTACAN LA IMPORTANCIA DEL PPP PARA PEQUEÑAS EMPRESAS EN PUERTO RICO
Washington, DC – El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL), presidente del Comité de Pequeñas Empresas y Emprendimiento en el senado, y la congresista Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) emitieron las siguientes declaraciones después que la ayuda federal a pequeñas empresas en Puerto Rico aumentará en un 700 por ciento durante la segunda ronda de financiación del Programa de Protección de Pago de Cheques (PPP, por sus siglas en inglés).
La Ley CARES estableció el PPP y asignó $349 mil millones de dólares en fondos para ayudar a las pequeñas empresas afectadas por la pandemia del COVID-19. Desde el 1ero de mayo del 2020, la Administración de Pequeños Negocios (SBA, por sus siglas en inglés) de EE.UU. aprobó un estimado de 2,856 préstamos a través de bancos locales para un total de $658,573,638 de dólares.
El Congreso aprobó el Programa de Protección de Pago de Cheques y la Ley de Mejoría a la Atención Médica del 2020, que proporcionó $310 mil millones de dólares adicionales para el PPP. Durante la segunda ronda del PPP, se aprobaron 19,961 préstamos a pequeñas empresas en Puerto Rico, por un total de $987,677,005 de dólares.
“El Programa de Protección de Pago de Cheques fue diseñado para ayudar a los estadounidenses durante la pandemia del COVID-19, y eso incluye a nuestros conciudadanos en Puerto Rico”, Rubio dijo. “Está claro que el programa está funcionando para las pequeñas empresas y sus empleados en Puerto Rico. A medida que avanzamos y lentamente comenzamos a reabrir, debemos continuar priorizando a nuestras pequeñas empresas y proteger la dignidad que proviene del trabajo”.
“Este es la ayuda que más directa les llega a nuestros pequeños negocios y por ende mantiene la nómina de miles de empleados en Puerto Rico. Un gran porcentaje del motor económico de nuestra isla se basa en pequeños y medianos comerciantes, muchos de ellos continúan recibiendo ayudas y recuperándose luego de los huracanes Irma y María y los terremotos. Hemos abogado desde el Congreso, con el Tesoro y con SBA para lograr el desembolso de más ayudas y en esta segunda ronda hemos visto cómo se han aprobado sobre seis veces más la cantidad de préstamos que se aprobaron en la primera ronda”, González Colón dijo.