Members of Congress took small-business loans -- and the full extent is unknown
Source: POLITICO
Some GOP lawmakers who benefited from the Paycheck Protection Program also opposed legislation requiring lending transparency.
Roger Williams
Updated: 06/16/2020 11:34 AM EDT
At least four members of Congress have reaped benefits in some way from the half-trillion-dollar small-business loan program they helped create.
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Republicans on the list include Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, a wealthy businessman who owns auto dealerships, body shops and car washes, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, whose family owns multiple farms and equipment suppliers across the Midwest. The Democrats count Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada, whose husband is CEO of a regional casino developer, and Rep. Debbie Mucarsel Powell of Florida, whose husband is an executive at a restaurant chain that has since returned the loan.
And there are almost certainly more, according to aides and lawmakers. But only the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department have that information, and the Trump administration is refusing to provide any details. That leaves it entirely up to business owners including elected officials to decide whether to come forward about a loan, which can be as large as $10 million.
Democrats have tried to pry free the list of recipients. But their push in the House to require disclosure of at least some companies was blocked on the floor late last month by Republicans including Williams and Hartzler, who voted against the bill. Lee and Powell joined all Democrats in supporting it. All four lawmakers have previously voted in favor of the small-business program.........................
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/16/congress-small-business-loan-320625
Much of the scrutiny surrounding lawmakers taking PPP loans has centered on Rep. Roger Williams, one of the wealthiest members of Congress. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo
NRaleighLiberal
(60,014 posts)5X
(3,972 posts)iluvtennis
(19,852 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)iluvtennis
(19,852 posts)PatSeg
(47,419 posts)iluvtennis
(19,852 posts)PSPS
(13,594 posts)Are there enough dirty democrats in the house that they can join the republicans to hide this?
notdarkyet
(2,226 posts)People or their families were to get any care money. So what happened and what will be done about it?millions of people could use the money that greedy congress people are sucking up.
LiberalArkie
(15,715 posts)Lonestarblue
(9,981 posts)He has publicly stated that he represents only the Republicans in his district. We have a good candidate, but defeating him in November will be virtually impossible because the district is so gerrymandered.
Baked Potato
(7,733 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)stillcool
(32,626 posts)Imagine my lack of outrage at the Democrats.
Me.
(35,454 posts)On his 2019 Office of Government Ethics disclosure form, Larry Kudlow declared that he made at least $250,000 outside of his government salary of $183,000 a year. Additionally, Judith Kudlows art gallery sells paintings valued at several thousand dollars apiece, and purports to offer one-on-one instruction for students in her art classes.
https://www.accountable.us/news/kudlows-wife-applied-for-sba-loan-watchdog-demands-paperwork/
Her artwork
https://andersonfineartgallery.com/artist/judith-pond-kudlow
LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,585 posts)There are so many reasons for him to keep the list hidden. Like Trump's tax returns, it's not just the numbers, but also the stories behind the numbers. Surely there is a way -- FOIA or congressional subpoena -- to get that list into the open, where it belongs.
jorgevlorgan
(8,291 posts)No holding back. If there's going to be a good use of superpacs, this is what it should be used on.