Senators, Politicians and Billionaires are awash with free money that was to go to prop up struggling small businesses. Despite the efforts of the White House and Republican Senators to block access to the recipients of PPP loans, the information was finally released last week with some eyebrow raising disclosures.  The most notable are Mitch McConnell's wife, the Kushner Family Foundation, Kanye West and a long list of donors including $8 Billion to religious organizations that support the President (despite the fact they are tax exempt). 

No wonder the watchdog appointed to ensure that the funds were going to the intended recipients was fired just days before the program launched!

• Lobbying groups and businesses connected to congresspersons, cabinet members, and White House staff received tens of millions of dollars in PPP loans. We understand they needed assistance - so do we, but PPP isn’t the way..

• The most up-to-date statistics show that less than 1.5% of PPP loans went to companies in the Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation industries.

• PPP loans are not an option for those who worked solely as employees and are now collecting unemployment. Their employers would have to receive these loans and rehire them; many of these employers have shut down for an extended period. While PPP is helpful, demanding an FPUC extension in full should be the primary aim of any comprehensive relief legislation.