Americans the nation over have been stressed, and rightly so. A global pandemic has wreaked havoc on our shores, and our economy is bearing the brunt of it.
A great many of our industries are under duress as a result of the need for social distancing and the precautions being taken by our local authorities. Restaurants, nightclubs, sports arenas, and music venues are in particularly dire straits, leaving a vast number of Americans out of work.
Some of these businesses applied for federal small business loans in an attempt to stay afloat. Many did not receive them.
To make matters worse, the list of companies who did receive assistance is drawing major criticism.
A firm partially owned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was among the lawmaker-linked businesses that got Paycheck Protection Program loans, according to data released Monday.
Companies owned by or associated with Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Rick Allen (R-Ga.) also received the coronavirus loans. Businesses linked to Reps. Roger Williams (R-Texas), Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) previously reported they got loans.
Members of Pelosi’s team attempted to downplay the assistance.
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said her husband, Paul Pelosi, is “a minor, passive investor in this company. He was not involved in or even aware of this PPP loan.”
Hammill told The Post that Paul Pelosi owns 8.1 percent of EDI Associates, which got a loan of between $350,000 and $1 million. The company invests in the El Dorado Hotel in Sonoma, Calif. Pelosi’s stake is worth between a quarter-million and half-million dollars, according to official disclosure forms.
With Americans suffering, and many wondering if they’ll be able to make rent next month, the sort of greed on display in DC is sure to raise a few eyebrows…and maybe some torches and pitchforks as well.
