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...
News
Latest News
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...
Rubio, Cardin, Request Briefing From the Department of Justice on PPP Fraud
Miami, FL — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, sent a letter to Brian Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), requesting a staff briefing on the agency’s efforts to investigate fraud within the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“Unfortunately, we know that bad actors will seek any opportunity to exploit this historic federal funding for their own profit,” the Senators wrote. “The PPP funding was intended to be a lifeline for impacted small businesses and we believe it is critical that the federal government do everything in its power to prevent fraud and abuse within the program.”
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. Benczkowski:
We write to request that your office provide our staff a telephone briefing regarding the Department of Justice’s efforts to investigate fraud in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As the Chairman and Ranking Member of the committee with jurisdiction over the PPP, we would appreciate the opportunity to engage with your office to ensure this critical federal funding does not end up in the hands of bad actors.
As you know, small businesses and workers across our country are suffering greatly from the impact that COVID-19 has had on our economy. For this reason, Congress enacted the PPP and appropriated approximately $649 billion to provide immediate financial relief to qualifying small businesses so they can keep their workers on payroll during this difficult time. This unprecedented level of funding has already helped to save thousands of small businesses and prevented over 30 million layoffs.
Unfortunately, we know that bad actors will seek any opportunity to exploit this historic federal funding for their own profit. The PPP funding was intended to be a lifeline for impacted small businesses and we believe it is critical that the federal government do everything in its power to prevent fraud and abuse within the program. For this reason, we ask that you provide our committee staff with a briefing on your efforts to investigate fraud within the PPP program and hold bad actors accountable.
We look forward to working with you on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,