NOTICIAS

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, issued the following statement after the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the opening of the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) portal to eligible agricultural businesses as authorized by the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act. 
 
“U.S. small businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus, including those in our nation’s vital agriculture industries,” Chairman Rubio said. “I will continue to oversee congressional oversight efforts to ensure the agency is expeditiously processing EIDL grants and loans. It is imperative that those small businesses who have already submitted their paperwork receive this assistance quickly.”
 
Agricultural businesses have traditionally been unable to access SBA’s EIDL program and usually are reliant on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) disaster assistance programs when a disaster strikes. Due to the nature of the coronavirus, USDA disaster programs were not triggered since physical damages have not occurred. Last month, Chairman Rubio wrote to SBA to clarify the intent of Congress to allow agricultural businesses to have access to the EIDL program. The Chairman worked with his colleagues to ensure there was a legislative fix in the recent funding bill that was signed into law.