Sen. Hoeven acknowledges SBA loan problems, pledges to help correct issues

This afternoon, NFIB hosted an informational webinar with Sen. John Hoeven. The Senator connected with North Dakota small business owners, giving them the latest information about what’s going on in Washington D.C. and how Congress is helping small business owners during this coronavirus crisis. The Senator was joined by NFIB State Director in North Dakota, Alison Ritter, and SBA District Director Al Haut.

“Once we’ve beaten COVID-19, we need our economy to get moving as quickly as possible,” said Senator Hoeven, an NFIB member since 2012. “These meetings are about helping businesses take advantage of the assistance provided under the CARES Act. That means keeping their operations intact and ready to go with employees still on payroll. In order to bolster these efforts, we’re working to secure more funding for the PPP and preparing the next phase of our response. We welcome the feedback from our state’s businesses. We appreciate the local NFIB for helping set up today’s discussion and SBA District Director Haut for working with us to address their members’ needs.”

Sen. Hoeven thanked the small business owners on the call for being the backbone of the North Dakota economy. He told them they would help lead North Dakota our of this crisis because North Dakotans are pragmatic people who know how to do things right.

The Senator also stressed the importance of applying for help as soon as possible through the federal loan program. He also promised to get small business owners more assistance – especially the North Dakota farmers and ranchers who are especially struggling right now. The ranching community is worried because producers are being paid less for their product, while meat at the grocery store is more expensive. Sen. Hoeven promised to look into the issue and make sure that meat producers are being treated fairly.

“During this coronavirus crisis, our small business owners are hungry for information. Applying for federal loans has been a confusing and slow process for North Dakota small business owners, which is why we appreciate Sen. Hoeven spending time with our members today. They are frustrated and scared about the future,” said NFIB State Director in North Dakota, Alison Ritter. “Thank you, Sen. Hoeven for providing our cash strapped small business owners with the help they need to make it through these unprecedented and challenging times.”