BRINDISI MEETS WITH SOUTHERN TIER SMALL BUSINESSES, LOCAL OFFICIALS: ADDRESSES COMMERCE CHENANGO LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST AND CONVENES CALL WITH BROOME COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS
Statement
Congressman Anthony Brindisi today spoke at Commerce Chenango's Legislative Breakfast about his bipartisan work to support small businesses throughout New York's 22nd District and took questions from participants. Brindisi also convened a call with Broome County elected officials to discuss the county's recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
"We all need to stay focused and work together to get through this pandemic, and I am doing everything I can to get Upstate New Yorkers the support they need," said Brindisi. "I was grateful for the opportunity to hear from Broome elected officials and Chenango small business owners today and I will continue to advocate for our district on the federal level. Our communities will feel the aftershocks of this pandemic for a long time, and I'm working with folks on the ground to ensure they have the resources they need to keep everyone safe and rebuild our economy."
At the Commerce Chenango breakfast, Brindisi spoke about the latest developments in coronavirus relief negotiations. He was instrumental in passing legislation to establish the Paycheck Protection Program in March, and after hearing from small business owners that there was too much bureaucratic red tape, he helped lead the charge to pass the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act. Brindisi also fought for and secured language in this legislation expanding a critical loan program to small farms. Thanks to Brindisi's efforts, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program was made available for farms that employ less than 500 people. Earlier this year, Brindisi was one of five members of Congress to receive prestigious leadership awards from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for his bipartisan support of small businesses.
During his call with elected officials in Broome County, Brindisi heard about the county's work to bring COVID-19 case numbers down and help schools and small businesses reopen safely. He took questions from the group about federal aid for state and local governments. Brindisi, a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, joined local elected officials last month to call on Washington to pass a bipartisan relief bill to help small businesses, working families, educators, essential workers, and state and local governments.
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