Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released a statement today after the Small Business Administration (SBA) refused to follow congressional intent under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by maintaining their practice of denying small gaming operators in the State of Nevada access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), harming a critical state industry and threatening the jobs of thousands of Nevadans.
“When I voted in support of the CARES Act, I voted for legislation that supported all of America’s small businesses. Today’s announcement by the Small Business Administration does nothing to help Nevada gaming operators who need access to these critical programs – just as much as any other small business. Nevada’s small gaming operators support thousands of jobs across the Silver State, and they deserve to be treated the same as any other business when accessing these critical supports Congress put into law for them to use. I’ll continue fighting, along with the entire Nevada delegation, to get this Administration to follow the law.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto has repeatedly pressed the Administration to allow all Nevada gaming small businesses access to COVID-19 relief funding. Earlier today, she led the Nevada delegation in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell calling on them to expand the eligibility of hotels, casinos, live entertainment and noninvestment grade businesses to access critical loan programs and economic stabilization assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. She also joined a letter, led by Senator Rosen, calling on the SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza to allow all gaming small businesses to access PPP loans, in line the with Congressional intent under the CARES Act.