Congressional delegation, Small Business Administration highlight federal programs to help small business in Delaware

April 1, 2021

WILMINGTON, Del. – Yesterday, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Chris Coons, and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.), joined Small Business Administration officials and local chambers of commerce for a virtual event [youtu.be] to highlight available and expanded federal resources for small businesses through the American Rescue Plan Act, the pandemic relief bill signed into law earlier this month, and other recent federal legislation.

“For the past year, Delaware’s business owners have been fighting to stay afloat and preserve jobs in our communities,” said Sen. Carper. “I was proud to work with my fellow delegation members to get the latest relief package passed through Congress and out to families and businesses quickly. I encourage all small business owners who have questions about what they are eligible for to reach out to our offices to get the help they need.”

“The American Rescue Plan is what our state and our country need most at this moment,” said Sen. Coons. “Throughout the pandemic, through last year and this year, small business owners in Delaware have been working to preserve jobs in our community, and the American Rescue Plan delivers emergency grants, more lending, more investment, particularly to hard-hit small businesses and nonprofits, that will help them to both retain and hire folks. It puts the full force of the federal government behind ending the pandemic and helping our state recover.”

“When we passed the American Rescue Plan, the entire Delaware Delegation committed to ensuring that Delawareans knew where and how to access the critical resources resulting from the landmark piece of legislation,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “I was proud to join with Senators Carper and Coons, along with the Delaware office of the Small Business Administration to help identify resources for Delaware small businesses who have worked so hard to weather the impacts of COVID over the last year. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to let Delawareans up and down the state know – help is here.”

“There is no doubt that COVID-19’s impact has tested the small business community nationwide and here, in the First State,” said John Fleming, SBA Delaware Director. “The American Rescue Plan Act empowers SBA to bring small businesses navigating COVID-19’s impact real relief, with programs like the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and the Community Navigator pilot program. Agencywide and here, in Delaware, SBA aims to be an entrepreneurial resource, for the pandemic’s duration and beyond.”

To watch the virtual event, visit coons.senate.gov/news/videos [coons.senate.gov]. For more information from the Small Business Administration, go to sba.gov/offices/district/de/wilmington [sba.gov].