RICHMOND, VA — Amid this unprecedented global pandemic, small businesses across Central Virginia are relying on support through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which has provided hundreds of billions of dollars in loans to protect jobs across the country. PPP has been a lifeline for small businesses across the country, but large, publicly-traded corporations have also taken advantage of the program, while many Main Street Central Virginia businesses have yet to receive assistance.

That’s why Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) helped introduce the bipartisan TRUTH Act earlier this month to ensure full transparency of large PPP loans and to make sure this funding gets to the small businesses that need it.Yesterday, Spanberger voted to move this important, bipartisan legislation forward – but a handful of Washington Republicans blocked it, choosing to put Washington-style politics ahead of the pressing need to protect jobs for hardworking Virginians. Meanwhile, Nick Freitas, Andrew Knaggs, John McGuire, and Tina Ramirez have been notably silent, refusing to say whether they support their party’s efforts to kill these transparency measures.

“While Rep. Spanberger is doing everything she can to ensure critical funds make it to Virginia small businesses, a handful of Washington politicians chose to put their special interest backers ahead of hard-working families and business owners. Virginians deserve to know how Nick Freitas, Andrew Knaggs, John McGuire, and Tina Ramirez would have voted on the TRUTH Act and whether they support Rep. Spanberger’s efforts to bring much-needed transparency to the Paycheck Protection Program,” said DPVA Communications Director Grant Fox.

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