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Detroit Regional Chamber > Business Resources > COVID-19 > Chamber Working with Congressional Delegation to Secure Additional CARES Act Funding

Chamber Working with Congressional Delegation to Secure Additional CARES Act Funding

April 21, 2020
The Detroit Regional Chamber’s Government Relations team has had unprecedented daily contact with public officials at a local, state, and federal level over the course of the COVID-19 crisis. Most recently, efforts have been dedicated to advocating on behalf of businesses for the reloading of federal aid for CARES Act programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Emergency Income Disaster Loans (EIDL).

Calling on the Michigan Congressional Delegation and Additional Federal Leaders

To that end, the team has contacted every member of Michigan’s Congressional Delegation urging them that the passage of the next round of funding is critical.

The Chamber – among 34 associations representing Michigan’s business community and financial institutions – signed off on a letter from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce supporting additional federal aid funding for the SBA’s PPP. The letter stated that a deal coming together cannot wait and urged swift congressional action, including program enhancements and additional funding so the business community and financial institutions can continue to distribute these desperately needed dollars to small businesses, which form the economic core of our communities. View the full letter sent to the state’s legislators.

On a national scale, the team also signed a letter in coordination with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to extend PPP eligibility to support more businesses in need of economic relief. This outreach urged Congress to ensure this funding is more inclusive of businesses providing critical community-minded services.

The letter stressed that though small businesses were a major focus of the CARES Act, Congress underestimated the pandemic’s toll on them. A total of 54% of all small businesses report they are closed or could close within the coming weeks, according to a U.S. Chamber-MetLife survey. Read the full letter.