POUGHKEEPSIE – On July 23, 2021, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) hosted a small business tour of mom-and-pop shops in Poughkeepsie with Mayor Rob Rolison. Together they visited Zeus Brewing Company, The Great Studio NY, and Essie’s Restaurant. Following the tour, Rep. Maloney released the following statement:
“Our small businesses are the engine of our economy here in the Hudson Valley – and they took a big hit during the pandemic. Today, we heard directly from businesses in Poughkeepsie about their reopening process and ways I can help them continue to recover now and in the future,” said Rep. Maloney. “I’m bringing the voices of Hudson Valley’s small business owners down to Washington with me, so we can ensure our downtowns come back stronger and better.”
Last July, Rep. Maloney hosted Main Street small business tours in Middletown, Bedford, Carmel, and Wappingers Falls. One year later, Rep. Maloney is continuing his tours of Hudson Valley’s historic downtowns, partnering with local Putnam County officials to tour businesses and discuss the challenges small business owners have faced during the pandemic, the recovery, and ways the federal government can help.
Rep. Maloney secured $21 million for Poughkeepsie and $19 million for Putnam County through the American Rescue Plan. He fought for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was established through Congress’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and administered through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The program’s first round alone helped over 11,000 small businesses and nonprofits in New York’s 18th Congressional District retain 96,488 workers on their payrolls during the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act provided an additional $7.25 billion for PPP and an additional $15 billion for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
The American Rescue Plan’s $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund further provided restaurants and other eligible businesses with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business. The relief does not have to be repaid, provided that the funds are put toward eligible uses by March 11, 2023. These funds can be used for payroll costs (including sick leave), payments on any business mortgage obligation and rent, utility payments, maintenance expenses, construction of outdoor seating, protective equipment, food and beverage expenses, and operating expenses.