Rep. Williams Questions SBA Administrator on SVOG Rollout and Continued Delays
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Roger Williams (TX-25) issued the following statement following his exchangewith SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman during today's House Small Business Committee's COVID-19 relief hearing.
"Today's hearing should have given small business owners a chance to hear directly from SBA Administrator Guzman and Treasury Secretary Yellen on the status of the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), but Secretary Yellen didn't bother to show up, and Administrator Guzman didn't show up with any answers," said Congressman Williams. "The SVOG was signed into law 151 days ago by President Trump, and for more than five months has been riddled with delays and dysfunction under the Biden Administration. As of today, not a single one of the roughly 13,000 music venues, promoters, or theatres that applied for relief have received a dollar from the massive $16.5 billion grant program. I expected Administrator Guzman to come to our hearing prepared with timelines and answers for struggling SVOG eligible businesses, but what we received instead was grandstanding for government bureaucrats who have failed to deliver meaningful results. In addition to voicing my frustration and concern with the SVOG, I also pressed the Administrator on President Biden's proposed tax increases on small businesses and the devastating consequences that it will have on the heels of the pandemic and democrat-driven, record inflation. To say I have lost confidence in the Biden SBA would be an understatement, their lack of communication and transparency is second to none, and they're blatant disregard for Congressional oversight is a disservice to taxpayers."
To watch the Congressman's full questioning in today's hearing, click here.
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Congressman Roger Williams represents the 25th Congressional District of Texas and serves as a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and as Vice-Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee.