Queens reps push for small business aid amid coronavirus uncertainty

U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (left) and Nydia Velázquez (right), with Attorney General Letitia James, advocates for small business funding in the federal multibillion-dollar emergency spending package. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

By Victoria Merlino

The federal government on Friday instituted a multibillion-dollar emergency spending package to fight the coronavirus, an agreement that includes a provision added by two Queens lawmakers to assist small businesses impacted by illness uncertainty. 

U.S. Reps. Grace Meng and Nydia Velázquez, along with California Rep. Judy Chu, introduced legislation that would allow the federal government to provide loans to small businesses that are economically impacted by the outbreak. The bill provides $20 million to allocate these loans, with the potential for the Small Business Administration to provide an estimated $7 billion in loans. 

Fears and racism surrounding the virus have dissuaded potential customers from shopping or dining in New York City neighborhoods with large Chinese populations, because the virus first began in China. Flushing, Manhattan’s Chinatown and Sunset Park have been hit especially hard, with businesses reporting major financial losses. 

“Many small businesses, in particular Asian American-owned businesses such as restaurants and retailers, have experienced a significant drop in business due to misinformation and xenophobia about coronavirus,” Meng said in a statement. “This includes many businesses in my district in Queens.”

“Our hard-working small businesses drive our economy and enhance our communities. We must assist them in their time of need so that they can continue to operate, and not suffer further from the downturn that they have been forced to endure,” she continued.

President Donald Trump signed the bill Friday morning.