Written by Donald Lavarge for the Press-Republican on July 14, 2020

TO THE EDITOR: On June 22, Congresswoman Stefanik was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for re-election to Congress.

The NFIB is the country’s most significant small business advocacy organization. The NFIB was right in endorsing Congresswoman Stefanik as she is a champion of small town businesses both in her district and across the nation. As the district was shut down by the pandemic, Congresswoman Stefanik has continuously stood by her constituents by both fighting to ensure that the north country has the resources it needs to combat COVID-19, and working tirelessly to see that small businesses get the money they need.

She has also recognized that small businesses are the backbone of the economy of the north country. From the start of the shutdown, Stefanik has expressed the importance of getting loans to small businesses. She voted in favor of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, which modified the CARES Act by giving small businesses more freedom as to how they wish to spend their loan funds while retaining the possibility of full forgiveness. It also extended the time borrowers can spend loan proceeds from eight weeks to twenty four.

This action by Congresswoman Stefanik should be recognized and applauded just as it was by the NFIB. It is easy to support small businesses when the economy is great, but harder to do when they are shut down. Congresswoman Stefanik has stepped up to the plate during this pandemic by delivering real results to North Country small businesses.

DONALD LAVARGE

Gansevoort

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