• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
FinanceSmall Business

More aid ‘absolutely’ needed for businesses, says Mnuchin. Here’s what form that could take

Anne Sraders
By
Anne Sraders
Anne Sraders
Down Arrow Button Icon
Anne Sraders
By
Anne Sraders
Anne Sraders
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 10, 2020, 5:07 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

More—and more targeted—aid is necessary for businesses hard-hit by shutdowns and struggling to reopen, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said before the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee on Wednesday.

As lawmakers examine what further needs to be done to help businesses through the crisis, the secretary said, “We’re open-minded, but we absolutely believe small businesses, and, by the way, many big businesses in certain industries, are absolutely going to need more help,” Mnuchin said at the first oversight hearing alongside Small Business Administration administrator Jovita Carranza on the progress of the implementation of the $670 billion Paycheck Protection Program and other relief programs on Wednesday.

The secretary said the administration wants to work on providing further help, whether through the PPP, tax credits, or other options. He added that “another bipartisan legislation to put more money into the economy” was likely going to be needed, targeting the restaurant, hotel, and travel industries, which are struggling to reopen.

As a central piece of the small-business emergency aid, the Paycheck Protection Program thus far has doled out over $511 billion in funds, as nearly 4.5 million small businesses have received loans, per the latest data from the SBA. Mnuchin also said Wednesday that more direct stimulus and a reexamination of enhanced unemployment benefits may also be necessary.

Although the program’s rollout has been mired in controversy and confusion, senators on both sides of the aisle agreed the latest unemployment report from May, which saw the unemployment rate drop to 13.3% with some 2.5 million jobs regained, was the result, in part, to jobs saved through the PPP, and Mnuchin said he was “pleasantly surprised” at the numbers. Sen. Marco Rubio, the committee’s chair, estimated during the hearing that at the current loan numbers, the PPP saved roughly 50 million jobs, and declared, “Without PPP, we would have faced the extinction of small business as we know it.”

Still, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said 13% unemployment was “unacceptable” and that while extra funds remain untapped from the PPP, “this is an opportunity that we should take advantage of for those businesses that need continued help.”

More targeted aid

Lawmakers mulled additional aid and stimulus for businesses, as senators including Ben Cardin, Chris Coons, and Shaheen are planning to propose a bill enabling businesses that already received and spent a PPP loan to get another one, meant for “genuinely” small businesses that had taken a “significant” hit to their revenue owing to the crisis. Mnuchin backed the idea of more funding for businesses in general, but noted it “needs to be much more targeted, particularly to the industries and small businesses that are having the most difficulty reopening,” he said, restaurants and hospitality businesses chief among them.

Senators also want to direct more funds to minority-owned businesses and provide easier access to the funds for small-business owners with prior felony convictions.

Senators raised concerns at the hearing about the program’s reach among minority-owned businesses, as Sen. Ben Cardin, the committee’s ranking member, said in an opening statement, “While the PPP’s success is a laudable accomplishment, there have been challenges in the program that have come into sharper focus given the massive protests our nation has witnessed over the past two weeks…For black small-business owners and other underserved entrepreneurs, the wealth gap is exacerbated by disparities in small-business lending.” He urged the SBA and Treasury to provide guidance to lenders to “prioritize underserved markets,” as recent reports show that black employees were hurt far more by unemployment.

Lack of transparency

Senators have continually asked for more transparency and information from the SBA, including the SBA recipients for the PPP and demographic breakdowns of who received loans. Cardin said during the hearing that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has also had issues getting information about the small-business programs from the administration, but Mnuchin indicated the administration was working with the office to get the necessary information. Although the senators and Mnuchin agreed that more aid would likely be necessary, Cardin asked, “How can we know which businesses still need help if we do not know which businesses have received help?” 

Yet despite continual requests for more information, Mnuchin said during testimony that names and amounts of recipients would not be provided as they are “proprietary” and in some cases “confidential.”

Meanwhile, the program recently got a complete revamp—Congress passed a bill last week that extends the deadline to use funds from eight to 24 weeks and requires businesses to use 60% of funds on payroll (down from 75%). With those new rules in place, Mnuchin indicated more businesses who had been on the “sidelines” would likely now take the loans.

As of SBA’s latest report, there are still over $130 billion of funds yet to be allocated. But with the June 30 deadline to apply approaching, Mnuchin indicated he would be working with Congress to use the funds in other ways.

More must-read finance coverage from Fortune:

  • 41 states are seeing a drop in unemployment. How does your state stack up?
  • Insurance redlining is real—and it will hurt neighborhoods hit by looting
  • Why are stock prices going up when the economy is in ruins? Here’s some helpful context
  • Morgan Stanley says these four factors could clip the wings on the S&P 500 rally
  • GoFundMe donations for elderly Buffalo man injured by police soar after baseless Trump tweet
  • WATCH: Why banks were ready for the financial impact of the coronavirus

About the Author
Anne Sraders
By Anne Sraders
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Finance

va
North AmericaWhite House
HUD suspends disaster funding to U.S. Virgin Islands housing authority, saying mismanagement has kept $1.3 billion from hurricane survivors
By Danica Coto and The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
35 minutes ago
kalshi
CryptoKalshi
Kalshi’s ‘chronically online’ war room figured out World Cup virality — and realized AI might be bringing back the monoculture
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 21, 2026
58 minutes ago
fuel
North AmericaWhite House
Trump’s $3.47 ‘Freedom Fuel’ gas network leans on an NFL kicking coach, a GOP fundraiser and a N.J. entrepreneur with a fuel theft rap sheet
By Brian Slodysko, Michael Biesecker, Josh Boak and The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
1 hour ago
k
Commentarypower
What I keep hearing from Fortune 500 CEOs: ‘We have no idea what we’re actually paying for power’
By Kiran BhatrajuJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Jersey Mike's Subs restaurant.
C-SuiteCFO Daily
Jersey Mike’s tests how far investors will stretch on restaurant IPO valuations
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Top CD rates from major banks on July 21, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on July 21, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
20 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
Retail
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.