Silly us, we thought the “Paycheck Protection Program” was for small businesses. Apparently, congressional campaigns are somehow considered small business and thus eligible for PPP loans.
The political committee of Dr. Christine Mann, a candidate in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 31st Congressional District, received a $28,000 loan through a federal program designed to help struggling small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christine Mann for Congress received a $28,000 loan from First Bank Texas on May 5, according to pre-runoff campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. The line item is labeled “Payment Protection Program,” though the program through the Small Business Administration is called the “Paycheck Protection Program.”
You would think that being exposed for taking money intended for small business would embarrass the campaign, but a spokesman for the campaign is actually defending their move.They tells KXAN-TV “as a grassroots campaign and like many other small businesses, we were hit financially during the pandemic.As a front-line doctor testing patients during COVID-19, Dr. Mann did not fundraise the ways she had previously but wanted to ensure her staff continued to receive a livable wage.”
They weren’t the only political group to receive PPP money, the Ohio Democratic Party receive a PPP loan for $333,867 and the Tennessee Democratic Party received a PPP loan for $5,000.
Mann’s primary opponent, Donna Imam, blasted her for taking the PPP saying:
“Many small businesses in my district have been forced to close down permanently due to the pandemic. When I reached out to family owned restaurants in Killeen, they were completely unaware of the Paycheck Protection Program. When many of these minority owned businesses tried to get help, they were told by their banks that the money had run out.”