PPP | WRVO Public Media

Did Emergency PPP Loans Work? Nearly $800 Billion Later, We Still Don't Know

Scott Horsley

The Paycheck Protection Program, which provided emergency loans to small businesses amid the pandemic, will wind down soon. Economists are divided on whether it saved enough jobs to justify its cost.

Signs are displayed in the window of a store in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. The Paycheck Protection Program, aimed at helping small businesses survive the coronavirus crisis, has been beset by problems.

Here's How The Small Business Loan Program Went Wrong In Just 4 Weeks

Bill Chappell

Not-so-small companies like Shake Shack and organizations like the LA Lakers were able to get loans that were meant for suffering small businesses. What happened?

Politics and Government

Brindisi: New York should get a bigger share of PPP funding

Ellen Abbott

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) is calling on the federal government to give New York State its fair share of funding from the Paycheck Protection…

Jovita Carranza, head of the Small Business Administration, speaks as U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin listens during a news conference on April 2. The SBA has notified nearly 8,000 businesses that their information may have been exposed.

Data Of Nearly 8,000 Small Businesses May Have Been Exposed, SBA Says

Danielle Kurtzleben

"Personal identifiable information" was potentially exposed to other businesses via an online lending application portal, a spokesperson for the Small Business Administration told NPR.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks with the press at the Capitol on Tuesday, before the Senate approved more coronavirus relief aid.

Senate OKs Bipartisan Deal For $484 Billion More In Coronavirus Aid

Kelsey Snell

Both Republicans and Democrats agreed that a small-business program that ran out of money needed a major infusion. Negotiators also added resources for hospitals and testing.

Companies receiving the Payroll Protection Program loans include the Potbelly restaurant chain, which got the maximum $10 million.

Some Not-So-Small Companies Are Getting Small-Business Loans Under PPP

Jim Zarroli

The government's $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program had to be thrown together quickly, and the criteria for which companies can receive benefits were kept loose.