The Center for Rural Affairs is urging lawmakers to support a bill that treats rural businesses and communities equally when it comes to coronavirus relief dollars. Johnathan Vladik is the center’s policy director, “We know nationally, rural areas are now responsible for a disproportionately high number of COVID cases and deaths. While this is happening, our economy is struggling and rural small businesses just are not getting the same support as their urban counterparts right now.”
He says rural businesses are not getting Small Business Administration loans, which are being forgiven through the CARES Act, and instead have to go through the USDA’s rural assistance program (RAMP).
