WRIC: Spanberger addresses small businesses’ concerns over stimulus bill

WRIC, AMY SIMPSON

Chuck Caple is used to being in a salon, but right now this licensed cosmetology instructor in Chesterfield is out of a job. Due to the 30-day shutdown for salons, he feels stuck.

With news of a federal stimulus package on the way, Caple is worried at the thought of taking out a loan and creating more debt as his only option for survival.

“Because I’m self-employed when I’m out of work there is no income,” he told 8News. “They were working on something for self-employed people to go and get a loan and I’m really disturbed by it.”

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, said Wednesday that concerns just like Caple’s are also on her mind.

“It is excellent that we are ensuring people have access to emergency loans but we cannot ignore the fact that for many of these small businesses they will never be able to make up for future success, the dollars they are losing and spending today,” Spanberger told 8News.

The congresswoman also said she’s advocating for small business grants and loans that are up to 100 percent forgivable.

“Take on additional debt that would drive them further into a hole in the age of a pandemic when they don’t know when they’ll be able to reopen their doors that they won’t be able to pull out of,” Spanberger explained. “That’s just not the path forward.”

Caple is still waiting on specifics of the stimulus plan to be nailed down but he believes he’ll make it to the other side.

“I just think it’s going to be a challenge but I do think I can recover,” Caple told 8News.

Spanberger told 8News that it’s likely the bill will be voted on due to unanimous consent, which allows the House to move past its usual debate and procedural barriers in order to ensure the financial help gets to millions of Americans as quickly as possible.