Oregon’s farmers and ranchers are a critical piece of our rural economies, and that’s why I led the charge to successfully include a provision in the most recent coronavirus legislation to make our agricultural businesses, who had been shut out, eligible for the lifeline EIDL can provide.
Unfortunately, due to the way the administration chose to implement the program, Oregon’s farmers and agricultural producers were barred from applying for those vital loans, despite Congress’s express action to include them. When I heard about this from Oregonians, I immediately wrote to the Small Business Administration (SBA), demanding that the agency quickly address its failure to make new EIDL applications available to these businesses.
Now, I’m reaching out to share some good news: the SBA has agreed to make these loans available to agricultural businesses, providing much needed relief. Applications are available here, and eligible businesses who need this relief should apply as soon as possible, given the high demand for this program. As we move forward, I’m going to keep doing everything I can to not only fight for the resources Oregonians need to weather this storm — but to make sure those resources are delivered properly.
