Trump’s failed coronavirus response has put Floridians in an even more vulnerable position

Today on a bilingual press call, DNC Chair Tom Perez joined Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo, Florida state House Representative Javier Fernández (HD-114), DNC Member Alma Gonzalez, and small business owners to highlight how Trump’s failed policies and broken promises have hurt Hispanic working families and small businesses in Florida

As part of Democrats’ push to highlight Trump’s “corrupt recovery” efforts and how his failed coronavirus response is hurting small businesses, Democrats’ across the battlegrounds are holding events similar to this press call, and the DNC’s War Room released a new research memo focusing specifically on how his failed economic response leaves small business behind– like in his failed implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that left millions of small businesses still waiting for a desperately needed lifeline. Nearly a month into the PPP, only 7 percent of small businesses had received funds, and nearly half of Black and Latino small business owners say they anticipate closing permanently within six months.

Some highlights from the call:

DNC Chair Tom Perez: 

“We are in the worst economic mess since the Great Depression. We have seen so much suffering in communities across the country, and Latino communities have been taking it on the chin in particular.”

“What we have seen in the small business community, especially in the Latino small business community is story after story of broken promises, the inability to access programs because the Paycheck Protection Program has turned out to be a cash cow for all too many of Donald Trump’s friends.”

“…The botched rollout of the program and the consistent rule-shifting about the funds, including the late addition of loopholes that favor large companies, has confused and frustrated small business owners who need these loans the most.”

FDP Chair Terrie Rizzo: 

“Hispanic-owned businesses are a powerful force in our economy — helping provide jobs and wealth in our communities. This is especially true here in Florida. Unfortunately, Donald Trump isn’t doing enough, or almost anything, to help our small businesses… Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump  has favored wealth over the working class over and over again, and his response to this pandemic has been more of the same.”

State House Rep. Javier Fernandez: 

“We have a governor who is a protege of our president — and who has deferred and delayed and followed the typical Republican ideology and orthodoxy of the last 20 years — favoring the wealthy and well-connected in their policy…”

“What is happening here again is part of the typical Republican playbook: let’s take care of those who take care of us –our political patrons, the wealthy and powerful– forgetting the public, putting them last in the order of priorities.”

Claudia Mendoza, small business owner in Palm Beach: 

“We need to open the eyes of our community, my community. Hispanic people need to understand that this is the moment to elect a leader — someone who is able to handle a crisis.”

Rolando Chang Barrero, small business owner in Palm Beach: 

“We have a president that does not support small businesses at all…I urge everybody to vote, and let’s get rid of the current administration because this is a direct result of our current administration who does not care [about] small businesses and even less for the Hispanic businesses.”