Companies and organizations worldwide are facing a difficult question: As the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic shifts gears from emergency to maintenance, how can we reopen and run our businesses — from Day One and beyond — in a manner that preserves jobs and generates revenue without risking the health and safety of our employees and customers? The answers to this question are not simple, nor is there a one-size-fits-all solution.
Continue Reading COVID-19 Back-to-Work Toolkit: Helping Businesses Protect Lives and Livelihoods
USDA Announces New Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to Farmers, Ranchers, and Consumers
In a press release from Washington, DC, on April 17, 2020, US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the existence of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This new US Department of Agriculture (USDA) program will take a number of actions to render direct aid to American farmers, ranchers, and consumers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump directed the USDA to craft this immediate relief program to provide critical support to US farmers and ranchers, to maintain the integrity of the food supply chain, and to ensure Americans continue to have access to the food they need. The CFAP will receive $19 billion in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), as well as from other USDA-related entities such as the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Updated FAQ Issued Regarding the Paycheck Protection Program and Qualification for Loans
On Thursday, April 23, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and United States Department of Treasury released a new question 31 and related answer as a supplement to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), which they previously published and have periodically updated since the program began. The recent addition, which is quoted below, appears to us to demonstrate the effects that public pressure is having on the SBA following the inability of a number of small businesses to participate in the first round of PPP funding:
Continue Reading Updated FAQ Issued Regarding the Paycheck Protection Program and Qualification for Loans