Warner advocates for more small business funding for Hurricane Helene relief

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia spoke today on the U.S. Senate floor to advocate for a bipartisan bill that would allow the Small Business Administration to continue paying out disaster assistance loans to small businesses in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

On Oct. 15, SBA announced that it had run out of funding in their disaster loan program shortly after Hurricane Helene devastated small businesses across the Southeast, and left tens of thousands of businesses approved for loans but without any funding.

The bipartisan legislation to refill the fund was blocked today by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. After the legislation was blocked, Warner spoke on the floor.

“While I’m deeply disappointed my colleagues blocked us from doing our duty and reauthorizing this essential funding for small businesses devastated by Helene, I’m as committed as ever to fighting for impacted communities across Southwest Virginia. We absolutely must pass support for small businesses and a broader supplemental aid package that will meet the needs of businesses, farms, and families that were hurt by Helene. If we don’t get this done soon, communities across Southwest Virginia will see businesses permanently shutter and an even longer path to recovery. I’m going to keep fighting as hard as I can for every federal resource available for Southwest Virginians,” Warner said.

In the 48 days since Hurricane Helene devastated Southwest Virginia, Warner has pushed for federal emergency disaster declarations, immediate action to reauthorize federal aid and a full supplemental package to meet the needs of impacted communities across the country.

In his remarks today, he told the story of his visit to Damascus, a community along the heavily-impacted Creeper Trail, and the long and essential road to recovery to get the trail operational and support the communities and businesses that rely on it.