Alive. Thank you very much. Today a house subcommittee holds a hearing to examine security for the upcoming president ial election in november. Live coverage begins at 10 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan 3. Online at cspan. Org or listen live on the free cspan radio app. Talk about this morning as the negotiators on capitol hill continue with that pandemic relief package. Well hear more about that a little bit later this morning. But heres whats proposed so far. This is in the package at least the senate is debating, the socalled heals act, people who work for themselves and Small Businesses. They write the proposed act would also put aside 190 billion to create another round of paycheck loan program to provide Financial Assistance to struggling Small Businesses as well as independent contractors and the selfemployed. The government has already approved more than 5 million 5 million, excuse me, ppp loans worth nearly 500 billion in the Small Business loans program made available by the cares act. I move this up because i want to point out this one element in this package. They say that Small Businesses with fewer than 300 employees that have seen their revenue fall by more than 50 as a result of the pandemic would be eligible for another round of ppp loans as a result of the act even if they received previous ppp money. That from cnbc. Also want to take a look at a poll by the u. S. Chamber of commerce. They just released it late last week and heres a poll from the chamber of commerce showing Small Business recovery is losing steam amid concerns over covid resurgence. They write after retreating from record lows earlier this spring key measures like perceived Business Health and cash flow have stalled. And the number of reported concerns around reopening guidance has increased. Nevertheless Small Business owners remain optimistic with regard to future revenue and bullish on hiring and investment plans according to the chamber of commerce survey. A piece from this mornings business section in the New York Times as well their headline on this is a quiet cap on Small Business relief. For nearly 70 years they write the Small BusinessDisaster Relief program has helped companies recover from catastrophes but naz never faced anything like the coronavirus crisis. Besieged by nearly 8 million occupants and operating in the shadow of the hastily assembled Paycheck Protection Program the Disaster Relief effort has given out more money in the past few months than it had in its entire history, but the demand has created a problem hobbling hundreds of thousands of applicants. The agency capped its program even though the program has handed out less than half the 360 billion it can lend. They write that, quote, without the extra capital it would be very difficult for us to survive according to one Business Owner in los angeles. The agencys head of the Small Business administration testified last week on capitol hill and talked about what the sba is doing, their goal during the pandemic. Here is some of that testimony. Through Economic Disaster loans and idle advances the agency has reached nearly dispersing 170 billion in assistance. Loans are currentlying being processed in just five days with dispersements occurring in two days. Ive made a concerted effort to personally speak to businesses left reeling by this pandemic and to Financial Institutions so that i can see for myself what is working and where improvements need to be made. One of the scores of businesses i visited was an africanamerican Logistics Management firm in dallas. Sba loans provided him with a bridge, a financial bridge over the most tumultuous waters hes ever experienced. It helped him not only keep his employees on payroll but also hire new workers who receive comprehensive skills training and professional certifications. Many Small Business owners use that term, bridge, to describe how sba loans provided them with time and the space needed to rethink, innovate and to adapt their Business Models for success in this new environment. Sba had her testifying last week. Our morning topic this first hour, the impact of the coronavirus on Small Businesses. Small Business Owners, splaul business employees or former employees and for all others. Quick headline before we get to your calls and be interested, too, if some of you Small Business owners have done this. A third of Small Business owners have tapped their personal funds to stay afloat. Lets hear from a Small Business owner in tennessee. Okay, well go to ted whos a Business Owner also in cleveland, ohio. Go ahead, ted. Good morning. Ted, let me ask you youre coming in and out. Maybe move the phone closer to you or move around somewhere else. Youre just a little out of sync. Tell us your business again. Okay. Its called life leadership and we are a unconventional type. I dont know if youve even heard of it before, but we tie in with a lot of businesses to help teach people how to save money and we encourage people to use it so that they save money in the long run, and you earn money through leadership of teaching people. And theres been some success involved with it, but its very unconventional. We teach people to change their ways of the way they spend money, and its rough sometimes but we have achieved some things and its been a blessing. What have you had to do to change your ways in terms of your business during the pandemic . Well, i hope it doesnt offend anybody out there. Watch less tv. And youre going to have to change your buying habits and your spending habits, the way you live your life. And unfortunately some people still want to spend, spend, spend on things that dont improve their lives. Its become this vanity thing for too many people. The line for Business Owners is 202748800. Well go to sophia in the bronx. Good morning. Good morning. It didnt really affect me but im worried whats coming. We have been doing very good but its all over the street bottles of champagne and alcohol. People are abusing openly with the bottle and drinking. I dont walk now. I only drive just to check out what people are doing. Its just unbelievable the way they drink. The person before me hes right. Because you go to the grocery store. Paper towel now is 3 for one roll. The reason today i called today is president obamas birthday. I wanted to say happy birthday, president obama. All right, sophia, were talking about Small Businesses and the effect of Small Businesses on the pandemic. This is the the New York Times, their business section. The headline says the pandemic decimates Small Business. They write in early march a caribbean restaurant in brooklyn