Pays to know Dems
Virus PPP loans to pol-linked firms
A handful of businesses associated with Democratic lawmakers collected millions of dollars worth of Paycheck Protection Program loans after it was revealed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband also benefited from the stimulus deal.
Companies linked to Reps. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), Conor Lamb (DPa.), TJ Cox (D-Calif.) and Harley Rouda (D-Calif.) received coronavirus loans, as did the family law firm of Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), according to the data released by the Small Business Administration this week.
Businesses linked to Cox collected up to $1.7 million in federal bailouts. His Madera, Calif., nut-processing factory received a loan between $100,000 and $350,000, SBA and financial-disclosure filings show.
An affordable-housing firm where the congressman was listed as director in 2019 also got between $350,000 and $1 million from the federal government, but a spokesperson said Cox resigned as a director last year.
Trident Holdings received a loan of between $350,000 and $1 million, according to the SBA. Rouda’s wife, Kaira, sits on the board.
The Mattress Factory contemporary art museum, where Lamb’s wife, Hayley Haldeman, serves as interim executive director, also took between $150,000 and $300,000 in PPP funding, records show.
Meanwhile, Cartwright’s former law firm, Munley Law, where his wife still works, took between $350,000 and $1 million in coronavirus loans, according to the SBA.
Their offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.