Senate passes extension of small business relief program

Sen. Chris Coons.
(Image credit: Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)

The Senate on Tuesday evening passed legislation extending a program helping small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The bill allows the Small Business Administration to keep approving Paycheck Protection Program loans until Aug. 8. The loans can be turned into grants. The bill, which will next head to the House, was approved by unanimous consent, just a few hours before the program was set to expire with $130 billion still unspent, Politico reports. So far, the Small Business Administration has approved almost 4.9 million loans, totaling $520.6 billion.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.