Sen. Martha McSally (R-Arizona)

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Posted: April 24, 2020

Sen. Martha McSally (R-Arizona) joined the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs at start of the 116th Congress in January 2019. Photo: SCIA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 24, 2020

McSally Secures Inclusion of Tribal Gaming Enterprises in Small Business Relief Program

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) announced today that small tribal gaming enterprises under 500 employees can now apply for financial relief through the Payment Protection Program (PPP). McSally fought for specific language in the CARES Act to ensure this tribal parity, and has persistently pushed federal agencies to execute the legislation as intended.

In addition to the many phone calls to members of the executive branch to urgently remedy this issue, Senator McSally sent a letter to the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department earlier this month.

“Finally. This is a huge victory for our tribal communities and the many tribal and non-tribal employees who rely on tribal gaming enterprises for their livelihood,” McSally said. “This lifeline should have been available to our small tribal gaming enterprises from the very beginning due to the language I helped secure in the CARES Act. I’ve been insistent on this change to the SBA’s PPP guidance for weeks so it is great to see tribal gaming enterprises finally included in the program. Now, we need the CARES Act relief allocated for tribal communities distributed immediately.”

Updated guidance from the Treasury can be found HERE and HERE.

Background:

On April 20, Sen. McSally spoke over-the-phone with SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza advocating for the inclusion of small tribal gaming enterprises in PPP.
On April 18, Sen. McSally spoke over-the-phone with Treasury Deputy Secretary Justin Muzinich advocating for the inclusion of small tribal gaming enterprises in PPP.
On April 18, Sen. McSally participated in the Navajo Nation’s virtual town hall to discuss coronavirus relief for tribes.
On April 7, Sen. McSally sent a letter to the SBA and the Treasury urging them to issue updated guidance that would allow small tribal gaming enterprises under 500 employees to apply for assistance through the PPP.
On April 1, Sen. McSally sent a letter urging the Administration to expedite federal resources for tribal communities.
On March 26, Sen. McSally secured billions in financial relief for tribes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 20, Sens. McSally and Daines sent a letter to Senate leadership insisting that tribal-specific relief provisions be included in this legislation.
On March 19, Sen. McSally held a conference call with Arizona tribal leaders to hear directly from them what their most critical needs were.