CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — President Joe Biden made a Tuesday afternoon stop in Chester, Delaware County, to tout the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package he signed last week.
The president turned up at Smith Flooring, Inc., a minority-owned business, to highlight how the American Rescue Plan can help small businesses and to put a face on those who have struggled throughout the pandemic.
The visit was Biden’s first stop in a cross-country administration roadshow — also involving his vice president and his wife — designed to publicize, and take credit for, the virus relief package.
It “took some loud, strong voices to get this done,” Biden said, making a subtle dig at Republicans during his visit to the small union shop that will benefit from the relief. “And it’s not like it passed with 100 votes. It was close.”
George Gray is one of a few dozen people who gathered in Chester to watch from a distance when Biden arrived.
"Honestly, I think it's real dope," Gray said. "You know, Biden is from Delaware. You know, we're neighbors of Delaware. A lot of us live in Delaware, so to hear that he's coming to Chester, I think it's real decent."
Before the pandemic, Gray ran an events production company, but over the last year, the Chester native was forced to pivot his business.
"My business basically completely stopped and changed. I'm doing HVAC now," he said.
Karla Beaver is another who came out to the corner of 9th and Engle streets, near where Biden spoke.
"I want to see president No. 46, the one that I voted for," she said. "I like what he's really doing for the country, the relief plan. He cares about these people who are not working and need this money."
Sid Lieb said it's been tough for small businesses, especially ones in Chester. He owns a small car shop right down the street.
"That was a shock to me, coming all the way to Chester. There's so many places around for him to go, and he picked Chester," Lieb said
He says he hopes the president's visit means the little guy will stop getting looked over.
As part of that stimulus package, $4.9 billion will go to fiscal relief in Pennsylvania towns. Gray says he's excited to see how it will help small businesses.
"People are hurting. They can use the funds, but we need a lot of training out here, a lot of entrepreneurial training out here."
The Biden administration says more than three-quarters of all small business owners in Pennsylvania have been negatively affected by the pandemic.
Smith Flooring had 23 employees during peak times but currently is employing 12 workers. It is using help from the Small Business Administration to retain workers and upgrade technology. Borrowers are eligible for forgiveness if they meet certain requirements, including devoting at least 60% of the proceeds to payroll expenses.
Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, who represents Pennsylvania's 6th district, stood alongside Biden.
"I think the thing the business owners were most stunned by was he asked them then if they had any questions, and I think that caught them sort of off guard," she said.
She says they just wanted to know what’s next. The president answered, which Houlahan says then led to "relaxed" conversation.
Overall she believes this was a meaningful stop on Biden's "Help is Here" tour.
"This is a package that is about lifting up the middle class, and I think that’s what is so exciting about the visit and where he chose to do the visit."
In Washington, the Senate confirmed Isabel Guzman, Biden’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration on Tuesday. She is expected to play a key role in implementing the relief bill.
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Biden is trying to showcase how the aid package will bring transformational change to the nation by halving child poverty, fueling record levels of hiring and pumping money to parents, schools and state and local governments. It’s a sharp turn from the start of the Biden administration, when vaccination goals were relatively modest and Americans were warned the country might not return to normal until Christmas.
The Biden administration estimates that 400,000 small businesses have closed because of the pandemic and millions more are barely surviving. His aid package includes a $28 billion grant program to support restaurants and drinking establishments. It also includes $15 billion in flexible grants.
The visit to Smith Flooring was meant to drive home that point. The business saw revenue fall about 20% during the pandemic. It recently qualified for a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan during a two-week window in which the Biden administration focused the program exclusively on helping businesses with 20 or fewer employees.