November 26, 2022
Dear Friends,
I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving spent with loved ones and filled with happiness and good food! With the holiday season in full swing, holiday shopping is kicking off—and for some, already well underway.
On this Small Business Saturday, I’m sharing the benefits of shopping small. Here in our Capital Region, we are lucky to have an abundance of incredible businesses that deliver vibrancy, jobs, and economic opportunity for our community. I spent this week stopping by a few of these excellent businesses. My visits included:
- Meeting with members and leadership from the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce along with stakeholders from Discover Saratoga, the City Center, the Downtown Business Association, the Preservation Foundation, and other local organizations to learn more about their efforts to support small businesses and the greater community.
- Touring Lyrical Ballad, a locally-owned independent bookstore in downtown Saratoga Springs. This store has a breathtaking collection of books, old and new, and has captivated visitors since 1971 with its unique labyrinth of more than 200,000 books.
- Touring Willow Marsh Farm, a fifth-generation diversified family farm that sells their own meat and dairy products as well as a wide variety of local produce, baked goods, candles, soaps, and much more. I’ve long been a proud supporter of our region’s independent farmers, and I’ll always continue to serve as their voice in Congress!
- Stopping by Burnt Hills Café, a multigenerational, Greek-American, family-owned diner that earns their reputation for delicious food and congenial staff. This diner kept its doors open during the pandemic and received needed federal support, including through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Restaurant Revitalization Fund. I was proud to pass this rescue and do my part to help ensure this great business could continue to serve our region.
Shopping small is a smart investment that directly benefits all in our region, as each dollar spent at a locally-owned business has three times the economic impact on the community as national chains.
Small Business Saturday is a chance for our whole community to celebrate small businesses, but the work that goes into ensuring their success happens year-round. And while it is critical that we in the community do our part to ensure the success and longevity of our businesses, delivering a bold federal response is also essential to keep our beloved local businesses afloat.
During this Congress, we’ve followed up our much-needed COVID rescue bills—which included the PPP, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, and more—with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will help implement a 21st century infrastructure, create good jobs, and establish a more competitive nation. Countless businesses depend on strong infrastructure to transport goods and reach more customers. This bill gets it done.
Further, the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act will drive down prices that have hurt consumers and businesses alike, in addition to creating jobs, and bolstering America’s economy. I’ll continue this effort to ensure that our small businesses can thrive and continue their powerful work as the engines of our economy.
I thank our incredible small business owners for their hard work and dedication that continues to strengthen our region and serve our communities. I encourage everyone to celebrate the holiday spirit of giving this year and shop small!
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- This week, the Department of Education announced an extension of the pause on student loan payments.
- Payments will resume 60 days after the Department is permitted to implement the program or the litigation is resolved, which will give the Supreme Court an opportunity to resolve the case during its current Term. If the program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023, payments will resume sixty days after that.
- President Biden’s student debt relief plan will provide 40 million working and middle-class Americans a little extra breathing room as they recover from the pandemic and prepare to resume loan payments.
- But because of baseless and special interests, the Department of Education’s ability to discharge loan debt is on hold.
- To prevent tens of millions of borrowers from having to resume payments on debts that would be forgiven were it not for these baseless lawsuits, the pause on loan payments has been extended.
