OPINION: Congressman Kim Fights for NJ Small Businesses

A letter to the editor by Ciarrai Campbell of Mt. Holly, NJ

The coronavirus pandemic is surprisingly loud. Media constantly shouting the rising death toll, governors taking to the airwaves to reassure and direct their people, the federal administration on TV every night telling us how great they are doing, and social media exploding as self-isolating people reach desperately for a human connection. Lots of mind-numbing noise from all sides.

But very quietly, off camera, Congressman Andy Kim has been fighting for New Jersey. He pushed for the CARES act, to get money to the people who are most vulnerable. He has pressed for another FEMA testing site in South Jersey and for increased emergency funding to our hospitals. And just the other day, he headed up a letter to Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin, and Small Business Administration Administrator, Jovita Carranza, asking them to clarify and streamline the process for small businesses to access critical help through the CARES Act.

As one of the earliest states to close down non-essential businesses and issue a stay-at-home order, New Jersey’s small businesses have been struggling for longer than most. They are reaching the critical time where federal help will be the difference between surviving to re-open or shutting their doors forever. Small businesses are the engine of our economy, most especially in our shore towns here, and wide-spread small business failures would be devastating to our recovery from this virus.

Congressman Kim, a member of the House Committee on Small Business and the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access, knows how important New Jersey’s small businesses are to our state and our communities. He has listened to his constituents’ calls for help on this urgent matter, and has once again championed their needs in Washington. His work, as usual, is quiet and out of the limelight, but Congressman Kim’s tireless work for the people of his district deserves some noise.

Editor’s note: The opinions in this letter are the author’s only.

Citizens’ Media TV encourages all viewpoints. Please submit your letters to the editor