President Donald Trump is promising to pump more cash into a program aimed at keeping small businesses afloat through their coronavirus shutdowns.
“I will immediately ask Congress for more money to support small businesses under the #PPPloan if the allocated money runs out,” Trump tweeted Saturday.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), part of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package Trump signed into law last week, set aside $349 billion for small businesses that pledge to keep their employees on the payroll — even if their firms have been shuttered by stay-at-home orders to stem the spread of COVID-19.
More than $1.8 billion worth of forgivable loans were issued through the program on Friday in its first day of operation, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tweeted.
But commercial lenders and community banks are straining to meet the demand — and some, like Bank of America, are coming under fire for pushing their existing customers to the front of the bailout line.



