WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman calling out the agency’s inefficient management of the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) program and requesting an immediate prioritization of the program within SBA.

“The Shuttered Venue Operator Grant program received vast support from me and my colleagues when it passed the House in December 2020, but it is clear it has received no such support from the Small Business Administration,” said Congresswoman Lesko. “From launch delays, to applications being completely ignored, this program is riddled with mismanagement that leaves small venue operators in Arizona and across our nation with no assistance. I’m determined to get to the bottom of this and make sure these venue owners get the assistance they need.”

The SVOG program was approved as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 and received 358 votes in the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite its approval by Congress, SBA took over three months to launch the program and then had to shut down the program and relaunch after a technical glitch, requiring businesses to resubmit applications. To date, over 14,000 applications have been submitted and only 90 have been approved. The program is managed by the SBA Office of Disaster Assistance.

Read the full letter here.

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