Iowa US Senator Joni Ernst was in Grinnell Wednesday (8/19) to get an update on damage from last week’s derecho storm that took down trees as well as power lines.  When she met with local officials and business leaders, she also heard quite a bit about Washington’s response to coronavirus and that more needs to be done.

“The Paycheck Protection Program…a lot of suggestions there from small business owners and those that have been involved in the process of distributing those dollars here locally.  Forgiveness of the Paycheck Protection Program was a big one.  And then allowing more funds for those smaller, smaller businesses that are still struggling.”

Grinnell City Councilman Jim White, who owns a downtown business, tells the No Coast Network what help he’d like to get.

“I’d like to see more help for small town business.  I’d like to see more help for the average citizen.  The large corporations, you can absorb some of this.  But the small business, the mom and pop stores, the people that are just working class, they need help.  We need money.”

Ernst will also visit Cedar Rapids to help volunteers with packing food boxes for families in need.