NEW YORK – On February 25, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY-12) joined New York City Council Member Julie Menin, Chair of the Council Small Business Committee, Small Business Commissioner Kevin D. Kim, and CB8 Small Business Committee Co-Chair Valerie Mason to tour small businesses on Manhattan’s East Side and listen to their concerns about rebuilding from the COVID-19 crisis. Congresswoman Maloney has supported legislation throughout the pandemic such as the American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act, which provided much needed aid to small businesses and their hardworking employees.

“Small businesses and their employees are ingrained in the cultural and economic fabric of Manhattan’s East Side,” said Rep. Maloney. “The small business tour today underscored the tragic hand that small businesses were dealt during the COVID-19 crisis. I am proud to have worked with small businesses throughout the pandemic to secure critical grants and loans needed for them to keep their doors open, and I look forward to working with them further and bringing their concerns back to DC as we continue to build back better from the pandemic. The pandemic has had a sustained impact on small businesses, and we have a lot more work to do to make owning and working at a small business – not only feasible – but fruitful.”

“Small businesses are the anchor of our communities and bring vibrancy to our neighborhoods. Of the over 200,000 businesses in New York City, 98 percent are classified as small,” said New York City Council Member Julie Menin, Chair of the Council Small Business Committee. “The pandemic has hit vital small businesses on the East Side of Manhattan hard. These stores and restaurants are places for individuals to create their own brand and serve their community, and they are in danger. Post-pandemic we will recover so that New Yorkers can still walk around the corner and find a bodega or the stores they grew up with, and tourists can still see the charm of New York City.”

“The best way to understand what our small businesses need is by being on the ground and talking to business owners face to face,” said Kevin D. Kim, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. “Congresswoman Maloney, Council Member Menin, and I are here to help small businesses in every way we can. By doing corridor walks like this we are able to get a firsthand look and better evaluate what resources can be deployed to help fix any issues. Thank you to Congresswoman Maloney for taking the time from Washington to do this tour and it is a pleasure to begin working with Small Business Committee Chair Julie Menin as we continue on this mission to help New York City businesses.”