Dallas Megachurch That Hosted Mike Pence Approved For Millions In COVID Aid
PMH
The Hill reports that a Dallas “megachurch” which hosted Vice President Mike Pence at a June event received approval for millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 aid.
- According to Small Business Administration data released on July 6, First Baptist Dallas received approval for a forgivable loan valued at between $2 million and $5 million.
- Pence spoke at the “Celebrate Freedom Rally” held at First Baptist Dallas in June. 2,000 people attended in a building with a maximum occupancy of 3,000.
- First Baptist’s pastor, Robert Jeffress, has also been on President Donald J. Trump’s evangelical advisory board, Reuters notes.
- Reuters further explains that First Baptist Dallas was among “tens of thousands of religious organizations that received a total of $7.3 billion in pandemic aid from the Small Business Administration.”
- Loans of over $150,000 constitute about 73 percent of the dollar amount of all loans and about 13.5 percent of the loans.
The Hill explains,
The PPP was created as part of coronavirus relief legislation that Congress passed in March. It allows small businesses and nonprofits to receive loans that are forgivable if the funds are used for payroll, mortgage interest, rent and utilities and the recipient maintains employee compensation levels.
