A worker at a small coffee shop chain that hires people with intellectual and developmental disabilities became the 'star' of the ...
A worker at a small coffee shop chain that hires people with intellectual and developmental disabilities became the 'star' of the show at Tuesday's White House business event when he said his colleagues are 'not broken' and neither is America.
Michael Heup, an employee at North Carolina-based business Bitty & Beau's, took to the stage in the East Room for the event about the Paycheck Protection Program used to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
Donald Trump also welcomed his daughter Ivanka Trump and several small business owners to the stage as he sought to distance himself from a series of blunders over recent weeks and lavish praise on the government's controversial small business bailout scheme.
Heup gave the rousing speech after founder and CEO of Bitty & Beau's Amy Wright told how the bailout had enabled the company to keep its 120-strong workforce with developmental and intellectual disabilities on the payroll.
Michael Heup, an employee at North Carolina-based business Bitty & Beau's, took to the stage in the East Room for the event about the Paycheck Protection Program
'I love my job and I'm excited about going back to work,' said Heup.
'At Bitty & Beau's, we like to use the phrase called 'not broken.' That means me and all my amazing coworkers are not broken and we have lots to offer.
'I know the great country of the United States isn't broken either.'
Heup went on to thank the president and Ivanka for inviting him to the event.
'You guys are our family,' he added, before giving them a heartfelt thumbs-up.
Trump led a round of applause for the coffee shop worker, saying he had 'stolen the show' and telling him he would 'vote' for him.
'I think we found a couple of stars in this room today... This guy right here is the biggest star in the room,' Trump said.
'We'll all agree... I vote for you, okay. What a great job you've done. And I really appreciate it, I appreciate you being here. Couldn't have done better.'
Heup said: 'At Bitty & Beau's, we like to use the phrase called 'not broken'... I know the great country of the United States isn't broken either'
'You guys are our family,' Heup added, before giving Ivanka and President Trump a heartfelt thumbs-up
Heup responded by inviting the president and his staff members to come to the store in Annapolis, Maryland.
Trump said: 'Be careful that could happen.... We'll have to do that.'
The video of Heup's moment on stage had been retweeted 1,100 times just hours after the event.
Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted the footage on his own account with the caption: 'THANK YOU MICHAEL!'
Bitty & Beau's Wright praised the PPP saying the scheme had meant the coffee chain could bring all 120 of its employees back onto the payroll Tuesday and have them working from home.
Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted the footage on his own account with the caption: 'THANK YOU MICHAEL!'
'Bitty & Beau's coffee is more than a coffee shop, it's a human rights movement,' said Wright.
'We employ 120 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and for most of them it's their first paying job which made the decision to close all five of our shops especially difficult.
'But thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program and the incredible team, all 120 employees are back on the payroll today and working from home writing handwritten notes that we include with each online order we ship. As a recipient of the PPP loan, we will continue to take up the charge and help everyone, especially people with disabilities, pursue the American Dream.'
Heup with customers at the Bitty & Beau's store in Annapolis where he works
Heup in a photo posted by Special Olympics Maryland in June 2011
The event provided a strong opportunity for the president to claw back some faith in his handling of the pandemic, by showing the controversial PPP has helped some small businesses.
It comes as small businesses rushed to access the new installment of money and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the federal government will audit loans to check if big businesses have accessed them unfairly.
The small business bailout has been plagued with controversy after it emerged that several large businesses used loopholes in the scheme to drain the funds before businesses it was intended for could get a dime.
Trump led a round of applause for the coffee shop worker, saying he had 'stolen the show' and telling him he would 'vote' for him
Bitty & Beau's Wright praised the PPP saying the scheme had meant the coffee chain could bring all 120 of its employees back onto the payroll Tuesday
The event provided a strong opportunity for the president to claw back some faith in his handling of the pandemic, by showing the controversial PPP has helped small businesses
Donald Trump welcomed his daughter Ivanka Trump and several small business owners to the event
The PPP was created by Congress and designed to loan money to small businesses with 500 employees or less to help them survive the economic downturn during the coronavirus crisis, ensuring they can still pay their employees and bills, and avoid mass layoffs.
Companies that use the money to avoid layoffs will not have to pay the money back.
However, several large, publicly-traded companies were exposed for pocketing millions in funds, making multiple claims via different subsidiaries and leaving the government announcing that the pot of $349 billion had been bled dry in just two weeks.
Due to legal loopholes, some large public companies with thousands of employees and easy access to credit were able to claim relief dollars through the scheme.
At least 75 companies that received the aid were publicly traded, according to the Associated Press, some with market values well over $100 million.
Last week, luxury hotel group Ashford Inc - that owns Marriott Beverly Hills and the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta and is run by a major Donald Trump donor - was named as the biggest beneficiary of the coronavirus loan program receiving a staggering $59million intended for small firms, while its boss pocketed millions in dividends during the pandemic.
Boss Monty Bennett is a major Trump donor, giving money to his race for the White House back in 2016 and donating $150,000 in the last six months for his reelection campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Steve Mnuchin at the event Tuesday: Mnuchin also announced Tuesday the government will audit all loans over $2 million, following the uproar over publicly traded companies that got multi-million loans
A number of firms pledged to return the loans gained through the program following a public backlash.
The Los Angeles Lakers said it would return its $4.6 million loan so that companies 'most in need' could access funding.
Mnuchin announced Tuesday the government will audit all loans over $2 million, following the uproar over publicly traded companies that got multi-million loans.
'This was a program designed for small businesses. It was not a program that was designed for public companies if they had liquidity,' Mnuchin told CNBC Tuesday.
'I want to be very clear it's the borrowers who have criminal liability if they made this certification and it's not true.
'For any loan over $2 million, the SBA will be doing a full review of that loan before there is loan forgiveness, so we will make sure that what was the intent for taxpayers if fulfilled here.'
Last week, Trump signed into law an additional $310 billion in funding for the program for small businesses that missed out first time round.
The government started pushing out the second round of loans Monday and small businesses rushed to apply, with the website crashing under the demand.
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