With the eternal flame that is covid still burning, it seems like there is no end in sight. And many people and small businesses still feel hung out to dry after the marginal $1,200 stimulus checks made their way out months ago. As of Tuesday, Congress has allotted 1.2 trillion dollars towards covid – 19 relief. Now how much that means per American is still up for debate however, if the stimulus passes it could mean relief for millions of Americans who have been suffering throughout the pandemic. 

The outstanding issue now seems to be that large corporations have been able to operate meanwhile many thousands of small businesses have been forced to close. Now on paper, this doesn’t seem like the worst thing in the world however, for those owners missing even a few days of revenue could be the difference between sinking and swimming. The majority of those businesses suffering have been restaurant owners. In a field that relies on guests to sit and eat maskless, many restaurants were forced to switch to take out or be fined if they didn’t meet covid – 19 restrictions. 

So, why is it so bad that small businesses are suffering? How does it tie into stimulus checks? In the United States, employment from small businesses is about 47.3% of the workforce. Nearly half of working Americans are employed by them. When covid forced many of them to close, millions of people were put out of a job. And now as battles over individual stimulus checks wage in Congress, those same businesses continue to suffer. Only time will tell if small businesses will receive the boost they need to help return Americans back to work.