Excuse me. I'll move the microphone closer.
I'm almost done.
This is not a rhetorical question. It's really.... As an elected representative, I face this challenge. I have folks in my community who are small business people who echo what you're saying. I then have people in my community who are small business people who say, “Wait a second. I knew what the rules were. I worked really hard to meet that repayment deadline and the terms of the loan that were extended.”
What would you say to those folks?
I'm sure those folks exist in your community and in communities across the country. They worked really hard, made sacrifices and did what they had to do. I appreciate, of course, that every business person faces different challenges. I'm not suggesting that people who want an extension didn't work hard. I'm not suggesting that.
What I'm asking is how we make sure that we're doing right by business people and the important economic contributions they make, but are fair to those who also made those sacrifices or worked very hard to meet the repayment deadlines that were originally set.
What would you say to those folks? That is my question.