A growing number of governors are calling for another round of coronavirus-relief legislation from Washington, D.C., saying that they are unable to provide additional funds to small businesses amid budget shortfalls, the Wall Street Journal reported. The issue is gaining urgency as money from federal relief passed earlier this year runs out ahead of a year-end deadline to spend it. States have funneled hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid into everything from personal-protective equipment and hazard pay for front-line health-care workers to schools and food banks. Businesses, which generally got a smaller slice of the aid than programs directly tied to the public-health emergency, are in a particularly precarious spot. In addition, federal loans to businesses during the shutdown earlier this year — known as the Paycheck Protection Program — have since run out. The crunch is tough in the Midwest, where some of the nation’s strongest coronavirus restrictions have been implemented amid increases in COVID-19 cases, hitting businesses just ahead of the holiday season.
