Some small American companies and sole proprietors have received aid in the amount of one dollar from the US government as part of a salary subsidy program, writes The New York Times.
Over the course of four months, the state program has allocated $ 523 billion in loans to five million companies. For example, New Jersey thrift store manager Judith Less received $ 27, and Texas chiropractor Susana Dommar just $ 1.
Many businessmen called such payments a joke. Scanty loans are another illustration of how hastily adopted the rules of the aid program sometimes lead to absurd results, the newspaper writes. “I was so overwhelmed that I sent the money back. It felt like a slap in the face,” said self-employed trucker Jeff Ostashen.
Earlier, the US Congress reached an agreement on a new package of measures to help the country’s economy amid a pandemic in the amount of almost $ 900 billion.