A Washington Post analysis of data relating to the number of jobs saved by the Paycheck Protection Program calls into question the reliability of claims made by the Trump Administration.
The Post’s analysis shows that many employers reported saving more employees’ jobs than they originally employed. More than 875,000 companies receiving loans reported no jobs saved.
The Trump Administration, however, has claimed that the PPP loans have “supported” more than 51 million jobs. The data listed by the Small Business Administration show the company that received the funds and the number of jobs it supported. The Post’s analysis found numerous errors.
Fire Protection Systems, a sprinkler system installer in Kent, Wash., retained more than 500 jobs using its PPP funds, according to the data. The company says it has only 20 employees. Also said to have retained more than 500 jobs was Trinity Episcopal Church outside Houston. The church says it has 12 paid staffers.
The data also claimed that International Dunnage, a manufacturer in Thunderbolt, Ga., saved more than 500 jobs. But the company says it has just seven employees and two owners.
The Post also noted that 114,000 people were said to be employed in the field of “landscape architecture,” but that number is more than three times the number of people employed in the entire industry in 2019.