A Christian Preacher Got $3.9 Million in PPP Money… Then Bought a Private Jet

[ZiprHead]

Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch received $4.4M COVID-19 stimulus loan

Televangelist Joel Osteen's megachurch in Houston received a $4.4 million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

The loan received by Osteen's Lakewood Church was the first time federal lawmakers provided direct financial assistance for a house of worship, the Houston Chronicle reported.

As part of the federal CARES Act that gave coverage to employers to pay for employee wages and other operational costs and needs during the coronavirus pandemic, Lakewood Church received the third-highest loan in the Houston area, according to the Houston Business Journal, citing federal data.

The Hill reached out to Lakewood but did not immediately receive a response.

 

[ZiprHead]

SEE?! I knew you could do it, Metaphor.

Do what? Ask a question? Asking a question is excusing people?

It would be one thing if the payment had been taken and the employees had not been paid. But they were paid.

So, what is the OP about? That the PPP was poorly designed and went to businesses that didn't need it?

Oh, it was designed exactly as planned. Federal rules were tossed out to make it possible for extremely rich churches and other organizations to take taxpayer money (Remember, in the US churches don't pay taxes) they didn't need while the poor mom and pop businesses can't get the help they need.

 

[Lion IRC]

This is why PPP style programs should deliver cash to employees directly, not to their employers.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

This is why PPP style programs should deliver cash to employees directly, not to their employers.

In a perfect world, yeah. It certainly is much quicker to give money to thousands of companies instead of millions of workers who are filing individually.