NEW: Ultrawealthy Sheehy Falsely Claimed His Business Was “Shut Down” To Justify Taking Nearly $1 Million in COVID Funds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 25, 2024
CONTACT
rehm@mtdems.org
Sheehy repeatedly attacked the exact funding he accepted
Helena, MT – Despite repeatedly attacking pandemic relief, ultrawealthy Tim Sheehy hypocritically took nearly $1 million in COVID funds and lied about his business being “shut down,” per new reporting from American Journal News.
When questioned about taking the loans, Sheehy claimed that he needed the funding because his business, Bridger Aerospace, was “shut down.” However, Sheehy lied – “Bridger Aerospace was never shut down.” From 2018 to 2021, Bridger Aerospace received “multiple, multi-million dollar federal contracts,” which persisted throughout the pandemic.
Read more below:
American Journal News: Republican Tim Sheehy hates COVID relief cash. His company took a lot of it.
By Jesse Valentine
January 24, 2024
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy routinely attacks pandemic relief spending even though his company collected nearly $1 million in COVID relief funds.
Sheehy is the founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace, a company that manufactures aircrafts used to fight wildfires.
On his campaign website, Sheehy lists reigning in government spending as one of his priorities. He has consistently tied COVID relief spending to the national debt.
According to publicly available data, in May 2020, Bridger Aerospace received a $774,300 Paycheck Protection Program loan. These loans were intended for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The loan was ultimately forgiven, meaning Bridger Aerospace was not required to pay it back.
In May 2022, Bridger Aerospace received a $210,000 workforce training grant funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, a COVID relief package that was signed into law by President Joe Biden. Sheehy has since criticized Jon Tester for supporting the American Rescue Plan.
In a September 2023 appearance on KVGO radio, Sheehy defended taking the loans by claiming Bridger Aerospace was shut down by federal mandates making the financial aid a necessity.
“It was a government PPP loan to my business for us to retain hundreds of jobs here in Montana, while one of our businesses that fights fires from the air, you know, was shut down by mandate, by the government, like many other businesses, so we accepted a PPP loan to keep our people employed,” Sheehy said.
This is not accurate. Bridger Aerospace was never shut down. Between 2018 and 2021 the company received multiple, multi-million dollar federal contracts. None of these contracts were nullified during the pandemic.
In addition to political hypocrisy, the loans also contradict Sheehy’s efforts to characterize Bridger Aerospace as a company that succeeded without government help.
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