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12/10/2020

Statement of Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin Department of the Treasury Before the Congressional Oversight Commissi…

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Statement of Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin Department of the
Treasury Before the Congressional Oversight Commission U.S.
Congress December 10, 2020
December 10, 2020

Senator Toomey, Representative Hill, Representative Shalala, and Commissioner Ramamurti,
I am pleased to join you today to discuss the Department of the Treasury’s work to execute
the National Security Loan Program established in the CARES Act. Treasury has worked
diligently to implement every piece of the CARES Act, including the National Security Loan
Program, e iciently and transparently.

NATIONAL SECURITY LOAN PROGRAM
The CARES Act provides funding for up to $17 billion in loans to businesses critical to
maintaining national security related to losses incurred as a result of coronavirus. The CARES
Act authorized Treasury to make loans and loan guarantees for “businesses critical to
maintaining national security.” The statute, however, does not define that term. Therefore,
a er consulting with the Department of Defense and the O ice of Director of National
Intelligence, Treasury issued guidance on April 10, 2020, providing that a company can fall
within this definition if it meets at least one of three criteria:
1. The applicant business performs under a “DX”-priority rated contract or order under the
Defense Priorities and Allocations System regulations (15 CFR part 700);
2. The applicant business operates under a valid top secret facility security clearance under
the National Industrial Security Program regulations (32 CFR part 2004); or
3. Based on a recommendation and certification by the Secretary of Defense or the Director
of National Intelligence that the applicant business is critical to maintaining national
security, the Secretary of the Treasury determines that the applicant business is critical
to maintaining national security.
If a company met at least one of the three necessary criteria, Treasury conducted detailed
financial and legal reviews of each application pursuant to consistent credit standards that
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12/10/2020

Statement of Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin Department of the Treasury Before the Congressional Oversight Commissi…

were applied to all applicants.
To date, Treasury has approved 11 loans totaling nearly $736 million. Information on the
companies and dollar amounts are publicly available on our website, Treasury.gov.
Many of the companies we initially expected to take part in the program were able to raise
funds in the capital markets, leaving most of the available loan funds unused. Going forward,
I urge Congress to re-allocate these funds to provide relief for aviation industry workers, who
continue to struggle through no fault of their own.

CONCLUSION
I would like to thank the members of the Commission for working with us to provide vital
economic relief to American workers, families, and businesses. I hope that the extensive
amount of information Treasury has provided to the Commission has been helpful to you,
and I am pleased to answer any questions you may have.

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