title:  Trump Took Federal Money Meant For Small Businesses Affected By 9/11 Attacks
text: Trump is a millionaire who clearly doesn t need federal money for his businesses, but he took it anyway, even though it was supposed to go to small businesses that were devastated by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.When the twin towers fell that day, it did significant damage to many area businesses. Many businesses were wiped out entirely because they were based within the World Trade Center. In the aftermath, people avoided the area and area businesses struggled to survive the economic hit.That why Congress tried to come to their rescue by passing a recovery program earmarking hundreds of millions of dollars meant to help small businesses that were affected by the attacks.However, small businesses that could have been helped were actually shortchanged because wealthy corporations ended up getting awarded millions of dollars despite not being near Ground Zero.Donald Trump s building at 40 Wall Street is one mile away from the World Trade Center, yet Trump was able to claim that the building only had $26 in the bank and that it was a small business in order to receive $150,000 that should have gone to revitalize the real small businesses around the World Trade Center.But 40 Wall Street brings in $8 million in revenues every year, which goes beyond the federal definition of a small business.Even if there had been any damage to 40 Wall Street because of 9/11, Trump could have definitely paid to fix it himself. But he didn t. Instead, he swindled the Empire State Development Corporation out of $150,000 of taxpayer money so that he wouldn t have to reach into his own deep pockets.It makes one wonder just how many times he has taken federal tax dollars throughout his career as a businessman, which makes the fact that he continues to refuse to release his tax returns all the more infuriating.Not only would those documents show us exactly how much money Trump makes every year, it would show us how much he has suckled off the government teat. But he has excused not releasing his taxes because he claims he is being audited, which the IRS says wouldn t prevent anyone from releasing copies of their tax returns. Clearly, Donald Trump has something, or many somethings, to hide that could make Americans hate him even more than they already do.Taking 9/11 funds from small businesses is just the tip of the scummy iceberg.Featured image via Wikimedia Commons