In other news, a review of records from the Small Business Administration conducted by The Counter found that national fast food chains like Pizza Hut and McDonald's gobble up $1 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans not to save jobs but to pay the parent companies of their franchises.
These restaurants are typically run by third-party hospitality companies, which in turn pay various fees and a cut of revenue to use a corporation’s name, menus, suppliers, and marketing. And because fast-food chains often lease their stores to franchisees, it’s possible the loan money made its way directly into the corporate coffers in the form of rent payments—payments that were later eligible for forgiveness.
Meanwhile, the incoming Biden administration is reportedly planning a comprehensive review of economic sanctions at the Treasury Department after years of arbitrary abuse by Trump.
Finally, Melania Trump reportedly inquired if she could have the government give her money after leaving the White House and returning to the Mar-a-Lago resort.
The first lady is also said to be considering ways to build on her image once she loses her title. Sources familiar with the discussions said she'd been thinking about authoring a coffee-table book on White House hospitality history and perhaps maintaining her "Be Best" public-awareness campaign on children's issues.
The first lady has even asked whether any taxpayer money was available for her to help cover future endeavors, CNN reported. She tapped a special government employee, Marcia Lee Kelly, to see whether a budget was allocated to outgoing first ladies, according to CNN. No such budget exists.
The way that rich people still grub for money will never not shock me. People who are actually broke don't behave this way.