Members of Congress stepping in to investigate delays in Shuttered Venues Operator Grant

A group of over 200 bipartisan members of Congress are now pushing the Small Business Administration to investigate the delays after only a handful of business owners have received funds from the Shuttered Venues Operator Grant.

The push also comes after the initial launch of the online portal to apply crashed within minutes, which left many hopefuls frustrated.

Kansas Representative Sharice Davids says the program was designed to provide critical relief to these venues, but delays have stunned its rollout.

"It's disheartening to see folks are right there they've done everything that they are supposed to do and are waiting. So I'm going to keep pushing on the SBA and my understanding is that they are starting to respond," said Davids.

The grant program was signed into law last December, but the Wave venue, located in downtown Wichita, says it only had its assistance approved this week.