Payday lenders weren't explicitly mentioned, but a spokesperson for Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), one of the lawmakers who led the letter, confirmed the intent was to include them in the request.

In the letter sent Thursday, the House members said the companies provide their constituents with access to financial services and have been deemed "essential" businesses allowed to stay open amid stay-at-home orders. They said that many have fewer than 500 employees and that they don't plan to offer Paycheck Protection Program loans to their customers.

"Yet these businesses have been shut out completely from the PPP, which has forced many of them to lay off their highly trained employees who would have preferred to keep their jobs than seek government unemployment assistance," the lawmakers said.

In addition to Luetkemeyer, lawmakers who signed the letter include Reps. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and French Hill (R-Ark.) — a member of the Congressional Oversight Commission tasked with policing the bailout money.

The lenders are among many industries lobbying to gain access to the $670 billion small business loan program, which has proven to be one of the most popular and also most controversial economic aid efforts launched during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The program faced a huge backlash this week following revelations that Wall Street-backed companies received loans via major banks, even as thousands of small businesses were unable to get approved before funding ran out on April 16. On Friday, President Donald Trump signed into law another $320 billion in funding. His administration tried to calm the furor by shutting off the flow of loans to publicly traded companies, hedge funds and private equity firms.

"What Treasury is looking at broadly is whether companies applying really need it or have other ways to get money," said Ian Katz, director at research firm Capital Alpha Partners.

The American Financial Services Association, whose members include installment lenders referred to in Thursday's letter from lawmakers, argues that the intent of the program is to provide assistance to a broad base of businesses, including non-bank consumer lenders.