The publication is reproduced in full below:
REPLENISH THE RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND
(Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to add my voice and support to restaurant owners in Buffalo and Western New York standing up today to call on Congress to approve additional restaurant relief.
Congress authorized, through the American Rescue Plan, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, providing $28.6 billion to help restaurants hit hard by the pandemic. While the program was able to help over 101,000 small business owners, over 63 percent of eligible applicants, more than 177,000 restaurants the Small Business Administration deemed qualified for funding received nothing.
According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry sales in 2020 were down by $240 billion, and restaurant employment dropped 3 million below expected levels. Restaurants support jobs, fuel our local economies, and as gathering places for families and friends, help to build stronger communities.
Madam Speaker, I stand in strong support of swift replenishment of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 194
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