Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, restaurants and small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities, but the pandemic has cost them over $280 billion in sales, and approximately 90,000 were forced to close.

That is why we created the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a historic investment to increase aid to restaurants and bars hit hardest by the pandemic. The funding has run out, and restaurants are still struggling.

In Connecticut, the restaurants have been one of the hardest hit sectors by the pandemic. Due to high demand, I heard from far too many of my constituents who applied on the very first day the RRF funds were available and were still unable to receive them. We must do more to ensure that small businesses receive the funding they need to survive and continue to serve our communities.

The bill before us does just that by providing $42 billion to replenish the fund and putting $13 billion toward other businesses impacted by the pandemic. This bill is the center of our efforts to help these small businesses survive and thrive.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to voting in favor of this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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