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Letter to Honorable Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader, Honorable Charles E. Schumer, Minority Leader, Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of The House, and Honorable Kevin Mc Carthy, Republican Leader - Cortez Masto, Rosen Urge Congressional Leaders: Pass the Bipartisan Restaurants Act Before Too Late

Letter

By: Catherine Cortez Masto, Terri Sewell, Tom O'Halleran, Ann Kirkpatrick, Raul Grijalva, Greg Stanton, Jared Huffman, Mike Thompson, Doris Matsui, Ami Bera, Josh Harder, Eric Swalwell, Jim Costa, Ro Khanna, Anna Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren, Jimmy Panetta, Salud Carbajal, Adam Schiff, Jimmy Gomez, Karen Bass, Mark Takano, Alan Lowenthal, Juan Vargas, Joe Neguse, John Larson, Jim Himes, Al Lawson, Jr., Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Cindy Axne, Robin Kelly, Danny Davis, Bill Foster, André Carson, Jim McGovern, Seth Moulton, Bill Keating, David Trone, Chellie Pingree, Elissa Slotkin, Debbie Dingell, Angie Craig, Roger Wicker, Annie Kuster, Andy Kim, Frank Pallone, Jr., Albio Sires, Don Payne, Jr., Deb Haaland, Thomas Suozzi, Grace Meng, Jerry Nadler, Adriano Espaillat, Joe Morelle, Joyce Beatty, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio, Brendan Boyle, Mary Scanlon, Conor Lamb, David Cicilline, Jim Cooper, Lizzie Fletcher, Veronica Escobar, Marc Veasey, Lloyd Doggett II, Don Beyer, Jr., Peter Welch, Derek Kilmer, Kyrsten Sinema, Chris Coons, Tammy Duckworth, Angus King, Jr., Gary Peters, Tina Smith, Bob Menendez, Sherrod Brown, Jeff Merkley, Lindsey Graham, Tammy Baldwin, Julia Brownley, Tony Cárdenas, Norma Torres, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Lou Correa, Scott Peters, Jason Crow, Rosa DeLauro, Eleanor Norton, Charlie Crist, Jr., Alcee Hastings, Sr., Ed Case, Bobby Rush, Mike Quigley, Brad Schneider, Lauren Underwood, John Yarmuth, Lori Trahan, Stephen Lynch, Dutch Ruppersberger, Jamie Raskin, Dan Kildee, Andy Levin, Brenda Lawrence, Betty McCollum, Alma Adams, Jeff Van Drew, Joshua Gottheimer, Tom Malinowski, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Mikie Sherrill, Dina Titus, Kathleen Rice, Yvette Clarke, Carolyn Maloney, Kirsten Gillibrand, Brian Higgins, Marcia Fudge, Earl Blumenauer, Brian Fitzpatrick, Dwight Evans, Susan Wild, Mike Doyle, Jr., Jim Langevin, Steve Cohen, Al Green, Joaquin Castro, Filemon Vela, Jr., Abigail Spanberger, Jennifer Wexton, Suzan DelBene, Ron Kind, Chris Murphy, Dick Durbin, Ed Markey, Debbie Stabenow, Amy Klobuchar, Thom Tillis, Jacky Rosen, Ron Wyden, Sheldon Whitehouse, John Cornyn, Judy Chu, Mike Levin
Date: Dec. 10, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Infrastructure Government Budget and Spending Business, Consumers, and Employees

Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader
McCarthy:
America faces its most difficult phase in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). COVID-19 case numbers are spiking across the nation, with more than one in 400
Americans testing positive in the last week alone. This unprecedented increase has prompted a
wave of new restrictions ranging from nighttime closures and restrictions on indoor dining in
New York, North Dakota, and Maryland to takeout-only in Oregon and stay-at-home orders in
New Mexico. For the second time this year, restaurants and bars are having to limit operations
or close their doors completely, raising concerns about their ability to survive the long winter
ahead. They need quick relief to keep their workers employed and hold onto their
businesses. Congress needs to act speedily and pass the RESTAURANTS Act to help save local
restaurants across the country and the millions of workers they employ.
The restaurant industry has been uniquely devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly one
in four jobs lost from the pandemic were those of restaurant and bar workers. The food and
beverage industry is still down 2.3 million jobs since the pandemic began, a number that is sure
to rise with increasing infection rates and new restrictions. Despite bearing the brunt of this
economic crisis, independent restaurants have received no directly tailored federal aid. Many
independent restaurant owners did not benefit from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
because the program did not match their business model or needs.
The restaurant sector is the second-largest private employer after health care, and for countless
Americans they provide the first opportunity for a job. These businesses are the beating heart
of communities across America, but the pandemic puts their survival in jeopardy. This threat
affects restaurants and their employees and every other link in the $1 trillion restaurant supply
chain. The food supply chain touches every corner of the country and supports tens of millions
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of livelihoods, including farm workers, fishermen, and truck drivers. A new round of restaurant
closures is likely to have dire effects on the entire food supply chain.
The RESTAURANTS Act would create a restaurant revitalization fund that can be used for a
wide range of expenses, including payroll and benefits, food, utilities, rent, maintenance, and
supplies. This legislation has gained bipartisan support in Congress, as well as backing from
restauranteurs and a large coalition of industries that rely on restaurants. It passed the House of
Representatives on October 1, 2020, in H.R. 925 (Section 607, Division O). A June 2020 study
on the legislation found it would generate at least $183 billion in primary benefits and $65 billion
in secondary benefits -- more than double the amount of the fund itself. This type of economic
multiplier is needed now more than ever.
We urge you to pass the RESTAURANTS Act quickly as part of a COVID-19 relief bill or a
year-end spending bill. We look forward to partnering with you to save local restaurants across
America.
Sincerely,


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