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Letter to Hon. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader; Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House; Hon. Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader; and Hon. Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader - Rep. Craig Urges Congressional Leadership to Support Local Restaurants and Pass the RESTAURANTS Act

Letter

By: Mike Thompson, Jim Costa, Judy Chu, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Joe Neguse, Charlie Crist, Jr., Robin Kelly, André Carson, Stephen Lynch, Elissa Slotkin, Annie Kuster, Frank Pallone, Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman, Yvette Clarke, Tim Ryan, Mary Scanlon, Steve Cohen, Filemon Vela, Jr., Derek Kilmer, Dick Durbin, Bob Menendez, Lindsey Graham, Jared Huffman, Jackie Speier, Salud Carbajal, Norma Torres, Juan Vargas, Eleanor Norton, Cindy Axne, Lauren Underwood, Ed Markey, Chellie Pingree, Roger Wicker, Don Payne, Jr., Kathleen Rice, Carolyn Maloney, Joyce Beatty, Brendan Boyle, Jim Langevin, Henry Cuellar, Peter Welch, Chris Coons, Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown, Angie Craig, Greg Stanton, Josh Harder, Jimmy Panetta, Jimmy Gomez, Mike Levin, Jim Himes, Ed Case, Bill Foster, Lori Trahan, Jamie Raskin, Betty McCollum, Joshua Gottheimer, Mikie Sherrill, Grace Meng, Marcia Fudge, Dwight Evans, Jim Cooper, Marc Veasey, Suzan DelBene, Mazie Hirono, Thom Tillis, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ann Kirkpatrick, Ami Bera, Zoe Lofgren, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowenthal, Rosa DeLauro, Ted Deutch, Brad Schneider, Jim McGovern, David Trone, Brenda Lawrence, Andy Kim, Albio Sires, Dina Titus, Kirsten Gillibrand, Earl Blumenauer, Conor Lamb, Al Green, Abigail Spanberger, Ron Kind, Catherine Cortez Masto, John Cornyn, Terri Sewell, Anna Eshoo, Tony Cárdenas, Lou Correa, John Larson, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Danny Davis, Cedric Richmond, Dutch Ruppersberger, Debbie Dingell, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Thomas Suozzi, Brian Higgins, Brian Fitzpatrick, David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Jennifer Wexton, Chris Murphy, Debbie Stabenow, Tina Smith, Jeff Merkley, Eric Swalwell, Julia Brownley, Karen Bass, Scott Peters, Al Lawson, Jr., Bobby Rush, Cheri Bustos, Seth Moulton, Dan Kildee, Alma Adams, Adriano Espaillat, Suzanne Bonamici, Susan Wild, Lizzie Fletcher, Lloyd Doggett II, Adam Smith, Tammy Duckworth, Gary Peters, Jacky Rosen, Tammy Baldwin, Raul Grijalva, Tom O'Halleran, Doris Matsui, Ro Khanna, Adam Schiff, Mark Takano, Jason Crow, Kathy Castor, Mike Quigley, John Yarmuth, Bill Keating, Andy Levin, Jeff Van Drew, Tom Malinowski, Deb Haaland, Jerry Nadler, Joe Morelle, Peter DeFazio, Mike Doyle, Jr., Veronica Escobar, Don Beyer, Jr., Kyrsten Sinema, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Ron Wyden
Date: Dec. 9, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Entitlements and the Safety Net Government Budget and Spending

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 (COVID-19). 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 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.


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