Rep. Cartwright: $28 Million in Grants Provided to NEPA Restaurants Through American Rescue Plan

Statement

Scranton, PA -- Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) announced that 209 restaurants in the Eighth Congressional District received a total of $28,123,116.86 through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to help keep their doors open and their staff paid during the pandemic, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund was created by the American Rescue Plan that Rep. Cartwright helped pass this spring. The law incorporated key provisions from the RESTAURANTS Act, which Rep. Cartwright also co-sponsored in the previous Congress.

"Northeastern Pennsylvania's restaurants are vital businesses in our community and our economy, but they were pushed to the brink by the pandemic," said Rep. Cartwright. "The Restaurant Revitalization Fund helped many of these businesses adapt during COVID-19, stay afloat and keep people employed. Strong support for these and many other businesses through the American Rescue Plan has played a key role in driving our economic recovery over the past few months."

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund provided restaurants and other eligible businesses with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business. The relief does not have to be repaid, provided that the funds are put toward eligible uses by March 11, 2023.

Due to high demand, many restaurant and hospitality businesses across the U.S. reported being unable to apply for an RRF grant before the fund was depleted. Rep. Cartwright is a co-sponsor of legislation to replenish the relief program with $60 billion in additional funds for restaurants hurt by the pandemic.

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