Legislation that would provide $48 billion in additional funding to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund was introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators, Saturday, but an objection to the unanimous consent motion blocked the measure from passing.
“The Restaurant Revitalization Fund provided a lifeline for America’s small and independent restaurants, but the initial amount Congress provided was not enough to meet demand. In my home state of Mississippi, less than 27% of applicants received an award,” said U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). “Our restaurants are now beginning to recover from a year of lost revenue, but many establishments are still hurting and have not been able to access aid for which they are eligible. Replenishing this fund would help restaurants, their staff, and the broader food supply chain as they continue to get back on their feet.”
Wicker, along with the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Bill Cassidy (D-La.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) introduced the bill.
Related: Restaurant Relief Fund Injects Optimism Into Industry; Restaurant Fund Replenishment Act Introduced.