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DeLauro Calls for Replenished Restaurant Revitalization Fund

June 25, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC — House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today called for Congress to replenish the Small Business Administration (SBA)'s Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) so all eligible applicants can receive desperately needed assistance. As a cosponsor of H.R. 3807, the RRF Replenishment Act of 2021, DeLauro is leading the fight to provide the restaurant industry with the resources it needs to recover from the devastating impacts of COVID-19.

"Every day, people across the country are heading to their favorite local restaurants and bars only to find the doors locked and paper-covered windows or a personal note from the owner on the door greeting disappointed patrons," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "Connecticut's restaurant industry has been one of the hardest-hit sectors by the pandemic with many permanently closed, scaling down their operations, or struggling to reopen. While coronavirus recovery legislation provided a lifeline to many businesses, restaurants across the state are still struggling to access federal relief or have been turned away. We cannot leave them behind. The government has a critical role to play in ensuring this industry, which touches every aspect of our economy, can build back better. Continuing to support restaurants in our communities through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund is a critical step."

The RRF Replenishment Act would refill the fund with $60 billion in additional appropriations to allow restaurants like Zinc in New Haven and all existing applications to be fully funded and for the SBA to continue its outreach to hard-to-reach communities. There is more than $150 billion in estimated nationwide need for the program, and the program is currently funded at $28.6 billion. The RRF Replenishment Act will mean the difference between survival and closure for hundreds of thousands of restaurants and their workers.

"Connecticut is home to some of the best restaurants in the world," DeLauro continued. "Restaurants like Zinc in New Haven did everything right with respect to this process, and due to circumstances out of their control, they are now left out in the cold. These establishments are an integral part of our community, and as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, I will fight to keep their doors open."