DeLauro Floor Remarks in Support of Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Business
WASHINGTON— House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) delivered the following remarks on the House Floor in support of advancing the Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022. A video of DeLauro's remarks can be found here.
Restaurants and small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities. But the pandemic has cost them over $280 billion in sales – and approximately 90,000 were forced to close.
That is why, we created the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a historic investment to increase aid to restaurants and bars hit hardest by the pandemic. But the funding has run out, and restaurants are still struggling.
In Connecticut, the restaurant industry has been one of the hardest-hit sectors by the pandemic. Due to high demand, I heard from far too many of my constituents who applied on the very first day the RRF funds were available – and were still unable to receive them. We must do more to ensure that small businesses receive the funding they need to survive and continue to serve our communities.
The bill before us does just that, provides $42 billion to replenish the fund, and puts $13 billion toward other businesses impacted by the pandemic. This bill is the center of our efforts to help these small businesses survive and thrive.
I look forward to voting in favor of this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Thank you, and I yield back.