[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 171 (Thursday, October 1, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H5119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CELEBRATING INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
Independent Restaurant Coalition who have been my partners on the 
RESTAURANTS Act that is currently being negotiated between the Speaker 
and the White House. This coalition has willed this legislation into 
effect.
  It is comprised of chefs Jose Andres, Nina Compton, Andrew Zimmern, 
Tom Colicchio, Naomi Pomeroy, Gregory Gourdet, Erika Polmar, Bobbie 
Stuckey, Robert St. John, and Will Guidara.
  Mr. Speaker, these key leaders have represented 500,000 independent 
restaurants across America and their 11 million workers. They are sort 
of the point of the spear for the 180-member steering committee who 
have extended themselves in an extraordinary fashion in helping craft 
targeted legislation. They make the case to the American public that 
restaurants--independent restaurants--are the cornerstone and the very 
fabric of our communities.
  It is hard to imagine your city or mine, Mr. Speaker, without these 
independent restaurants. For many people it is the first job that they 
get. They are representative of minorities, and they are 
disproportionately women-owned. They have an energy and a vitality. 
They provide an area for Americans to come together. In the time of 
COVID-19, we miss that opportunity to gather, and we need to take 
action to make sure that they remain in business.

  That is what the coalition has done. Uniting behind the RESTAURANTS 
Act, they have made the case to people all across the country. They 
have driven Members in the House and the Senate to cosponsor 
legislation--well over 200 in the House and 40 companion bills in the 
Senate--making the case that there is something that we can do.
  The need here is to have a tailored approach. Without something 
specific for independent restaurants, we face 85 percent of them 
closing their doors permanently by the end of the year. The restaurant 
industry of these independent restaurants are the hardest hit segment 
of the American economy. In April alone they accounted for half the 
unemployed.
  We have united behind a proposal of $120 billion in direct grants to 
restaurants. The PPP simply isn't working for them. It is too 
cumbersome; the time constraints don't work; and, as a practical 
matter, we don't need to change the format that we have developed. We 
have extensive research that documents if we are able to extend this 
$120 billion lifeline to the independent restaurants, then we will 
avoid over $183 billion of costs for unemployment and having these 
institutions file bankruptcy rather than paying their taxes. They 
support the supply chains in every community. That includes not just 
the restaurant workers and owners but deals with the people who supply 
them with the linens, the fruits, the vegetables, and the wine. This is 
an extensive supply chain that stretches throughout the local economy.
  The good news is that we have progress. The Heroes Act includes the 
RESTAURANTS Act in its entirety with the full $120 billion. Yesterday 
there was extensive discussion with our leadership and the White House. 
We had earlier conversations in the White House with leaders from the 
Independent Restaurant Coalition. I heard from Will Guidara from New 
York City about the interaction he had with Secretary Mnuchin, and 
President Trump was there as a part of it.
  This is something that we can do. We can come together, support this 
provision in the Heroes Act, and negotiate out in terms of the final 
package to make sure that we protect this lifeline for these vital 
institutions for all our communities.
  I deeply appreciate the interest and momentum that has been developed 
in both the House and Senate; the people who are stepping forward to 
help their independent restaurants and the members of the coalition; 
and, most of all, I want to thank the members of the coalition who 
represent this critical industry and a potential solution to those 
problems.

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