[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REPLENISH THE RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to add my voice and 
support to restaurant owners in Buffalo and Western New York standing 
up today to call on Congress to approve additional restaurant relief.
  Congress authorized, through the American Rescue Plan, the Restaurant 
Revitalization Fund, providing $28.6 billion to help restaurants hit 
hard by the pandemic. While the program was able to help over 101,000 
small business owners, over 63 percent of eligible applicants, more 
than 177,000 restaurants the Small Business Administration deemed 
qualified for funding received nothing.
  According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant 
industry sales in 2020 were down by $240 billion, and restaurant 
employment dropped 3 million below expected levels. Restaurants support 
jobs, fuel our local economies, and as gathering places for families 
and friends, help to build stronger communities.
  Madam Speaker, I stand in strong support of swift replenishment of 
the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and I urge my colleagues to do the 
same.

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