[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H4229-H4236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3807, RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION 
         FUND REPLENISHMENT ACT OF 2021, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 1033 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 1033

       Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be 
     in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 3807) to 
     amend the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to increase 
     appropriations to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and for 
     other purposes. All points of order against consideration of 
     the bill are waived. An amendment in the nature of a 
     substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 
     117-39, modified by the amendment printed in the report of 
     the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution, shall be 
     considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be 
     considered as read. All points of order against provisions in 
     the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall 
     be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any 
     further amendment thereto, to final passage without 
     intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally 
     divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Small Business or their respective 
     designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York is recognized 
for 1 hour.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. 
Fischbach), my colleague and friend, pending which I yield myself such 
time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all 
time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be 
given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, this morning the Rules Committee met and 
reported a rule, House Resolution 1033, providing for consideration of 
H.R. 3807, the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small 
Businesses Act of 2022 under a closed rule.
  The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by 
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Small 
Business, self-executes a manager's amendment from Chairwoman 
Velazquez, and provides one motion to recommit.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to adopt the rule and 
support critical funding for restaurants and other small businesses 
across our Nation.
  As we all know, small businesses--especially restaurants--are the 
backbone of our local economy. Not only for the revenue they bring in, 
but for the many local workers they employ; families that need their 
paycheck now more than ever. But sadly, restaurants have been some of 
the hardest-hit businesses throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and many 
have struggled to keep their doors open.
  Many of us have made a promise to support workers, families, and 
businesses in their time of need, and that is why we established the 
Restaurant Revitalization Fund in the American Rescue Plan, which 
provided $28.6 billion in emergency assistance to eligible restaurants, 
bars, and qualifying businesses impacted by the COVID crisis.
  This program was clearly a success, providing relief to more than 
100,000 restaurants and food and beverage businesses across the Nation. 
Some recent estimates show the program saved over 900,000 jobs, and 96 
percent of recipients said the grant made it more likely they would 
stay in business.
  However, there is no question that our initial investment was not 
enough. The program ran out of funds in just 3 weeks, as the total 
funding requested exceeded $72 billion, far more than the $28.6 billion 
provided for in the American Rescue Plan.

[[Page H4230]]

  This funding gap resulted in 178,000 restaurants who are unable to 
secure funding in this program, even though they applied to the program 
and met all of the eligibility requirements. Let me say that again, 
178,000 restaurants, many of which are in danger of permanent closure 
if Congress does not provide them with the relief they need.
  The underlying legislation, the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard 
Hit Businesses Act, would provide for $42 billion to replenish the 
Restaurant Revitalization Fund, giving the Small Business 
Administration the funding necessary to close this funding gap and 
process the applications of those entities who are deemed eligible in 
the initial application period, providing a lifeline for the restaurant 
industry that has faced so many challenges over the past 2 years.
  In addition to this critical funding, the underlying legislation also 
provides $13 billion for a new Hard Hit Industries Award Program, which 
will grant much-needed relief to other small businesses across 
industries and sectors that were the hardest hit by the pandemic but 
were not eligible for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund or Shuttered 
Venue Operators Grant program.
  This new program would prioritize those eligible small businesses 
that experience the heaviest pandemic-related losses, beginning with 
those that lost 80 percent of their revenue.
  To pay for both the establishment of the new program and the 
replenishment of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, this bill would 
use funds reclaimed, seized, or returned to the Federal Government from 
bad actors attempting to defraud previous recovery programs.
  Back in October 2020, the Small Business Administration Office of the 
Inspector General had already identified $78 billion in potentially 
fraudulent loans and grants to ineligible entities, and more than 300 
individuals have been brought to justice. This legislation also 
increases oversight and audit requirements, ensuring that this 
additional support goes to the businesses originally intended to 
receive assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, I have always been an advocate of additional support for 
the restaurant and hospitality industry, and many of my colleagues on 
the other side of the aisle have demonstrated support for the 
Restaurant Revitalization Fund, as well. I hope we continue to see 
bipartisan support for this effort on the House floor.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying 
legislation to deliver critical funding for restaurants and small 
businesses in communities across the country.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for 
yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and, Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  Today, we are here to consider a rule providing for consideration of 
H.R. 3807, the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small 
Businesses Act.
  This legislation gives a check to the Small Business Administration 
without accountability or oversight mechanisms or even taking into 
account SBA's feedback.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill appropriates an additional $55 billion to 
restaurants and small businesses, none of which is paid for. According 
to the Congressional Budget Office, as much as $340 billion in 
unobligated funds from various COVID relief legislation is available 
for expenditure, but we are not reallocating those. Instead, we would 
be relying on more deficit spending to provide these sums. 
Structurally, this bill is not going to work. This is a lot of money, 
and it seems that Democrats just want to throw it to the wind, because 
when you look at how the funds are being distributed, this bill will 
not fix the problem. This is something that could have been addressed 
had the bill gone through the committee process.

  Because this bill is not immediately or responsibly paid for, it 
would further fuel the inflation crisis, which currently sits at a 40-
year high of 7.9 percent. Inflation is the number one problem facing 
small businesses, according to them. That is what they are saying. 
Instead of pushing through drastic increases of inflation-inducing 
deficit spending, we must work together to advance progrowth policies 
that empower small businesses to operate independently without 
burdensome restrictions.
  I need to point out the political game Democrats are playing this 
session. They are proposing bills that have titles that make them seem 
like commonsense bills, but really, they are disingenuous attempts to 
fix real problems.
  This was true of last week's insulin bill, and it is true of this 
bill. What is worse is they know that they are not coming up with real 
solutions. That is why we are now looking at yet another bill that has 
not been through the committee process, there has been no transparency, 
no opportunity to discuss, no public or minority input, and has real 
flaws as a result that will only exacerbate the problems my colleagues 
have created. My Democratic colleagues do not want to negotiate with 
Republicans or allow any input from anyone to come up with a bill that 
would actually help people.
  It is also why my colleagues did not take up the ENTREE Act, which 
was introduced last summer, at a time when restaurants really needed 
it. That bill was also aimed at helping restaurants and small 
businesses recover from the damage done by the pandemic with proper 
oversight and constraints and didn't include discriminatory language 
that prioritized certain groups based on criteria other than need. That 
eventually, the Supreme Court had to put a stop to.
  Now, we need to be focusing on the crises that are going on that are 
going to become problems for restaurants this year: workforce and 
inflation. We are still seeing ``help wanted'' signs all over the 
country. Businesses are desperate for a workforce. Congress needs to 
stop paying people to stay at home and encourage them to work. And 
inflation is hitting every single corner of the economy. Between 
increasing prices on all goods, and the effects we are already starting 
to feel in the food industry from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 
consumers are going to start feeling the pain. And, unfortunately, when 
you are trying to save money, going out to eat is not one of the first 
things a family typically does. We need to be getting ahead of these 
issues, not coming up with insincere attempts under the guise of COVID 
relief.
  Mr. Speaker, I oppose the rule and the underlying bill, and I ask 
Members to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I always appreciate hearing from my colleagues and a distinguished 
member of the Rules Committee, Mrs. Fischbach. I do note, however, a 
couple of things before I yield some time.
  The first is that as it relates to how the bill is funded, as I 
indicated, the inspector general himself, that office, indicated there 
is $78 billion in fraudulent claims that are being recouped by the 
Federal Government. This bill will cost $42 billion for the Restaurant 
Revitalization Fund replenishment, another $13 billion, $55 billion. 
There is plenty of money in those reclaimed dollars to be able to pay 
for this without having to appropriate new dollars. So this actually 
should be in line with the principles of some of our more conservative 
Members to have claimed dollars that are owed to the United States and 
to its taxpayers.
  Secondly, as it relates to workforce shortages, and I think we all 
know in every industry, and the businesses I talk to back home, are 
struggling to find workers. Yet, I note yesterday in the Education and 
Labor Committee, of which I am a member, that we didn't get a single 
Republican vote for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, 
WIOA's reauthorization, which will do great things to continue to move 
people into the workplace as quickly as possible. Yet, we received no 
support for that.
  So we are going to continue to work on these issues here in this 
Congress. We are going to continue to lead. This majority is going to 
continue to look out for small businesses, it is going to continue to 
look out for people looking for work, and it is going to continue to 
look out for employers who face worker shortages. So we will continue 
to support this, and I believe this bill will be a great victory for 
the 178,000 restaurants who desperately need our support.

[[Page H4231]]

  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from 
California (Mr. DeSaulnier), a fellow member of the Rules Committee.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague 
for yielding. And I also want to thank my distinguished colleagues on 
both sides for the conversation at the Rules Committee.
  I want to speak for a few moments, Mr. Speaker, as somebody who has 
spent 35 years in the restaurant business, owning and managing 
restaurants in California, small businesses that were vital to the 
communities where they were; and how important they are to restart Main 
Street America in every district; the multipliers of having restaurants 
open, and the difficulty and the cash flow of a small business like 
this, and why this initiative is so important.
  The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2019, there were 
12.1 million people employed in the restaurant and food service 
industry. So many of those people immediately lost their jobs and their 
incomes with no warning when the pandemic hit. In April of 2020 alone, 
the restaurant industry lost 5\1/2\ million jobs.
  Through the American Rescue Plan, we established the Restaurant 
Revitalization Fund, which provided $28.6 billion in emergency 
assistance to eligible restaurants, bars, and qualifying businesses 
impacted by the pandemic.
  Although this program helped more than 100,000 restaurants and food 
and beverage businesses across the country, in every district, the 
program received applications of nearly three times the amount of money 
that it had to give out. We cannot overlook the obvious need.
  The Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act, 
H.R. 3807, would inject $42 billion to allow the Small Business 
Administration to process the applications of over 150,000 eligible 
entities that previously applied for relief.
  I met and talked to many of my former colleagues in the business who 
have applied for these funds and they speak very positively about their 
experience and how helpful it was to get them through the pandemic. It 
helps these small businesses. Through the pandemic, at least 40 percent 
of pandemic-related revenue loss was suffered by businesses with fewer 
than 200 employees.
  Again, as a former restaurant owner myself, I have seen how 
restaurants can bring communities together. We owe it to these local 
business entrepreneurs, these owners, and millions of workers who 
depend on this help, to pass this important bill.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would just like to mention, we continue to talk about whether or 
not this is paid for. I respectfully ask: Where is the CBO score? That 
would answer the question if we actually had done any--put this 
legislation through any kind of process, through committee, getting the 
CBO score.
  So I would question as to whether or not it was actually all paid 
for, as my colleague mentions. But I do think that if we had the CBO 
score, we could decide, finally, if it was paid for or not.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  I completely agree that we should be trying to help small businesses 
who have gotten absolutely railroaded and run over by the power of 
government, which amounts to, essentially, a taking. They have had 
their livelihoods taken away through the sheer power of government, 
Federal, State and local. It is absolutely extraordinary.
  It is one of the reasons that I worked with my friend, Dean Phillips, 
on the other side of the aisle, on the PPP Flexibility Act 2 years ago. 
I would have preferred we not go down this road; that the government 
not go down and shut down our economy. But the government did. And I 
think that amounts to something akin to a taking.
  But now, here we sit and, yet again, my colleagues on the other side 
of the aisle have not met an issue that they can't make worse; and that 
is what we are faced with right now.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues are bringing forward a $55 billion bill 
which they say is paid for, which is paid for and relies on recaptured, 
fraudulent relief funds. We have fraudulent relief funds because you 
just dumped $2 trillion out in the economy when you came in here and 
did it by voice vote 2 years ago.
  So you have got these fraudulent funds that we may or may not 
recapture that is, allegedly, what is paying for this. This bill should 
be fully paid for out of existing COVID money that has not yet been 
spent. And that is what we are offering as an alternative.
  But the real problem that the American people need to understand that 
my colleagues have got themselves in a pretty vicious box, is because 
the administration, with the full support of my colleagues here, made 
the allocation of dollars race-based. They made it criteria-based. And 
they got slapped down by the court. They got slapped down by the Sixth 
Circuit.
  The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals found race and sex prioritization 
was unconstitutional and ordered the Small Business Administration to 
halt the practice. But most of the funding had been spent. It was 
underfunded. But most of that funding had been spent.
  The court said: ``The case is about whether the government can 
allocate limited coronavirus relief funds based on the race and sex of 
the applicants. We hold that it cannot.
  ``The stark realities of the Small Business Administration's racial 
gerrymandering are inescapable.'' ``It is indeed `a sordid business'. . 
. . ``quoting our Chief Justice John Roberts, `` . . . `a sordid 
business' to divide `us up by race.' '' ``And the government's attempt 
to do so here violates the Constitution.''
  That is the real story. I have introduced the Restaurant 
Revitalization Fund Fairness Act. We have got other bills on this side 
of the aisle that would pay for it; that would ensure that it won't be 
race-based; that would make sure that the 177,000 applicants who were 
left on the outside looking in because of race-based governing by my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle, that that would not occur; 
and that, again--I want to reiterate--should be paid for without 
relying on the possibility of collecting the fraudulent expenditures.

  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to just reiterate, this is really a simple issue. And there 
may be attempts to distract from what is a simple issue, but the Office 
of Inspector General indicated that we had $78 billion in fraudulent 
claims. That is an estimate. Some estimates range as high as $200 
billion.
  It seems silly to me that we wouldn't take advantage of those dollars 
which are being reclaimed to continue to try to get relief for the 
many, many tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of restaurants and 
their employees across the country.
  And I dare say that when I talk to--I have sat down with many, many 
restaurant owners in the last several months who had made application, 
and, simply, didn't have the resources in the fund that we had 
allocated to get relief, continue to talk to me about this.
  So this is really a very, very simple question. I know there are a 
lot of complicated, nuanced questions around here in Congress that we 
are always dealing with. This is a simple one: Do we want to help these 
small businesses, or do we choose not to help them? And I think we 
would argue here that they very much deserve and merit this support.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
(Ms. Ross), another distinguished member of the Rules Committee.
  Ms. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the urgent need for 
additional relief for our restaurants.
  Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, restaurants in my district and 
across the country have been at the front line of our battle against 
COVID-19.
  The Restaurant Revitalization Fund offered a vital lifeline at a time 
when restaurants desperately needed our help. However, the funds 
quickly ran out, leaving hundreds of thousands of restaurants without 
any relief, including in my State of North Carolina.
  In a cruel twist, many restaurants were approved for funding, but 
never saw a dime.

[[Page H4232]]

  For example, Kim Hammer, who owns Bittersweet in Raleigh, was 
approved for a grant by the Small Business Association. Despite this, 
Kim still hasn't received any relief and said, ``It feels like no one 
is listening.''
  Well, we are listening. Every time a new variant emerges and cases 
surge, the survival of countless restaurants is thrown into jeopardy. 
As I hear from restaurant owners in my district, they all tell me how 
essential the restaurant relief program was; but that it simply was not 
enough.
  During the peak surge of the Omicron variant, Cheetie Kumar, the 
owner of Garland restaurant in Raleigh, said she just hoped she could 
keep the doors open for both her customers and for her staff.
  Jennifer Cramer, the owner of Catalan Taps restaurant in Cary, had to 
start a GoFundMe campaign to keep her lights on and her employees on 
payroll.
  Mr. Speaker, our fight against this pandemic is not over. It is 
unacceptable that we would leave the restaurant industry out to dry. 
Restaurants contribute to the spirit, vibrancy, and success of my 
community in Wake County, North Carolina, and many communities all 
across this Nation.
  I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying 
legislation and replenish this fund.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the 
rule to provide for consideration of Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers and 
Congressman Westerman's American Energy Independence from Russia Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my 
amendment in the Record, along with the extraneous material, 
immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Carson). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentlewoman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, for the fifth time, Republicans ask 
their colleagues to consider this bill. The average price at the pump 
two days before President Biden took office was $2.38 per gallon. They 
have been steadily climbing ever since.
  On February 14, 6 days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 
average price for per gallon was $3.49. These prices are affecting 
every single American.
  When adjusted for the increasing prices on all goods, thanks to 
failed Democrat policies, wages and salaries are below pre-pandemic 
levels. My constituents are pleading with Congress to focus on this 
issue and are being ignored by the out-of-touch majority.
  Now, for the fifth time, House Republicans are urging the majority to 
immediately bring relief at the pump now. While my colleagues continue 
to bring flawed, misguided, and unvetted legislation to the floor, 
House Republicans stand ready to work on issues that directly affect 
American's pocketbooks.
  To further explain the amendment, I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack).
  Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend from the 
great State of Minnesota for yielding.
  I rise today to defeat the previous question so that we may 
immediately consider H.R. 6858, Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers' bill, 
that would strengthen United States energy security, encourage and 
promote domestic production of crude oil and natural gas, and help 
return to and solidify American energy independence.
  You know, I get asked all the time, why? Why will Congress do nothing 
to lower the cost of fuel? Why do they continue to talk and do 
absolutely nothing?
  Well, right here--right here is your answer. Today, Republicans 
stand, for the fifth time, legislation Today, Republicans stand, for 
the fifth time, legislation in hand, to bring gas prices down and to 
restart our energy production right here at home; legislation that 
would make us energy independent, once again, and that would get 
thousands of Americans back to work; legislation that would be a 
collective sigh of relief for our seniors, and those on fixed incomes, 
who are making the decision between gas or groceries. This legislation 
is the answer, and it is ready to go.

  But you know what? My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have 
already been given vote recommendations by the Speaker of the House to 
shoot this legislation down. They haven't even read it. They haven't 
even read it, and they are so blind to and beholden to their radical 
agenda that they won't consider a commonsense solution to one of the 
most pressing issues facing all of our collective constituents, these 
fuel prices.
  Again, this is the fifth time that this legislation has been 
presented, and it is the fifth time that my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle have put Russia first and America last.
  The average price of gas today is $4.56 and climbing. For our 
truckers and farmers who fuel up on diesel, like many in my district, 
it is costing them well over $5 a gallon at the pump. In fact, it is 
$5.19 today for a gallon of diesel.
  All across our country, Americans, regardless of party, are making 
decisions, again, between gas in the tank or groceries in the fridge. 
Folks are canceling their first road trip with their family in 2 years, 
or visits to grandparents, because Biden has decided that Americans who 
put fuel in their own gas tanks and shop for their own groceries, they 
are not the priority.

                              {time}  1615

  In fact, just 17 hours ago, the Biden administration was more 
concerned with presenting former President Barack Obama with a 
ceremonial pen than talking about how we are going to bring down fuel 
prices in this country. You want to talk about out of touch. There it 
is in a nutshell.
  This is the Biden energy policy: soaring prices that hurt hardworking 
Americans and increasing reliance on foreign countries to meet our 
energy needs.
  We know that America's future will not be realized by sunshine and 
pinwheels. We will realize it by boosting domestic production and 
ending our dependence on countries that don't have our best interests 
in mind. Heck, they don't even like us.
  I have spoken to foresters and farmers in my district who have told 
me that energy costs alone are driving them out of operation and out of 
business. To illustrate this, one of the top timber producers in my own 
district said he is spending $18,000 more a week on fuel costs alone. 
If this continues, he will be suspending operations, all because this 
administration has issued our domestic energy industry a death 
sentence. That happened even before they took office.
  This Biden energy plan, or lack thereof, is ruining the financial 
hopes and dreams of hardworking Americans and destroying farmers, 
foresters, families, ranchers, and small businesses.
  We know that we can put an end to this energy crisis. We know we can, 
but instead, we are focused on ceremonial pens and issues that do not 
matter to the American people.
  It is long past time that we end this energy crisis and put American 
energy security and independence at the top of the priority list. I 
stand before this body and the American people to say that we, too, 
have had enough.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so 
we can immediately bring Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers' legislation to 
the floor.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, frankly, I am a little perplexed. I think when I get 
home and talk to my restaurant owners, they are going to say: Why were 
you having a conversation about something not related to the restaurant 
revitalization act?
  I will explain to them that as much as I would like to get into a 
conversation about how Putin's aggressive actions in Ukraine have 
affected gas prices around the world, as much as I would like to have 
the conversation about oil companies that have decided to continue to 
reap record profits and not increase supply to meet the demand around 
the world, as much as we can talk about all those things, that is not 
why we are here today. We should have that conversation in an 
appropriate venue.

[[Page H4233]]

  This conversation and the venue right now that we are in is to talk 
about the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. It is to talk about the 
178,000 restaurants owned by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents 
all across America in every single district that we have the privilege 
of representing.
  Every single district has restaurants, and that is what we are here 
to talk about: how to get relief into the hands of those individuals 
who, for 2 years, have struggled under the most difficult economic 
circumstances any of us could ever imagine.
  Let's make sure we keep our eye on the ball. Let's continue to focus 
on the question in front of the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania 
(Ms. Scanlon), my friend and distinguished member of the Rules 
Committee.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, in southeastern Pennsylvania, and in cities 
and towns across the country, restaurants are an essential cornerstone 
of our local communities and our regional economies. These restaurants 
were hard-hit by the pandemic.
  Despite the excellence of their cuisine, over the past 2 years, many 
independent restaurants in Philly, Delaware County, and Montgomery 
County struggled to stay in business, and some permanently shuttered.
  The Restaurant Revitalization Fund, passed as part of the American 
Rescue Plan, was a lifeline for the restaurants that received it. The 
program provided grants targeted to the hardest-hit restaurants, giving 
restaurant operators financial relief to keep their doors open and keep 
people employed.
  The funds weren't enough to match the need. I have heard it from my 
constituents, and everybody who is listening has heard it from their 
constituents. While roughly 300,000 restaurants applied for aid, only 
about 100,000 received grants.
  For months, I have joined Representative Blumenauer and my colleagues 
in calling to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, using only 
funds recouped from fraudulent claims that have been made in earlier 
small business relief programs. The Relief for Restaurants and other 
Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will provide additional financial support 
to restaurants and small businesses in the industries that are still 
grievously affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
  Mr. Speaker, I am glad this needed bill is getting a vote on the 
floor. I strongly support the rule and its underlying legislation, and 
I urge all of my colleagues to recognize that this issue is still 
before us and to do the same.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that my colleague from New York would love 
to have the conversation, would love to have the conversation in the 
appropriate venue, and I think we would also love to have that 
conversation, particularly in a committee if we could hear the bill. 
But the majority has chosen to shut out almost every single Republican 
bill and not hold hearings where that would be the appropriate venue.
  For now, I suggest to my colleague from New York that he talk to his 
leadership about actually hearing this bill in committee, having the 
conversation, and having the transparency and the input that we could 
from the public. Until that time, Mr. Speaker, this is our venue.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. 
Carl).
  Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the previous question 
so we can amend the rules to immediately consider H.R. 6858, the 
American Energy Independence from Russia Act.
  My friends from the other side of the aisle want to talk about 
restaurants, and restaurants are very important, but understand that 
when families can't put fuel in their tank, they certainly cannot 
afford to eat in a restaurant.
  We have to get our priorities straight. Yes, we are bringing them up 
now because we cannot get our bills to the floor. We cannot get our 
message out.
  This is the fourth time the Republicans have tried to bring this bill 
up for a vote, and each time, the Democrats have refused.
  Families are suffering as rising fuel costs are making everything 
much, much more expensive, including bread, clothes, and everything, 
including meals at our restaurants.
  President Biden's so-called solutions do nothing to fix the problems. 
Tapping into our strategic reserves will do almost nothing to bring 
prices down. All it does is risk our reserves and endanger our national 
security.
  This administration is signaling to the oil and gas companies that 
they are going to come after them.
  Big Government needs to get out of the way. Get out of the way of the 
businesses, and let the businesses run themselves.
  For example, where I am from on the Gulf Coast, the Department of the 
Interior has allowed one lease sale in the past year and a half. Under 
Trump, we had two a year. We had the one sale that I am talking about 
in a year and a half.
  The Biden administration refuses to uphold the law of two per year, 
even though the courts struck down the one that he had. He refuses to 
challenge that to get those lease bids acknowledged.
  Biden, what he has said is a lie. I am sorry, it is an outright lie 
about what the drilling companies are. There are so many rules and 
regulations on the drilling companies. I understand it. We have to get 
the foot of the government off the back of the necks of our drilling 
companies.
  Let's save this country. Let's don't give it away to Russia. Let's 
don't give it away to Venezuela. Let's stand firm and be Americans, 
both sides of the aisle here. I am sorry, I will cool off here on this 
one.
  Republicans have a real solution to get American energy back on the 
market and get prices down. This bill will restart the Keystone XL; it 
will end the moratorium; and it will boost the LNG exports.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I do want to just correct the record as it relates to 
the Energy and Commerce Committee. I think, just this morning, the 
committee held a hearing with the heads of oil companies, multinational 
oil companies, to bring them in to talk about why they refuse to 
increase supply, which would bring down the costs.
  I didn't do exceptionally well in economics when I was in the State 
University of New York, but I do remember the old supply and demand 
issue. When demand is high and supply is low, prices rise. We are going 
to continue to work and push and urge those companies to increase 
supply to meet demand and bring the costs down.
  There is not much we can do about what is going on in Ukraine, 
although we are desperately trying to help our brothers and sisters 
there defend their democracy, which has had an incredible impact on gas 
prices.
  Let me also remind everyone who is tuning in, who is watching what is 
going on, that the issue before the House of Representatives today, the 
rule that is being considered, is dealing with the difficulties that 
have been faced by restaurants across this country during the pandemic, 
which has now lasted for nearly 2 years: the displacement of workers 
and the impact that it has had on communities all across this country. 
We are striving to achieve a solution here that will be good for 
everyone across all 50 States and these small businesses that continue 
to be the backbone of our local economies.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been very grateful for the leadership of Mr. 
Blumenauer, who has led the charge on this issue for some time now. I 
think I have probably bothered him dozens of times to ask what we can 
continue to do to advance his efforts, and he has continued to provide 
leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
Blumenauer), the sponsor of this bill.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy 
and I appreciate his leadership and tenacity in terms of trying to help 
our beleaguered neighborhood restaurants.
  Mr. Speaker, our friends on the other side of the aisle--even if they 
got their dream piece of legislation--would not

[[Page H4234]]

make any difference on the price of gasoline this year or next year. We 
are dealing with global supply. One of the things that will make a 
difference to break the grip that we have with the oligarchs and the 
sheikhs is being able to deal with renewable energy that is not going 
to hold us hostage.
  We have seen remarkable progress that is made. I am sad that our 
friends on the other side of the aisle have been resistant to these 
innovations in terms of solar, wind, electrification, the things that 
will really make a difference today and tomorrow and help fight the 
crisis that we face with climate change and global warming.
  This legislation will make a difference to 177,000 small neighborhood 
restaurants and other distressed businesses. From the beginning of the 
COVID-19 pandemic, these neighborhood facilities have been the hardest 
hit. You have heard already that they were subject to over 4 million 
jobs lost in the first few months of the pandemic.

  The unemployment in the restaurant industry remains stubbornly high, 
and approximately 90,000 restaurants have permanently closed since the 
start of the pandemic. We have heard from countless others that are 
teetering on the edge.
  Restaurants are the cornerstone of a livable community. They have 
employed nearly 60 percent of Americans at some point in their career. 
I would venture to say that many of us on the floor of the House have 
had that experience. They are a major source of employment for people 
of color and women, and they support a $1 trillion supply chain from 
farm to table.
  The Federal Government has provided help for those institutions 
through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a program based on my 
RESTAURANTS Act that I introduced in June of 2020, but the program was 
oversubscribed and underfunded. Only one-third of all applicants were 
funded, leaving 177,000 hanging in the balance.
  The relief for restaurants and other hard-hit small businesses will 
finish that job. More than 235 Members of the House are cosponsors of 
this legislation, the RESTAURANTS Act, including two dozen of my 
Republican colleagues.
  My legislation will provide $42 billion to help fund those 
restaurants that had not previously received awards finishing everybody 
who is in line.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Oregon.

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. The legislation provides $13 billion for a separate 
industry neutral fund for small businesses that have been 
disproportionately hard hit by the pandemic, such as live events, 
travel, hospitality, and fitness. We have all heard from them in our 
Districts.
  Finally, the legislation extends the period of time that Shuttered 
Venue Operators Grants can be spent to harmonize it with the Restaurant 
Revitalization Fund.
  Best of all, this bill can be paid for with fraudulent pandemic 
relief funds that are recovered.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for us to finish the job protecting our 
neighborhood restaurants and other distressed businesses. I am proud to 
have sponsored this. I deeply appreciate the broad bipartisan support 
in the House and the Senate, and I hope we will enact it today. I 
support the rule.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, restaurants and 
small businesses are facing difficulties, and one of those challenges 
is high energy costs. Delivery costs go up. It costs more for their 
employees to get to work. It costs more for all of those things because 
of high energy costs. So this does affect restaurants and small 
businesses. I think this affects restaurants, small businesses, and 
every American.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Obernolte).
  Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the previous question so 
that we can immediately consider the American Energy Independence from 
Russia Act.
  Mr. Speaker, last night I held a townhall with over 2,000 of my 
constituents.
  Do you know what was top of mind to those people?
  It was not the previous question. It was energy prices in America, 
and particularly, the price of fuel.
  Mr. Speaker, it was heartbreaking to hear from constituent after 
constituent after constituent who said that they were unable to afford 
the energy required to get to work and back just to put food on the 
table for their families. Mr. Speaker, you can imagine how embarrassing 
and heartbreaking it was for me to have to admit to my constituents 
that the reason for those high energy prices was the actions of their 
very own government.
  Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the current administration, there 
has been a concerted effort to constrain the supply of energy produced 
here in America. What we have is a classic problem of supply and 
demand. We don't have enough supply, and yet this administration in its 
very first week issued an executive order completely halting the 
issuance of new gas and oil exploration permits on Federal lands in 
this country. It issued an executive order stopping the Keystone XL 
pipeline. Mr. Speaker, that pipeline alone, if it were in operation 
today, would allow us to import more than enough oil to completely 
offset our oil imports from Russia.
  The tragic thing about this situation is that the administration is 
doing this out of the mistaken belief that it will make the planet 
greener. But nothing could be further from the truth. We produce energy 
more cleanly here in America than any other country on Earth.
  So when we take actions that require us to import more oil from 
places like Venezuela, which has a 50 percent higher lifecycle 
greenhouse gas emission per barrel of oil than oil produced here in 
America, and when we increase oil imports from places like Russia that 
still utilize dirty practices like methane flaring--things we haven't 
done here in years--we are actually increasing global greenhouse gas 
emissions.
  Mr. Speaker, if we increase energy production here, not only will we 
lower prices for our constituents who are suffering, and not only will 
we increase our national security, but we will also make our planet a 
cleaner place.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge immediate consideration of the American 
Independence from Russia Act.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from the State of Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the manager for yielding, and I 
thank him for his leadership. I thank, of course, the chairwoman of the 
Small Business Committee, Mr. Blumenauer, and the many supporters who 
have provided support for this legislation.
  I am hoping that as my colleagues begin to see the light, that they 
will understand that it will be far worse for all of the employees who 
are in restaurants that may close that they will not even be employed 
to think about paying for any gas prices no matter how much they might 
be.
  I stand with them to ensure that inflation goes down and that we 
respond to gasoline prices. But they are not clear in what we are doing 
today. We are helping small and hard-hit businesses--sole proprietors, 
independent contractors, and businesses that are not over 200 
employees--to keep these employees who have suffered from the 
devastation of the pandemic.
  We are doing more. We are not spending an extra penny because we are 
capturing those dollars from those who fraudulently used dollars 
before. So we are making good on our promise to spend the American tax 
dollars correctly. We are having a data collection. We are going to 
have oversight on this particular program to ensure that it is spent 
effectively.
  We are going to respond, if you will, to the needs of the mom and 
pops, the really oldest and distinguished restaurants like This is It 
in Houston, Texas; Burns Original BBQ; and J&J as people who have 
stood the storm yet, have kept employees but that didn't know whether 
they could keep their doors open.
  This is an important and vital piece of legislation. I support the 
underlying legislation, which is the bill that deals with relief for 
restaurants and other hard-hit small businesses and the underlying 
rule.
  Don't you get it?

[[Page H4235]]

  We are keeping businesses open and keeping people employed. That is 
what we are doing today. Support the rule and the underlying bill.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule to 
consider H.R. 3807, the ``Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit 
Small Businesses Act of 2022,'' which provides $70.6 billion in FY2022 
for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this committee is reconsidering this 
critical piece of legislation for America's restaurant owners. The 
American Rescue Plan made great progress in providing the funding in an 
equitable manner, prioritizing women, veteran, and economically and 
socially disadvantaged restaurant owners. In addition, the majority of 
funds were reserved for restaurants whose gross receipts were no more 
than $1,500,000 dollars.
  It is essential to promote equity through the Restaurant 
Revitalization Fund Mr. Speaker, considering that only 8 percent of 
restaurants are owned by blacks and 23.8% of Asian owned businesses are 
restaurants. As legislators we must do everything we can to ensure 
their survival.
  To underscore the personal importance this funding holds to me, I 
would like to mention a widely loved, black owned, and historic Third 
Ward restaurant: Cream Burger.
  Cream Burger sits on the corner of Elgin and Scott and has been in 
operation for 60 years. It is a cash only restaurant that has only had 
two additions to the menu across the entirety of its existence: chili 
cheese fries and bacon.
  The Greenwood family has been serving the residents of the Third Ward 
their delicious burgers and homemade ice cream for decades and has no 
plans of closing any time soon.
  The original owners of the restaurant, Verna and Willie Greenwood, 
opened the restaurant to generate their own income and create 
generational wealth, which they certainly have done. Ever since their 
tragic passing, the business is now owned and operated by their 
daughters, Beverly and Sandra.
  Beverly and Sandra hope to pass the business onto the next generation 
of children so they can, ``see it through. Maybe 100 years,'' Beverly 
said.
  The restaurant sees a range of Third Ward customers every day, from 
the students at the University of Houston to the cashiers working at 
the historic Houston Food Mart just down the street.
  Cream Burger is iconic in the city of Houston, and I hold it in the 
highest reverence. It, and so many restaurants like it, is one of those 
restaurants that would receive funds from this legislation.
  It is for that reason Mr. Speaker I support the rule to consider H.R. 
3807, the ``Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses 
Act of 2022.'' It will help save so many businesses like the beloved 
Cream Burger, so I urge my colleagues to support the rule as well.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me 
time to speak on this critical issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to defeat the previous 
question so we can take up H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence 
from Russia Act. This commonsense legislation introduced by 
Representatives McMorris Rodgers and Westerman would require President 
Biden to submit an energy security plan to Congress to evaluate U.S. 
oil and natural gas imports, identify importing countries that pose an 
energy security risk to America, and encourage domestic production of 
oil and natural gas to offset imports from Russia.
  In fact, in contrast to our colleague's statement, Iowa is a leader 
in renewable energy. Fifty percent of our energy comes from renewable 
sources. We even pay restaurants for their unused and old cooking oil. 
We are an energy exporter, and it is all done without a government 
mandate. All of the oil imported from Russia could be offset by ethanol 
made from corn in Iowa.
  In order for the U.S. to become energy independent and secure, we 
must have an all-of-the-above energy policy. We must unleash our 
natural resources and produce our own clean, efficient energy here at 
home to ensure low energy prices and promote American jobs in our 
communities.
  Rather than promoting policies that hamper U.S. energy production and 
ceding security to adversarial nations like Russia, Iran, and 
Venezuela, we should promote exploration here at home and unleash our 
potential. We must ensure that the current ban on Russian energy is 
sustainable by prioritizing U.S. energy production, including biofuels.
  Just last week, the President released a budget proposal that 
included $45 billion on new taxes on domestic energy production. This 
comes on top of other disastrous decisions over the past year and a 
half such as those that halt the Keystone XL pipeline and the current 
delay over the 5-year program for offshore energy leasing in the Gulf 
of Mexico. These policies are not working for hardworking American 
families and businesses who are dealing with high inflation and 
skyrocketing gas prices.
  The American Independence from Russia Act would immediately approve 
the Keystone XL pipeline, remove restrictions on U.S. LNG exports, 
restart oil and gas leasing on Federal lands and waters, and protect 
energy and mineral development. These are key steps we can take to 
promote U.S. energy security, and we must take action now.
  For this reason, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the 
previous question. Support H.R. 6858 to make America energy independent 
and secure by voting ``no'' on the previous question.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I will say this, that I suspect when, 
hopefully, this bill becomes law and we have helped save the 178,000 
restaurants around this country that a number of my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle will be taking credit for it. I hope many of 
them vote for it despite their unwillingness to really have a 
conversation about it today and to talk about extraneous issues.
  Before I reserve the balance of my time, I include in the Record a 
January 24, 2022, article from CNBC entitled ``National Restaurant 
Association asks Congress for more grant money as omicron hits 
industry.''

                       [From CNBC, Jan. 24, 2022]

 National Restaurant Association Asks Congress for More Grant Money as 
                         Omicron Hits Industry

                           (By Amelia Lucas)

       The National Restaurant Association is asking Congress to 
     replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund as the Covid 
     omicron variant hits operators' businesses.
       Last year, lawmakers created the $28.6 billion fund to aid 
     bars and restaurants struggling in the wake of the pandemic. 
     The grants were designed to make up for a restaurant's full 
     pandemic losses of up to $5 million for a single location or 
     $10 million for a business with fewer than 20 locations. 
     Publicly traded companies were ineligible, but their 
     franchisees could still apply.
       Since the fund was depleted, restaurants have been pushing 
     for Congress to replenish it. Several lawmakers have 
     introduced legislation to do so, but the bills haven't gained 
     traction, and the Biden administration hasn't appeared 
     interested in supporting the measures.
       But the latest surge in Covid-19 cases and its impact on 
     restaurants could change minds.
       The National Restaurant Association's latest survey of 
     operators found that 88% of restaurants saw indoor dining 
     demand wane because of the omicron variant. More than three-
     quarters of respondents told the trade group that business 
     conditions are worse now than three months ago. And the 
     majority of operators said their restaurant is less 
     profitable now than it was before the pandemic.
       ``Alarmingly, the industry still hasn't recreated the more 
     than 650,000 jobs lost early in the pandemic, a loss 45 
     percent more than the next closest industry,'' the trade 
     group's top lobbyist, Sean Kennedy, wrote in a letter to 
     congressional leadership for both parties.
       Kennedy also touted the benefits of the first round of RRF 
     grants. The trade group estimates that more than 900,000 
     restaurants jobs were saved by the initial round of funding, 
     and 96 percent of recipients said the grant made it more 
     likely they could stay in business. A full replenishment of 
     the fund would save more than 1.6 million jobs, according to 
     the trade group's estimates.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I appreciate that my colleague from New York 
talks about an extraneous issue. But gas prices and the cost of energy 
in America is a serious issue, and it is facing every American. Every 
American is paying more at the pump, and they are facing the decision 
in their family budget of how they are going to use that.
  In 2020, the last administration added 30 million barrels of oil to 
the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Now the Biden administration is 
weighing a plan to release roughly 1 million barrels of oil a day from 
this reserve for months on end, and this is after he released 30 
million barrels in early March

[[Page H4236]]

and 50 million barrels of oil back in November which did nothing to 
prevent a spike in energy prices.
  Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers and Congressman Westerman have 
introduced the American Energy Independence Act to reverse President 
Biden's disastrous anti-American energy policies. This bill is a real 
solution, and it needs to be heard. We need to talk about this to the 
American people.
  This bill, H.R. 3807, that we have before us is not going to help 
restaurants and small businesses. But, of course, that is not the 
Democrats' intention anyway. If it were, they would have brought this 
bill through committee and worked with Republicans to build an 
effective piece of legislation.
  Instead, their intention is to push this legislation through that 
sounds good so that they can use it as a talking point to distract from 
their failed policies. This bill is just another example of the 
Democrats' reckless spending habits. Their solution to the effects of 
inflation is to throw even more money at it.
  When will my colleagues learn that spending is what causes the 
inflation?
  It is time for more pro-growth policies, not government handouts.
  Mr. Speaker, I oppose the rule and the underlying bill, I ask Members 
to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, first let me thank my colleague and friend, Mrs. 
Fischbach. We spend a lot of time together in the Rules Committee, and 
I always appreciate our conversations. While we may not agree on issues 
from time to time, I always appreciate her earnestness, and I 
appreciate her good work.
  I want to thank all of my colleagues for their words in support of 
the rule before us today.
  As I mentioned earlier, Congress acted last year to provide much-
needed relief for restaurants and other small businesses, but we must 
do much more. Our economy simply cannot survive without small 
businesses, and it is paramount that we redouble our commitment to 
ensuring their continued success.
  I pledge to always be an ally in that fight, and I know my colleagues 
join me in that. I look forward to voting in favor of this effort to 
bring much-needed relief to local restaurants and the small business 
community.
  The material previously referred to by Mrs. Fischbach is as follows:

                   Amendment to House Resolution 1033

       At the end of the resolution, add the following:
       Sec. 2. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the 
     House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the 
     bill (H.R. 6858) to strengthen United States energy security, 
     encourage domestic production of crude oil, petroleum 
     products, and natural gas, and for other purposes. All points 
     of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The 
     bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against 
     provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question 
     shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any 
     amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion 
     except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled 
     by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce; and (2) one motion to recommit.
       Sec. 3. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the 
     consideration of H.R. 6858.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the 
previous question, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous question on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous 
question; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared 
to have it.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question 
are postponed.

                          ____________________