The U.S. Senate has passed an amendment to the budget resolution amendment which calls for direct relief to the restaurant industry, reports Nation's Restaurant News. The Restaurant Rescue Plan was initially proposed by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Sen. Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and based on the original RESTAURANTS Act proposed in June.
"The Senate made it clear today: it's time to save restaurants and bars," Erika Polmar, executive director of the Independent Restaurant Coalition. "There is undeniable bipartisan support across the country for a dedicated restaurant relief fund. The Senate knows that the only way we can fully recover our economy is to ensure neighborhood restaurants and bars can survive and continue employing over 11 million people.”
This amendment is one of many to the proposed budget resolution, which was filed jointly last week. The resolution is meant to provide urgently needed funding for President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which includes a dedicated grant relief program for restaurants, totaling $25 billion. Full Story
Related: SBA Reopens Paycheck Protection Program; Restaurants Struggle with Ongoing COVID Challenges.