Representative Angie Craig Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Replenish Restaurant Revitalization Fund With $60 Billion in Additional Aid

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig cosponsored H.R.3807, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act, which would provide $60 billion to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) – a program designed to support local bars, restaurants and eateries that were impacted by COVID-19. Earlier this summer, Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Guzman testified that the RRF application program received more than 362,000 applications requesting $75 billion in funding – far exceeding the $28.6 billion originally allocated to the fund. After learning of that funding gap, Representative Craig led more than 100 of her colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to House leadership pushing for replenishment of the program to meet current demand.

The bill would not only cover all existing applications waiting for funding from the highly sought-after pandemic relief program but also allow the Small Business Administration to continue its outreach to hard-to-reach businesses and communities.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, our government asked restaurants and bars across the country to close their doors in the name of public safety. Hardworking folks all across Minnesota made an enormous personal sacrifice to protect their communities – and they deserve to be supported as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 economic crisis," said Representative Craig. "It is our duty to provide enough relief so that all eligible businesses can access the assistance they deserve. I'm proud to join this bipartisan, bicameral effort to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund program with enough funding to meet the current demand."

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. It provided $28.6 billion in grants to help restaurants, bars, food trucks, caterers, tasting rooms, and taprooms recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within three weeks of the program's opening, SBA received more than 362,000 applications requesting more than $75 billion in funding – nearly triple the available funding – leaving nearly $50 billion in outstanding need. Now, the lawmakers are working to quickly pass the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act to ensure that all eligible restaurants can get the help they need.

The U.S. restaurant industry has suffered a quarter of all job losses during the pandemic and restaurants and bars have lost more than $280 billion in sales. More than 90,000 restaurants have permanently closed, while hundreds of thousands more have significantly scaled down their operations. Even with months of positive job growth, restaurants and bars are still nearly one million jobs below their pre-pandemic averages. Dining restrictions remain in more than 20 states and consumer hesitancy threatens to prolong the hardship with 36% of diners saying they won't resume their regular dining behavior until at least after September 2021.

Replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund is critical to ensuring the survival of tens of thousands of restaurants and bars across the country.

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act is endorsed by the Independent Restaurant Coalition, the National Restaurant Association, the Brewer's Association, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the James Beard Foundation, Beer Institute, Wine Institute, and WineAmerica.

Full text of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act is available here.