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[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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