Joe Morelle: “I will say this, that I suspect when, hopefully, this bill becomes law and we have helped save the 178,000 restaurants…”

“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.…”