Political Quotes

“I met with restaurant owners from all over my State last month--from Seattle to Yakima, to Spokane--and we talked about the American Rescue Plan and how important that was and how that bill made recovery possible for so many restaurants in our State--but not for everyone, and that is why I am on the Senate floor today. The American Rescue Plan was absolutely a lifeline. It designated more than $28 billion to establish a Restaurant Revitalization Fund that gave restaurant owners the financial support they needed to keep their doors open, to rehire workers, and to deal with the continued effects of COVID-19. More than 3,500 Washington State businesses have received over $9 billion in Federal loans and grants and debt relief since the start of the pandemic. That is not even considering the flexible dollars that we provided local governments to help local small businesses. Now, that really made a difference and helped a lot of folks keep their doors open and their employees on the payroll, but for many restaurant owners, the funds were gone before they were able to get the same relief their neighbors got. I don't think it is right that a business on one side of the street in Seattle got Federal dollars from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund but another mom-and-pop shop just next-door and just as qualified--that also got approved--didn't get the money because the funds ran dry.…”