A Rescue Plan for America’s Restaurants as we Rebuild our Economy

Dear Friends,

Nearly every industry across our nation has been devastated by this COVID-19 pandemic, but few have been hit as hard as our small and independent restaurants.

More than three-quarters of America’s restaurants and bars are independent. These locally owned and managed establishments bring invaluable vitality to our Main Street experiences and our local economies, including as major local employers and sources of demand for local agriculture. Through no fault of their own, many of these establishments have had to close temporarily, reinvent their operations and lay off workers, and some are facing permanent closure.

In April alone, 5.5 million of America’s restaurant workers lost their jobs—a full 27 percent of our job losses that month. Even as some restaurants and bars find ways to reopen, employment in the restaurant industry is still down and prospects are uncertain. Some of these jobs are coming back but many will never return. Some reopened restaurants will not last the winter downturn without a rescue plan.

This week, I hosted a number of our local restaurateurs for a far-reaching discussion on how their businesses have been impacted by COVID-19, and what they would need to stay afloat. Among those offering me their guidance and perspective were: Melissa Autilio Fleischut, President and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association: my good friend Dominick Purnomo, owner of Yono’s and dp An American Brasserie: Aneesa Waheed owner of Tara Kitchen, Nancy Bambara, owner of DZ Restaurant Group: Patrick D. Noonan, owner of El Loco Mexican Café: Heidi Knoblauch, owner of Plumb Oyster Bar: David Zuka, owner of Ravenous Crepes: and Matt Baumgartner, owner of June Farms and Wolff’s Biergarten. All these local owners have invested in our communities and are all fighting tirelessly to continue service in the midst of this pandemic.

These mighty restaurateurs reassured me of their resilient spirit, and I thank them for their heart, perseverance and creative problem-solving throughout this crisis. But I know that they need more than praise or a sympathetic ear right now. They need our help. If we want our Main Street to come back as vital as it was before, we need a rescue plan for these hard-working entrepreneurs.

I cosponsor that rescue plan in the House, H.R.7197, the RESTAURANTS Act. The Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive (RESTAURANTS) Act is a bipartisan bill with more than 180 cosponsors in the House. This vital legislation would:

• Establish a $120 billion restaurant revitalization fund to rescue small food service or drinking establishments that have been devastated by the pandemic;
• Deliver funding to food service or drinking establishments that are not publicly traded or part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name;
• Cover the difference between revenues from 2019 and projected revenues through 2020;
• Prioritize small restaurants more impacted by COVID-19, making the first 14 days of the grant’s availability only open to restaurants with annual revenues of $1.5 million or fewer; and
• Direct $60 million of administrative funding toward outreach and engagement to restaurants owned and operated by women, Veterans, and people of color.

The COVID-19 crisis has touched every part of our lives. And while our RESTAURANTS Act would go a long way to help this struggling industry, countless other American workers, families and businesses remain deeply in need.

I continue to push for action on our House-passed Heroes Act, economy-wide rescue legislation that delivers robust and effective relief where it’s needed most, including billions for nationwide testing, tracing and treatment, bonuses and other resources for our frontline workers and preventing devastating layoffs and service cuts, protecting our teachers, faculty and students with billions directly allocated to schools to facilitate a safe reopening and much more.

I continue the fight every day to get this legislation signed into law. Yet for more than 100 days since it passed in the House, Republicans in the Senate have sat on their hands. During that time, millions more Americans have become infected or lost their jobs, and tens of thousands of our loved ones have died from COVID-19.

Enough is enough. The Senate must reconvene immediately to advance this bill and deliver this needed lifeline for our communities.

As our work continues, I thank you all for your courage and for sharing your thoughts with me throughout this crisis. Your strength fills my voice in Washington and assures me that, together, we will overcome.

DID YOU KNOW?

Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations on any and all COVID-19 related topics. With that in mind here is some information that may be of interest to you:

• The Internal Revenue Service will soon send catch-up Economic Impact Payment checks to about 50,000 individuals whose portion of the EIP was diverted to pay their spouse's past-due child support.
• These catch-up payments are due to be issued in early-to-mid-September.
  
  •  They will be mailed as checks to any eligible spouse who submitted Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, along with their 2019 federal income tax return, or in some cases, their 2018 return. These spouses do not need to take any action to get their money.
  •  The IRS is aware that some individuals did not file a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, and did not receive their portion of the EIP for the same reason above. These individuals also do not need to take any action and do not need to submit a Form 8379. The IRS does not yet have a timeframe but will automatically issue the portion of the EIP that was applied to the other spouse's debt at a later date.
• Affected taxpayers can check the status of their Payment by using the Get My Payment tool, available only on IRS.gov.