Restaurants and Bars Should See Some Assistance From the Congressional COVID-19 Relief Package
After a seven-month long stalemate, Congressional Republicans and Democrats appear to have reached an agreement on a COVID-19 relief package—which includes some much-needed money directed at bars and restaurants. U.S. Rep Earl Blumenauer has been pushing Congress for months to pass the Restaurants Act, which he originally introduced, in order to help those small businesses in ways the Paycheck Protection Program fell short. Senate Republicans blocked the inclusion of a revitalization fund for independent restaurants in the latest relief bill. But Congressman Blumenauer, a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, did manage to secure several changes to the PPP, which should improve it for food and drink establishments, which have been devastated by pandemic restrictions.