Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined more than 100 of her colleagues in a bipartisan effort to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and support restaurants that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The American Rescue Plan provided $28.6 billion to establish the RRF.  Last week, less than one month after applications for the program opened, Small Business Administrator (SBA) Isabel Guzman testified to Congress that the RRF application program received more than 362,000 applications requesting $75 billion in funding, far exceeding the $28.6 billion originally allocated to the fund.  Congresswoman Fletcher and her colleagues are urging Congressional leadership to work with the SBA and the House Small Business Committee to bring a bill to the floor that allocates additional funding to ensure eligible applicants can receive support through this program. 

“In Houston, our restaurants are central to our community.  And just like others across our community, our restaurants have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “I fought to include targeted assistance for restaurants in the American Rescue Plan, but it is clear that there continues to be great need for support.  I am glad to work with my colleagues in the House to meet those needs and support small business owners as they work to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.” 

“Our economy is still emerging from the immense damage of the COVID-19 crisis and our hardest hit small businesses, such as restaurants, bars, and food trucks, are still navigating the impacts of over a year of lockdown orders and limits to capacity among other health requirements,” the members wrote in the letter.  “These entities are the beating heart of every community, but the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put the survival of these small businesses on the line every day… We have the opportunity to ensure these small businesses get the relief they need by replenishing this program to meet the current need.”

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher was a co-sponsor of the RESTAURANTS Act and supported its inclusion in the American Rescue Plan.  She hosted a webinar to help restaurateurs navigate the Restaurant Revitalization Fund application process. 

You can read the full letter here.