The U.S. Senate ended the restaurant industry’s hopes of receiving additional government funding to compensate it for COVID-19-related operational difficulties on 19 May.
The Senate voted against passing the Small Business COVID Relief Act of 2022 (S. 4008), ending any realistic possibility it will replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022 (H.R. 3807), which included USD 42 billion (EUR 39 billion) to replenish the RRF, in early April 2022. The Senate’s version of the now-failed legislation included USD 40 billion (EUR 37 billion) for RRF replenishment and USD 8 billion (EUR 7.5 billion) in support for other industries deeply impacted by the pandemic…