Malliotakis Co-Sponsors RESTAURANTS Act

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) yesterday cosponsored Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick's (R-PA) RESTAURANTS Act, legislation that would establish a $120 billion restaurant revitalization fund to be made available to food service or drinking establishments that are not part of an affiliated business with more than 20 locations, including designated administrative funds for establishments operated by women, Veterans and people of color.

"I've seen first hand the damage Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio's arbitrary stay-at-home orders and closure mandates have caused," said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis. "Restaurants and small businesses in my district have closed their doors for good because of the state's lockdowns, destroying our local economy and the livelihoods of thousands of families. As we now know more about COVID, therapeutics have become available and more Americans are vaccinated, I’ve advocated for a more balanced approach to reopening. It’s past time for us to responsibly reopen our economy and help get Americans back to work but we must provide restaurants the financial support they desperately need due to the government‘s actions."

The RESTAURANT Act grant values would cover the difference between 2019 and 2020 revenues. The first 14 days of the grant’s availability is only available to restaurants with annual revenues of $1.5 million or fewer, ensuring that the smallest restaurants are prioritized. A study on this proposal found that the fund would generate at least $183 billion in primary benefits and $65 billion in secondary benefits – more than double the amount of the fund.

More than one in six restaurants (110,000) have permanently closed across the country, including roughly 1,300 restaurants and bars in New York City. These closures have left more than 2.3 million food service professionals without a job, with 372,000 food service jobs lost in December alone. Today, 75% of the country is living with state-mandated dining restrictions, causing significant uncertainty for the future of the industry.

Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York City restaurants can resume indoor dining capacity up to 25% on February 14, 2021, even though other parts of the state with higher positivity rates have indoor dining capacities of up to 50%. By not expanding restaurant capacity, the Governor is incentivizing household gatherings where no social distancing, mask-wearing or sanitation guidelines are in place, and where his own contact tracers say 74% of the spread is occurring.