This is about more than dinner

From small towns to huge cities, so much of a community's local culture is built in its restaurants – in the farmers and growers that supply them, in the variety of flavors on the menus, and in conversations over a cup of coffee or a pint of beer.

Unfortunately, like with so much else during this pandemic, local restaurants have been hit hard. We have already lost one in six restaurants and millions of hardworking restaurant workers have lost their livelihoods.

For nearly a year now, I have been working every day to support these small businesses. While Senate Republicans kept our proposal out of previous relief packages, we refused to take no for an answer because we knew restaurants and their workers were counting on us.

Now, I'm proud to say that our restaurant relief legislation has passed out of the House and is on its way to passing the Senate.

This isn't just a drop in the bucket. We're putting up $25 billion to save a struggling industry that's vital to the health and happiness of our main streets and neighborhoods across the country. Our plan will prioritize the smallest restaurants, particularly ones owned by women, veterans, and minorities.

If our local restaurants survive, so do the people who work in them and those who supply them. We'll all be better for it.

As I fight to get this bill across the finish line and provide our local restaurants the lifeline they deserve, I hope you'll join me in helping these cherished restaurants come back stronger than ever.

This is the last weekend of Black Restaurant Week in the Northwest, a great time to get takeout from local restaurants that need our support more than ever.

Courage,
Earl