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A $48 billion aid package that would've replenished a fund to help restaurants, gyms, and other small businesses struggling from the Covid-19 pandemic failed to advance in the Senate.
Only 43 Senate lawmakers voted to advance the package on Thursday (May 19), falling short of the 60 votes needed to pass the bill.
Back in April, the House voted to pass the Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022, advancing the relief package to the Senate. The bill included $40 billion set to go to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund which has helped keep restaurants and other small businesses afloat as the nation struggled to stay open during the pandemic.
"Today, a Senate filibuster dashed the promise made to more than 177,000 small business owners in communities across the country," Sean Kennedy, vice president of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement.
"These restaurant owners believed the creation of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund was a down payment, and that the Senate would complete the mission with this vote," Kennedy added. "While there are valid questions about government spending and inflation, restaurants should not be caught in the crossfire."
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