WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has ended a federal program that provided aid for restaurants hurt financially during the COVID-19 pandemic after high demand depleted funds, leaving more than two-thirds of applicants without assistance.
Restaurant leaders are pushing for additional money to keep the program afloat but it’s unclear whether Congress will act. The White House would not commit Friday to supporting legislation to replenish funds.
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the closure of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund after exhausting $28.6 billion in funding allocated in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The program provided grants for more than 105,000 restaurants – less than one-third of the 370,000 restaurants that applied since the SBA started accepting applications May
