Biden's $1.9T stimulus includes $15B grant program for small businesses

Biden would also like to work with Congress to ensure that restaurants, bars and other businesses that have been hit hardest during the pandemic have support for recovery, including through the Community Credit Corporation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to the proposal. Biden has previously expressed support for the restaurant industry and for providing the sector grants instead of loans. 

The proposal also includes a plan to partner with restaurants to feed families in the U.S. and keep workers employed through the FEMA Empowering Essential Deliveries Act. This program would work with restaurants to get food to families and help bring laid-off restaurant workers back to work. 

"It is clear President-elect Biden wants to take action to address the unique devastation the pandemic brought to America’s independent restaurant and bar community," IRC said in a statement. "President-elect Biden's plan opens the door for Congress to pass the bipartisan RESTAURANTS Act and ensure America's second largest employer gets the grants they need to fully reopen and secure 11 million jobs. Unsustainable debt, cold weather, and a surging pandemic have left many restaurants and bars out of options this winter.  We are optimistic the new administration and Congress can quickly work together to protect local restaurants and bars from permanently closing with a new stimulus package."

This proposal comes at a time when restaurants are facing an increase in unemployment, with a second surge in coronavirus cases resulting in increased restrictions on indoor dining. In December, restaurant job losses jumped to over 372,000 in the industry, up from 17,000 in November.