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Restaurant owners plead with Congress for more coronavirus relief

WASHINGTON — Restaurant owners pleaded with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Friday for another round of coronavirus relief.

The National Restaurant Association says one in six restaurants are now closed because of the pandemic.

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They say another 40 percent of those that are still open  are likely to close in the next six months without additional aid from the federal government.

Congress is at a months-long stalemate in negotiations over another round of coronavirus relief aid.

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Today, the restaurant industry called for lawmakers to extend the Paycheck Protection Program, and to expand tax credits to help cover the cost of personal protective equipment for employees.

“The thing is, if we don’t act now to help our restaurants through this crisis, there may not be restaurants to go back to,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

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House Speaker Nancy Poelosi and Democrat leaders are working on a new stimulus proposal that includes more aid for restaurants, but the plan is still around a trillion more dollars than the proposal by the Trump Administration, making it unclear when or if a new deal will be reached.

The treasury secretary, who negotiates on behalf of the Trump Administration, says he is continuing to work with Pelosi to agree on a new deal for relief aid.