Washington, D.C. — Rep. Dean Phillips issued the following statement the failure to pass a targeted small business aid package in the Senate. Today’s final vote was 52 Senators in favor and 43 against, well short of the 60 votes needed to break the Republican filibuster.

Phillips led passage of a similar relief package in the House of Representatives in April.

“For months, small businesses representing those industries most impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have shared heartbreaking stories with their Members of Congress in the hopes that we would take action on their behalf. Today’s disappointing outcome in the Senate all but guarantees that Congress will not rise to the occasion, leaving far too many small businesses with no other choice than to lay off additional staff, reduce service or hours, or close their doors altogether.

When we established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, we made a promise and we've failed to uphold it for 170,000 applicants who were left out in the cold, in addition to thousands more in industries that never received the help they needed. 

Make no mistake; because of the actions 43 Senators who chose to deny funding to the very small businesses they so frequently profess to support, that promise will remain unfulfilled. I hope they reverse course before it is too late.”

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