WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday released the following statement after voting in favor of invoking cloture on the motion to proceed on the Continuing Emergency Support for Restaurants Act:

“The past two years have been incredibly challenging for local restaurants, and many still need our help. That’s why today I voted to move forward with floor debate on a bill that will replenish support for the restaurant industry. This bill, though, needs work. The current draft of the bill is too expensive and does not have enough guardrails on how the money will be spent. If this bill comes back before the Senate later this year, I look forward to working with Senators Cardin and Wicker to hopefully insert a few key changes to the bill to ensure that these dollars are properly targeted to restaurants struggling with pandemic-related financial trouble or debts,” said Murphy.

###