Ohio Restaurants Never Received Grant Money

• Author: Jessica Williams
• Posted: 2024-04-06

America is full of cynical people who do not trust the government on a lot of matters, but especially when it comes to spending money. The American government is absolutely famous for earmarking billions of dollars to complete a project like a bridge. Though when the project is examined a few years later, it turns out they built half of a random bridge somewhere that the bridge wasn't even needed, and there's no money to be found. The only thing that changes is that members of Congress become millionaires. This is why so many people are skeptical of big-government spending. Now there's news out of Ohio that thousands of restaurant owners are absolutely livid that they did not receive any grant money last year, and earlier this year, for restaurant relief, and they want the government to make good on their grants.

This is coming from the National Restaurant Association, but was spurred by the Ohio Restaurant Association, when they claimed that many restaurant owners did not get grant approval, and some who did have still not received the money and have been told that there is no money. So these associations have come together to ask Congress to re-up the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) that was filled again earlier this year with the stated purpose of helping restaurant owners stay in business. Come to find out, only a select few restaurants received any funding, and now the money is just gone.

The National and Ohio branches collected support from 50 other association partners and sent out a letter to congress. This was after individuals calls to their relative Congressperson failed to produce any results or even any interest. On one hand, you could imagine that there's a lot going on now. Afghanistan, the southern border, the Delta variant, and on and on America's issues go. However, the RRF should have people working specifically for that, and so it shouldn't be an issue that's difficult to address. Even still, restaurant associations had to combine forces just in hopes of getting the attention of Congress.

The troubling part here is that Joe Biden added more funds to the RRF just this past march. He signed them via executive order, an additional $28.6 billion. Where has that money gone? Apparently not to very many restaurants; though the fact that the fund is said to be entirely empty is something very suspicious. However, instead of accusing the government of any sort of misappropriation of funding, these restaurant owners are simply asking that the RRF be refilled, this time with at least $60 billion for struggling restaurants in Ohio and all around the nation.

Some people are amazed to learn that in Ohio alone, there are over 6,800 pending applications that have just been sitting in limbo for months now. For those lucky few who do get word on their progress, they're flatly denied and told that there is no more money available. So, another thing these associations want is for Congress to fast-track the application process, so that those restaurants that are going to ultimately be approved can be approved much quicker and get the money they need in a hurry.

Who Accounts for the Money?

The fact that even more Americans aren't skeptical of government and completely cynical is truly amazing. For years now, the government has acted as the overseeing body of the government. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but it's true. Even in matters of literal life and death, the government are who investigate the government. One of the nation's most famous cases was in Waco, Texas, when ATF agents were accused of catching a compound on fire and killing dozens of men, women and children. Well, the government got to investigate itself, and the nation watched in shock when the government cleared the government of any wrongdoing.

We're looking at a similar situation here in terms of keeping track of the money. The government appoints itself to oversee the money that the government is spending. So, if the money runs out too early or winds up missing, what happens is that the government investigates itself and assures the public that there's nothing to worry about. Mainstream media parrots this message and adds that people are just ignorant for questioning this process.

Though these restaurant associations just want the money. They're not even questioning the process. They're doing their best not to be skeptical or cynical, and all they want is some help with these grants that mysteriously dried up.