WASHINGTON—COVID Relief Now, a new coalition of nearly 200 major public and private sector groups across the U.S., including the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has called for “No Recess without Relief,” imploring Congress to not leave town for the 2020 elections without passing additional COVID economic relief—stating millions of jobs and survival of small businesses as well as vital government services are on the line.
The coalition, in a letter to Congress, stated that if the House and Senate fail to act, millions of employees will be furloughed or terminated; millions of unemployed Americans will lose their unemployment insurance pandemic benefits; hundreds of thousands of companies will be at risk of closing their doors forever; and the vast majority of state and local governments will have to curtail critical services in order to balance budgets due to a decline in tax revenue.
Chip Rogers, president/CEO of the AHLA and one of the coalition’s founding members, said, “It’s time for Congress to put politics aside and prioritize the many businesses and employees in the hardest-hit industries. Millions of jobs and the livelihoods of people who have built their small business for decades are just withering away because Congress has done nothing. America’s hotel industry is on the brink of collapse. We can’t afford to let thousands of small businesses die and all of the jobs associated with them be lost for many years.”