Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

​Thank you for holding this hearing today. The Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA), representing the businesses, including many small, minority, and women owned businesses, that operate the retail stores and restaurants serving airports and air travelers nationwide, is seeking your support and help to ensure that these companies survive. This hearing, focusing on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry in the United States, is well timed. ARRA writes today in support of additional relief and assistance for restaurants everywhere, including those that are located inside airports and their terminals. Federal relief should also be targeted to assist retail operators at airports, who also provide vital services to air travelers and face the same daunting challenges as restaurant businesses at airports and in our communities. Although they may not provide sit-down dining, many of these businesses offer food and beverage options for travelers on the go, such as prepared sandwiches, snacks, fruit and refreshments. 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

​Thank you for holding this hearing today. The Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA), representing the businesses, including many small, minority and women owned Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBEs), that operate the retail stores and restaurants serving airports and air travelers nationwide, is seeking your support to ensure the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program and the ACDBE Program continue and that the ACDBE companies survive this unprecedented air-traffic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This hearing, focusing on the DBE Program at the Department of Transportation (DOT), is well timed. While we are writing to emphasize that there is a continuing need and compelling government interest in the federal DBE and ACDBE programs and register our strong support thereof, our message today is that unless Congress acts quickly, many of these companies and these programs may not have a future. Without immediate aid, many DBEs and ACDBEs and the important benefits these programs provide our nation’s airports, highway and public infrastructure will be lost. It is that simple.