Chris Van Hollen: “just to respond to the Senator from Montana, I think he well knows that it has been over 6 months since the House of…”

“just to respond to the Senator from Montana, I think he well knows that it has been over 6 months since the House of Representatives passed the first Heroes Act with comprehensive COVID-19 relief. They have also passed an updated ``Heroes 2 Act,'' but we never even had a vote here in the U.S. Senate on that provision. We have been blocked from having that vote by the Republican leader. I don't know where my colleague stands on the bipartisan framework that was just released. That is something that I can support and pursue, but listening to the Senate majority leader, he has been pouring cold water on it. And, by the way, the measure that the Senator from Montana mentioned that we should pass right now for coronavirus relief, that doesn't have a payroll tax holiday. It doesn't do what the Senator just said he wants to do. It doesn't say anything about that. So if the Senator or others want to introduce legislation to have a payroll tax holiday for those who have been enrolled in this program for the last 4 months, go ahead. But why would you allow another day to pass requiring members of our Armed Forces who don't want to participate to participate to participate or requiring Federal employees who are out there providing public services to participate? That is all this does. This doesn't preclude anything the Senator talked about doing.…”