Steny Hoyer: “I thank the gentleman for his comments. Of course, the Paycheck Protection Program was a very, very important program. I…”

“I thank the gentleman for his comments. Of course, the Paycheck Protection Program was a very, very important program. I was pleased that the committees came up with that program and we had bipartisan support for that program. I will tell the gentleman that that is an important effort for us to take, but I would also say it is very important for us to act on behalf of millions of people who still do not have a job or are on unemployment and need the supplemental unemployment that they were receiving to survive and keep their families going. We have millions of people who are suffering from food shortages, the inability to keep their family fed. We need to pass, we believe, the supplemental nutrition program. We need to make sure that States, in my view, have the ability to function. They are hemorrhaging revenues because of COVID-19, because of the decrease in the economy. States, cities, municipalities, counties are suffering, and many other aspects, including testing, which is one of the critical components of us confronting COVID-19. So while I agree with the gentleman that the program that he talks about--of course, we created that program and we passed it in a bipartisan fashion, and it was very bipartisan in the Senate. I know Mr. Cardin and Mr. Rubio were both involved in that. It was very important to pass that.…”