WASHINGTON — Since his inauguration last month, President Joe Biden has put in place orders to make masks mandatory on planes, while traveling, and in all federal lands and buildings as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
On Thursday, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) came out swinging as he called out Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) for not wearing a mask on the Senate floor.
"I would like to ask Senator Paul in front of everybody to start wearing a mask on the Senate floor like the entire staff does all the time, particularly the staff I appreciate now the presiding officer wearing a mask, but I wish Senator Paul would show the respect to his colleagues to wear a mask when he's on the Senate floor walking around and speaking," Brown said.
Paul has said he's immune after contracting COVID-19 last year.
Thursday was not the first time that Brown has had a heated confrontation with a Senate colleague about wearing a mask.
Back in November, Brown asked Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan to wear a mask while serving as the presiding officer during a session. "I don't wear a mask when I'm speaking, like most Senators...I don't need your instruction," Sullivan snapped back.
"There's not much interest in this body in public health," Brown retorted.
In response, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Brown was "being a complete ass" and called his confrontation with Sullivan 'idioitc.'
"He (Brown) wears a mask to speak—when nobody is remotely near him—as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue," Cruz tweeted. "@DanSullivan_AK was over 50 feet away, presiding. Last I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet."
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Editor's Note: The below video aired on January 28, 2021