House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is expressing her frustration with the lack of a nationwide mandate to wear masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi if it was time to mandate the wearing of masks across the country.
“Definitely long overdue for that,” Pelosi said.
She added, “And my understanding that the Centers for Disease Control has recommended the use of masks but not required it because they don’t want to offend the president.”
Check out her comments below:
JUST IN: @GStephanopoulos: “Is it time to mandate the wearing of masks across the country?”
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 28, 2020
“Definitely long overdue for that,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi says, adding that the CDC recommended use of masks but did not mandate it as to “not offend" Pres. Trump. https://t.co/y2qk2iXUsd pic.twitter.com/GTJ8UUieKm
Pelosi suggested President Donald Trump should be an example to the American people by wearing a mask himself.
“The president should be an example. Real men wear masks,” Pelosi said. “Be an example to the country and wear the mask. It’s not about protecting yourself, it’s about protecting others and their families.”
Stephanopoulos went on to ask Pelosi how the nation can stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Pelosi argued the spread can be slowed by passing the HEROES Act.
The act is designed to help mitigate the effects of the coronavirus on the economy.
Pelosi urged the Trump administration to take the situation seriously.
“It’s time for this administration to take this seriously,” Pelosi said. “As Dr. Fauci said, we have a serious problem ahead.”
Watch her comments below:
.@GStephanopoulos: “It’s pretty clear we are failing…to stop the spread. How can we fix it?"
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 28, 2020
Pelosi: “We can fix it by passing the HEROES Act…it’s time for this administration to take this seriously. As Dr. Fauci said, we have a serious problem ahead.” https://t.co/ANK8AVWawA pic.twitter.com/m3CF0MXc9f
Appearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee during the “Oversight of the Trump Administration’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic” hearing on Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci expressed his concern about the “disturbing” surge of coronavirus cases, as IJR previously reported.
According to Fauci, the next few weeks are going to be “critical” in stopping the spread.
During Friday’s White House coronavirus task force briefing, Fauci explained Americans have both an individual and societal responsibility in stopping the spread, as IJR previously reported.
As of Sunday afternoon, there are more than 2.5 million coronavirus cases in the United States alone and more than 125,000 deaths.