Presumptive Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden
Joe BidenBiden criticizes Trump for failing to sanction Russia for Afghan militants’ ‘rewards’ intelligence Why should Biden’s big advantage be concerned? Democrats White House undergoes dramatic change in staff MORESunday’s campaign denounced Vice President Pence for his scheduled trip to Dallas, saying it “epitomizes the derogatory attitude” that the Trump administration has taken to address the coronavirus outbreak.
Pence, the head of the White House coronavirus task force, will visit Texas Sunday to receive an on-the-spot report from officials on the rise in coronavirus cases across the state. He is also scheduled to speak at an event at First Baptist Dallas, a church led by Pastor Robert Jeffries, during the visit.
“Our leaders should tackle this pandemic head-on and establish concrete recovery plans for the American people, not a nationwide jet set to hold events that go against basic public health guidance,” said the campaign manager for Biden, Kate Bedingfield, in a statement. “Families in Lone Star State and across the country deserve better.”
Pence’s trip comes just days after Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) halted the reopening of the state and ordered the bars closed in response to escalating cases of coronavirus and COVID-19-derived hospitalizations.
Bedingfield said the outbreak in Texas and other parts of the US exemplified the “failure of the Trump administration not to get Americans, including Texas, to conduct the tests they need or offer an effective health-based reopening plan. public and science has now exacerbated the pandemic in communities across the country. “
“The agonizing reality in Texas right now is that COVID-19 cases are on the rise and hospitals are approaching ICU capacity,” Bedingfield said.
Pence briefed reporters Friday on the United States’ response to the crisis for the first time in weeks. The briefing was held on the same day that the US reported more than 40,000 cases of the virus in a single day for the first time in over a month.
Pence recognized that there are 16 states with increasing cases and increasing percentages of total tests that are positive. But he noted that daily deaths from the virus continued to decline and argued that the United States was in a better position than a few months ago. Health experts have warned that deaths are a lagging indicator and could increase over time.
The event Pence is scheduled to speak on Sunday is announced as “Celebrate Freedom Sunday” on the First Baptist Dallas website. The church said the masks and social distancing are “strongly encouraged” for those attending the event.
Anyone entering the church’s Worship Center will receive a temperature test, the church said. The church did not say whether seats would be limited to help separate attendees.
As of Sunday, Texas health authorities had reported more than 143,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and around 2,300 deaths caused by it. Before pausing to reopen the state, Abbott implored state residents to stay home, saying “because the spread is so widespread right now, there is never a reason for you to have to leave your home.”
Pence’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
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