Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited a memorial on the National Mall and led a moment of silence on the House floor commemorating the 200,000 people in the U.S. who have died of COVID-19.
The death toll in the United States surpassed the 200,000 mark on Tuesday, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University. The country has faced 6.8 million cases over the course of the past six months.
“The chair asks all members in the chamber as well as members and staff throughout the Capitol to rise for a moment of silence in remembrance of those more than 200,000 Americans who have passed away from the COVID-19 virus,” Pelosi said on the House floor.
Pelosi also spoke near a memorial on the National Mall commemorating the 200,000 who died in the U.S.
Parties have sparred over who holds responsibility for the rising number of cases in the U.S., with Democrats accusing the Trump administration of fumbling its response.
“The President’s contempt for science, governance and the health of the American people has led to an historic national tragedy. Trump’s deadly disinformation and negligence – including his cover-up of the catastrophic nature of the virus and his continued resistance to mask-wearing, social distancing and other science-based measures to slow the virus’s spread – continue to prolong the pain for families,” Pelosi said in a statement earlier Tuesday.
“Yet, even now, Trump and Senate Republicans still refuse to listen to science and take the action necessary to crush the virus and protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people.”
Republicans have largely praised Trump’s handling of the pandemic, applauding his decision to impose a travel ban in hot spots earlier this year and touting the administration’s work to fast-track a vaccine.