The
United States remains divided over the use of masks amid the
Coronavirus pandemic, as evidenced by the divergent opinions on the issue expressed recently by Vice President
Mike Pence and House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation, Pence said the
Trump Administration still wants to utilize the "principle of federalism" in dealing with the public health crisis, which he said means deferring to governors and, subsequently, local officials on matters like masks. When host John Dickerson challenged him on that idea, noting that the virus isn't aware of the concept of federalism, Pence said forcing a coordinated national response "we'd never have had the success that we had" in places like
New York City, New Orleans, and Michigan.
Pelosi certainly didn't agree with that, telling ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Sunday's edition of This Week that she believes mandating the use of masks in public is "long overdue" and the only reason it hasn't happened is because the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention didn't want to "offend"
President Trump.