Pence trumpets calls for deferring to local officials on masks, while Pelosi trumpets national mandate

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 if they had forced 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 for Disease Control and Prevention didn't want to "offend" President Trump. Tim O'Donnell

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up