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.
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