Joe Biden’s Inauguration Should Be Delayed Due To Coronavirus, Senator Says
Newly sworn-in Sen. Tommy Tuberville believes that Joe Biden’s forthcoming inauguration should be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, CBS42 reported.
“We probably could have had a swearing-in and inauguration later after we got this virus behind us a little bit. Again, we’re talking about Washington, D.C.,” he said.
The news outlet — as well as reporter Aaron Blake — noted that the 20th Amendment to the Constitution requires the inauguration to take place on the 20th.
Blake also argued that America is nowhere close to putting the coronavirus behind it.
Tuberville was one of the six Republican senators who objected to the ratification of Biden’s Electoral College victory on January 6. Despite his opposition, congressional lawmakers — overseen by Vice President Mike Pence — ultimately certified Biden’s victory.
The certification was notably delayed after the U.S. Capitol was stormed following Donald Trump’s nearby rally. Nevertheless, Tuberville condemned the violence and suggested he would accept Biden’s presidency.
“How much we will get done, who knows. We still have a filibuster of 60 votes. That’s going to be hard to accomplish when you got 50/50. But we will wait and see what the Democrats want to do. They have the leadership now.”
Per CTV News, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa Etienne warned on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic could grow worse in 2021 in the Americas without proper containment efforts. Etienne noted that all countries in South America have experienced a rise in infections in recent weeks and said the forthcoming summer months will be the most difficult to control in the southern hemisphere regions. She also pointed to infection spikes in northern regions like Canada.
Last month, weeks before his inauguration, Biden outlined his plan to tackle coronavirus in the first 100 days in office. Per NPR, he plans to open most K-8 schools, distribute 100 million vaccine shots, and ask all Americans to wear masks for 100 days. Elsewhere, the President-elect said he wants Congress to increase funding for addressing the coronavirus. In particular, he pointed to the need for money for cleaning and ventilation systems, testing, and transportation.
Biden also revealed that he plans to invoke the Defense Production Act to help increase domestic production of the materials necessary for vaccinations.
As The Inquisitr reported, Biden previously criticized Trump’s administration for giving up on trying to control the pandemic. His criticism came after White House chief of staff Mark Meadow admitted that the administration is not going to control the spread of the virus.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 23.4 million cases of coronavirus in the United States and over 389,000 deaths.
