President Biden marked the loss of 1 million Americans to the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday. Biden released a written statement Thursday morning and is expected to issue a presidential proclamation ordering flags to half-staff later in the day. The milestone comes the same day that Biden is scheduled to lead the 2nd global COVID-19 summit.
“Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to COVID-19. One million empty chairs around the dinner table. Each an irreplaceable loss. Each leaving behind a family, a community, and a nation forever changed because of this pandemic,” Biden wrote. “Jill and I pray for each of them.”
Biden went on to urge Congress to sustain funding for additional COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments. “May God bless the one million American lives lost and their loved ones left behind,” he concluded.