By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-members-of-congress-hold-moment-of-silence-for-covid-victims Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Members of Congress hold moment of silence for COVID victims Politics Updated on Dec 14, 2021 7:35 PM EDT — Published on Dec 14, 2021 2:22 PM EDT Members of Congress gathered on the U.S. Capitol steps Tuesday night to mark a grim milestone: 800,000 deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19. Watch the event in the player above. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy led a moment of silence on the East Front Steps of the Capitol building, with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in attendance. The milestone represents a solemn end to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season. 2021 began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S. and the nation in the middle of a massive shutdown, from businesses to schools most aspects of everyday life. By spring, Americans were getting vaccinated and schools and businesses were reopening. But the Delta variant struck and by November, the deaths of 2021 had surpassed all of those in 2020. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
Members of Congress gathered on the U.S. Capitol steps Tuesday night to mark a grim milestone: 800,000 deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19. Watch the event in the player above. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy led a moment of silence on the East Front Steps of the Capitol building, with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in attendance. The milestone represents a solemn end to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season. 2021 began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S. and the nation in the middle of a massive shutdown, from businesses to schools most aspects of everyday life. By spring, Americans were getting vaccinated and schools and businesses were reopening. But the Delta variant struck and by November, the deaths of 2021 had surpassed all of those in 2020. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now