Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has ridiculed Joe Biden's suggestion that the public should wait until July 4 before getting together to have 'small' gatherings outdoors.
Last week, Biden vowed all Americans would become eligible to receive a vaccine by May 1 adding that intimate gatherings could be allowed two months after that.
But on Monday McConnell said Biden's suggestion was unscientific and showed the president to be out of touch with what people are already doing socially.
McConnell went further, adding that it was 'bizarre and problematic' urging people to wait until Independence Day to have parties as COVID-19 infections continue to fall.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized President Biden's aim to have Americans able to hold small outdoor gatherings by July 4, Independence Day
'This is bizarre and problematic on several levels,' McConnell said. 'Let's be clear: the federal government does not instruct free citizens how they may gather in small groups with their own families… The White House confers a bully pulpit. It does not confer supreme authority over daily life.
'This strange proclamation was out of step with science… The president went on national TV to move the goalposts way beyond what his own CDC is saying,' McConnell said on the Senate floor.
'The president's proclamation was far out of step with what's already happening across the country. It was advice for an alternate universe. The president and his advisers may need to get out more,' McConnell continued.
'Americans are already getting together in small groups outdoors in blue states and red states, in small towns and big cities. The country is not locked down waiting for July 4,' McConnell noted.
According to CDC guidelines vaccinated people can gather in small groups. Pictured spring breakers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this past weekend
Savannah is bracing for over 50,000 tourists for St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Pictured are long lines at Leopold's Ice Cream in downtown Savannah, Georgia on Monday
Even in Washington D.C., from next week gatherings of up to to 50 people will be allowed.
'Americans are getting vaccines and they learned about this disease. They've learned about the low risk of outdoor transmission. They're making their own determinations as free people,' McConnell said.
McConnell pointed out that last summer 'many liberal politicians applauded massive outdoor gatherings because they supported a political cause. I'm not sure how much capital these officials have to micromanage backyard barbecues.'
'I've been a very consistent advocate for following the science, wearing a mask and taking precautions. I believe we should all keep following the science. Nobody wants to follow a ball on the five yard line. But that doesn't mean just citizens. It means politicians too. And science doesn't just only run in the direction of more restriction.'
Last week, Biden vowed all Americans would become eligible to receive a vaccine by May 1 adding that intimate gatherings could be allowed two months after that
McConnell is a survivor of polio which he contracted during childhood.
Unlike some Republican politicians, he has advocated mask-wearing throughout the pandemic but says that Biden needs to recognize the risk of transmission outdoors is less than inside.
'One year on, if the president and his administration want to continue to give advice to free citizens, I suggest they exit the alternate universe, stick to the actual science and get acquainted with where the American people actually are,' McConnell said.
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