Coronavirus USA: Democratic Lawmakers Urge Trump To Cancel In-Person 4th Of July Celebration Due To Safety Concerns

A group of Democratic lawmakers from the National Capital Region have urged the Trump administration to cancel Trump's second “Salute To America” 4th of July celebration, due to safety concerns amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland are still under stay-at-home orders, with social distancing restrictions on public events likely to continue into the summer.

"Given the current COVID-19 crisis, we believe such an event would needlessly risk the health and safety of thousands of Americans," the letter to the secretaries of the Defense and Interior departments said. “Further, this event would come at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars while we are facing an unprecedented economic downturn due to the pandemic."

The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., and co-signed by Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., along with Reps. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., Gerry Connolly, D-Va., Jennifer Wexton D-Va., Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Anthony Brown, D-Md., and David Trone, D-Md.

White House spokesman Judd Deere told The Hill in a statement that "there will be an Independence Day celebration this year and it will have a different look than 2019 to ensure the health and safety of those attending."

Trump debuted the “Salute To America” event last year, featuring flyovers of military aircraft and massive fireworks displays. President Trump gave a speech at the event from the National Mall, where he highlighted exceptional moments in U.S. history. Trump got the idea for the event from when he attended the Bastille Day military parade in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2017.

The 2019 “Salute To America” event cost the federal government and Washington, D.C., $5.35 million. The event used funding from the National Park Service, prompting criticism from Democrats. Although the event was not overtly political, some top Trump donors received VIP tickets to the celebration.

The U.S. currently has the most cases of coronavirus cases in the world. As of Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET, there are 1.68 million cases of the virus in the U.S., with the domestic death toll close to 100,000.