Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, made an unscheduled stop on Saturday at Washington DC VA Center, a veteran’s hospital in the capitol.
Greetings from an iced-over Washington, where it is sleeting, grey and 27 degrees.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, made an unscheduled stop on Saturday at Washington DC VA Center, a veteran’s hospital in the capitol. They met the new VA secretary, Denis McDonough and his wife, Kari. The foursome handed out baskets of cookies to essential healthcare workers.
The VP arrived at 1:40 pm.
Healthcare workers and members of the kitchen crew had gathered outside, without coats on, at 1:26 pm, but an awning kept them out of the freezing rain. Some ran in place to keep warm. The VA secretary stood several yards away from the group, holding a box of coffee.
The workers were told to put their phones in their pockets and “enjoy the moment.” The roughly two dozen attendees were people of color. The two greeters were Kimberly Callaway, a physicians assistant, and Monique Johnson, a nurse practitioner.
The crowd cheered and applauded as the motorcade pulled up.
“We are so grateful for you,” VP said in brief remarks.
“Congratulations!” One woman yelled as the VP elbow-bumped greeters. “We are so proud of you.”
VA Sec told the crowd: “I’ll keep coming back. You can count on that.”
Vp did not speak to pool before climbing into her SUV and departing at 1:44pm.
Background from WH:
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the Vice President and Second Gentleman are delivering two baskets of cookies to essential health care workers at the VA Medical Center in NW Washington, thanking them for their service and hard work. Each cookie is individually wrapped with a note that reads, “Have a sweet Valentine’s Day! We appreciate you. Kamala & Doug.”
They are joined by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough and his wife, Kari McDonough, who are providing coffee for essential health care workers. The Vice President ceremonially swore in Secretary McDonough on Tuesday, February 9.