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Pence visits Louisa: ‘You’re the people who are making the difference’

Posted at 4:57 PM, Apr 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-01 18:07:33-04

LOUISA COUNTY, Va. -- One day after he promised to do so, Vice President Mike Pence visited a food distribution center in Louisa County.

“Thank you for doing a great job, for keeping food on the table for the American people,” Pence said to a gathering of employees at Walmart Distribution Center in Gordonsville. “We know you’re on the front lines, and the fact that you’re showing up every day, you’re rolling your sleeves up and you’re doing the work, says an awful lot about each and every one of you.”

Pence flew from Washington to Louisa on the Marine Two helicopter, landing at the Gordonsville airfield before traveling to the warehouse by motorcade.

The vice president first announced the trip near the end of Tuesday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, saying that he wanted to meet with employees who have been working around the clock to keep store shelves stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pence, who was accompanied by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, was given a tour of the distribution center before speaking to workers.

“I wanted to be here today, the president wanted me to be here today, just to pay a debt of gratitude to each and every one of you,” Pence said.

The DC 7016 facility, referred to as G’Ville by staff, employs more than 1,000 people, and supports hundreds of Walmart stores and supercenters.