During his announcement Tuesday about a massive increase in vaccine purchases, President Joe Biden made it clear he was not going to be silent about mask-defiant Republicans like Rep. Chip Roy.

Last month, Roy reacted to Biden's promise to mandate mask-wearing on day one federal property by saying, “On day one I will tell you to kiss my ass," according to a report in POLITICO.

Tuesday, President Biden announced that the U.S. would purchase 200 million additional doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine for immediate distribution, predicting that a majority of Americans could be vaccinated by summer.

However, he cautioned, "The brutal truth is, it's going to take months before we can get the majority of Americans vaccinated. Months."

"And the next few months, masks, not vaccines, are the best defense against COVID-19," he continued. "Experts say that wearing a mask from now just until April would save 50,000 lives who otherwise will pass away if we don't wear these masks. That's why i'm asking the american people to mask up for the first 100 days. I've issued executive orders requiring masks on federal property and interstate travel, trains and planes and buses."

And then he turned to Chip Roy's comment from a month ago, avoiding quoting the "ass" epithet in favor of "ear."

After quoting him, Biden was plain-spoken, "Not very American. The fact is, you want to be patriotic, you're going to protect people."

Yes, we know Republicans have no shame. But 81 percent of Americans support the mask order and challenge. Getting 81 percent of any group on the same page is somewhat miraculous, and places those craven Republicans in the minority. Meanwhile, Biden proves yet again that his unity goal isn't about bringing the cynical GOP in Washington, D.C. around as much as it is about reaching the majority of Americans and serving their needs.

What a concept. Refreshing!