WASHINGTON

President Joe Biden asked Wednesday if a deceased congresswoman was in the crowd during a speech at a White House conference on hunger and nutrition.

"I want to thank all of you here, including bipartisan elected officials like -- Senator (Michael) Braun, Senator (Corey) Booker, representative -- Jackie, you here? I think she was going to be here to help make this a reality," said Biden.

He was referring to Jackie Walorski, a Republican congresswoman from the state of Indiana, who was killed in a car crash in August along with two members of her office and the driver of the other vehicle.

The late lawmaker played a key role in planning the conference alongside congressman Jim McGovern, Booker and Braun.

Prior to Biden's speech, a tribute video honoring Walorski was played during the conference.

At the time of her death, Biden issued a statement, saying the accident left him "shocked and saddened."

"We may have represented different parties and disagreed on many issues, but she was respected by members of both parties for her work on the House Ways and Means Committee on which she served.

"She also served as co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, and my team and I appreciated her partnership as we plan for a historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health this fall that will be marked by her deep care for the needs of rural America," he said Biden at the time.