Bidens arrive in Kentucky to survey damage from catastrophic flooding
By Kate Sullivan, CNN
(CNN) -- President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday arrived in eastern Kentucky, where deadly flooding killed more than three dozen people and caused catastrophic damage to communities.
The Bidens are set to visit families affected by the flooding and survey the damage, as thousands remain without running water or power. They will be joined by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and the state's first lady, Britainy Beshear.
The President will receive a briefing on the ongoing response at an elementary school in Lost Creek, according to the White House, and deliver a speech.
Beshear said Friday the death toll remained at 37 as thousands remain displaced after the flooding swept away entire homes. Many also remain stranded without access to clean water, electricity and critical supplies, as some communities remain impossible to access because of heavily damaged infrastructure. High temperatures, thunderstorms and humidity have been posing challenges to response efforts.
Biden on Sunday made additional disaster assistance available to Kentucky after initially approving a disaster declaration on July 29 to supplement local recovery efforts with federal funding.
Monday's trip comes shortly after Biden was officially cleared to emerge from isolation after recovering from a rebound case of Covid-19. The President had spent 18 days at the White House because of two back-to-back cases of Covid-19, but then traveled to Rehoboth, Delaware, on Sunday. He tested negative on Saturday but remained in isolation until testing negative again on Sunday.
Up until Sunday, Biden had not left the White House since initially testing positive for Covid-19 on July 21. After taking a five-day course of Pfizer's antiviral drug, Paxlovid, he tested positive for a rebound case of Covid-19 on July 30 and resumed isolation.
The trip comes the day after the Senate passed a $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill, in a significant victory for Biden and his party.
The massive bill -- named the Inflation Reduction Act -- would represent the largest climate investment in US history and make major changes to health policy by giving Medicare the power for the first time to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs and extending expiring health care subsidies for three years. The legislation would reduce the deficit, be paid for through new taxes -- including a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a 1% tax on stock buybacks -- and boost the Internal Revenue Service's ability to collect. The legislation still needs to pass the House of Representatives.
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