Biden appeared on Tuesday to give a speech declaring his passing of the Inflation Reduction Act. He appeared with his mask on, but he removed it to cough into his hand — just hours after it was announced his wife, first lady Jill Biden, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Inflation Reduction Act extends the consumer tax credit of up to $7,500 for new electric vehicles until 2032 and adds another credit of up to $4,000 for purchases of a used electric vehicle. The measure includes a cap of $55,000 on purchases of new retail electric cars and a cap of $80,000 for electric trucks, vans, and SUVs. It also includes more stringent requirements on sourcing and production in order for vehicles to be eligible for the credit.
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Joe Biden, who gave the speech in the White House State Dining Room after returning from a week-long vacation at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, was followed by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
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"With this law, the American people won, and the special interests lost," the president said Tuesday. "This administration began amid a dark time in America … a once-in-a-century pandemic, devastating joblessness, clear and present threats to democracy and the rule of law, doubts about America's future itself — and yet we've not wavered, we've not flinched, and we've not given in."
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Passed by the House last week, the legislation carries a price tag of $437 billion, with most of it being for energy and climate change. Schumer praised the bill as "one of the greatest legislative feats in decades."
Coughing is deemed one of the most efficient ways of transmission for COVID-19, which is spread through airborne droplets and aerosols.
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Though Jill Biden just tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time, Joe Biden keeps testing negative, according to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The president recovered from his own case of COVID-19 earlier this month.
Alexander continued: "She tested negative again on a rapid antigen test, but a PCR test came back positive."
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Like her husband, the first lady has been given a batch of Paxlovid and, following CDC guidance, will stay away from others for at least five days.
"Close contacts of the First Lady have been notified," Alexander said. "She is currently staying at a private residence in South Carolina and will return home after she receives two consecutive negative COVID tests."
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