Biden surveys flood damage in Kentucky and pledges federal support: ‘We’re not leaving’

By Kate Sullivan, CNN

President Joe Biden visited eastern Kentucky on Monday and pledged the full support of the federal government as the commonwealth begins rebuilding following flooding that killed more than three dozen people and caused catastrophic damage.

The President was joined by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and received a briefing on the ongoing response efforts to the flooding.

“It’s going to take awhile to get through this but I promise you we’re not leaving. The federal government and all its resources — we’re not leaving,” Biden said during the briefing, which took place at an elementary school in Lost Creek. “As long as it takes, we’re going to be here.”

First lady Jill Biden also traveled to Kentucky with the President, and the Bidens are set to visit families affected by the flooding and survey the damage.

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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