Post Politics Now: Biden says he’s ‘feeling great’ after testing negative for the coronavirus
Today, President Biden declared that he is “feeling great” after two negative tests for the coronavirus that followed five days of isolation. Speaking from the Rose Garden at the White House, Biden urged other Americans to get vaccinated and boosted to increase the chances that their cases would be mild, too, if they contracted the virus. Biden said he is returning to work in the West Wing.
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee is holding a high-profile hearing on the role of the firearms industry in the U.S. gun violence epidemic after the release of a report that said five gun manufacturers collected more than $1 billion over the past decade from the sale of military-style assault weapons to civilians.
The Senate is poised to pass legislation that would invest $280 billion in science and technology innovation, including $52 billion for subsidies for domestic semiconductor manufacturers. The chips bill has been the subject of some drama between the two chambers but could land on Biden’s desk by the end of the week after House passage, giving Democrats something to celebrate.
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The latest: ‘I’m feeling great,’ Biden says after testing negative
President Biden, emerging from five days of isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus, declared that he is “feeling great” and urged other Americans to get vaccinated and boosted to increase the chances their cases would be mild, too, if they contract the virus.
Biden, who tested negative both Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to the White House physician, hailed his administration’s investment in booster shots, at-home tests and other treatments, such as Paxlovid, in countering the virus.
“The entire time I was in isolation, I was able to work to carry out the duties of the office and without any interruption,” Biden said during remarks from the Rosen Garden.
“What’s different now is our ability to protect ourselves from serious illness due to covid,” Biden added. “In fact, that’s radically different today than it was just a year ago.”
Biden noted that his experience was dramatically different from when President Donald Trump contracted the coronavirus.
“When my predecessor got covid, he had to get helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center,” Biden said. “He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered.”
