Jill biden

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (center) before President Joe Biden delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress, on Wednesday

| Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty

Amid the serious nature of President Joe Biden's joint address to Congress — his first following the contentious 2020 election — were a few lighter moments on Wednesday evening, including a standing ovation for his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

The applause came as the first lady, who wore an upcycled version of her inauguration dress, complete with a message of unity, entered the chamber ahead of her husband's speech.

Later in the night, President Biden, 78, touted his wife's role in the education proposals in his $1.8 trillion new American Families Plan, which he said includes "four additional years of public education for every person in America" and "two years of universal high-quality pre-school for every 3- and 4-year-old in America." (The legislation needs Republican support and faces an uncertain future in Congress.)

"Jill is a community college professor who teaches today as first lady," the president said in his address. "She has long said any country that out-educates us is going to outcompete us — and she'll be leading this effort."

Dr. Biden, a longtime educator, is the first first lady to maintain a job while carrying out her unpaid East Wing duties.