US executive branch text over image of White House– Due to the government transition, some Trump Administration publication links may be broken. Please contact Stacy Swanson with any questions. –

This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.

POTUS’ Schedule*

11:00 a.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on supporting our Nation’s Farmers, Ranchers, and Food Supply Chain | Roosevelt Room

3:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT holds a Cabinet Meeting | East Room

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

9:00 a.m. EDT – THE VICE PRESIDENT and Secretary Mnuchin meet with Leader McConnell and Leader McCarthy | U.S. Capitol Building

10:30 a.m. EDT – THE VICE PRESIDENT chairs the 7th Meeting of the National Space Council | NASA Headquarters

3:00 p.m. EDT – THE VICE PRESIDENT joins THE PRESIDENT for a Cabinet meeting | East Room

*The US President (POTUS) and Vice President’s (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change.

Looking ahead, on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Orlando, Florida.  He is expected to meet with Governor DeSantis, deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) to a nursing home, and participate in a roundtable discussion with hospitality and tourism industry leaders before returning to Washington.

Recap of Monday, May 18, 2020

Note: All colored text denotes hyperlinks. Purple colored hyperlink spotlights COVID-19 developments.

The White House

  • Remarks by President Trump in a Roundtable with Restaurant Executives and Industry Leaders
  • Readout from the Governors Briefing on COVID-19 Response & Ensuring the Well-Being of All Americans
  • Remarks by President Trump in a Meeting on Opportunity Zones
  • Nominations: President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts (DC US Attorney; Amtrak)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

  • Press Release: HHS Delivers Funding to Expand Testing Capacity for States, Territories, Tribes
  • Statement by Secretary Alex Azar on National EMS Week

Department of Defense (DOD)

  • Press Release: Naval Air Station Pensacola Investigation Update
  • Article: Oldest Army Medical Unit Adopts State-of-the-Art Assets to Combat COVID-19
  • Contracts for May 18, 2020

Department of State

Daily Schedule | Tuesday, May 19

  • May 18: Readout | Secretary Pompeo’s Call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
  • May 18: Readout | Secretary Pompeo’s Call with Croatian Prime Minister Plenkovic
  • May 18: Readout | Secretary Pompeo’s Call with German Foreign Minister Maas
  • May 18: Statement | Taiwan’s Exclusion From the World Health Assembly
  • May 18: Statement | 25th Anniversary of the Panchen Lama’s Disappearance
  • May 18: Travel Advisory | Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Travels to Afghanistan and Qatar
  • May 18: Statement | The United States Applauds the Arrest of Félicien Kabuga (re: Rwanda genocide)
  • May 18: Statement | Timor-Leste’s National Day
  • May 18: Advisory | National Museum of American Diplomacy Announces New Virtual Exhibit: Bringing #AmericansHome

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

  • Press Release: Acting Administrator John Barsa Letter to UN Secretary General Guterres

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

  • Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Syria (via VTC)
  • Statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) | May 17, 2020

Department of the Treasury

  • Congressional Testimony: Statement of Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin Before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Press Release: Treasury is Delivering Millions of Economic Impact Payments by Prepaid Debit Card

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • Press Release: Weekly Update | DHS Response to COVID-19
  • Statement from Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf (re: Pensacola terrorist attack in December)
  • Press Release: Maritime Human Smuggling Attempt Results in 15 Arrests for USBP (California)
  • Press Release: Border Patrol Agents Seize Meth Hidden in Spare Tire (California)
  • Press Release: Yuma Sector Agents Assist Troopers In Fatal Vehicle Collision (Arizona)
  • Press Release: Thirteen People Arrested Found Inside a Stash House (Texas)
  • Press Release: CBP Seizes 590 Pounds of Smuggled Bologna and Cold Cuts (Texas)
  • Press Release: Busy Weekend | Border Patrol Seizes $430K Worth of Drugs in six Smuggling Attempts in the Rio Grande Valley (Texas)
  • Press Release: Laredo CBP Officers Seize Methamphetamine Worth Over $2.5 Million at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge (Texas)
  • Press Release: Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents Stop Three Human Smuggling Attempts (Texas)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: FEMA approves $41 million in Hurricane Michael Public Assistance grants (Florida)
  • Press Release: More than $1.8 Million Approved for South Carolina April 13 Storm Survivors (South Carolina)
  • Press Release: More Than $2 Million Approved for Sanford Utilities (North Carolina)
  • Press Release: FEMA Fire Management Assistance Granted for the East Desert Fire (California)
  • Press Release: COVID-19 Pandemic | Supply Chain Expansion Line of Effort

Department of Justice

Daily Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Press Releases

  • Speech: Attorney General William P. Barr Announces Updates to the Findings of the Investigation into the December 2019 Shooting at Pensacola Naval Air Station
  • Press Release: Attorney General William P. Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray Announce Significant Developments in the Investigation of the Naval Air Station Pensacola Shooting
  • Press Release: Department of Justice Announces Jeffrey Ragsdale to Head the Office of Professional Responsibility
  • Press Release: Founder and CEO of Iranian Financial Services Firm Extradited on Money Laundering, Wire Fraud, and Conspiracy Charge
  • Press Release: Attorney General William P. Barr on the Nomination of Justin E. Herdman to Serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Designation of Timothy J. Shea to Serve as Acting Administrator for the DEA

Department of Commerce

  • Press Release: White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) Successfully Holds Virtual Events to Commemorate AAPI Heritage Month
  • Press Release: Secretary of Commerce Allocates $88 Million in Fishery Disaster Funding for Gulf Fishing Communities Affected by 2019 Spillway Opening
  • Blog: Spotlight on Commerce | Thuy Nguyen, IT Specialist, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

  • Press Release: USDA Approves Program to Feed Kids in Colorado, Missouri, and Wyoming

Department of Energy

  • Press Release: S. Department of Energy Issues Request for Information for Water Security Grand Challenge Thermoelectric Cooling Prize

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: S. Department of Labor Issues Final Rule to Simplify Retail or Service Establishment Exemption

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

Synopsis of President Trump’s Tweets

  • May 18 [Pinned]: “This is the letter sent to Dr. Tedros of the World Health Organization. It is self-explanatory”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • May 18: “@FoxNews is no longer the same. We miss the great Roger Ailes. You have more anti-Trump people, by far, than ever before. Looking for a new outlet!”  Retweet:  GmanFan45 @GmanFan45 · 1h · @IngrahamAngle Laura what is the problem with your irresponsible colleague @TeamCavuto ?? Apparently he never read the French study or Dr. Stephen Smith’s experience on this. Your colleagues at @FoxNews might as well be on @cnn because all they do is spew #FakeNews about @POTUS twitter.com/Breaking911/st…
  • May 18: “A fantastic new book, ‘American Crusade’ written by a Great American Patriot, @PeteHegseth — is available tomorrow! Hear more about it as he joins @SeanHannity tonight at 9:00pmE and @foxandfriends tomorrow morning at 8:30amE. Get your copy today!”
  • May 18: “Today we commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Saint John Paul II. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
  • May 18: “OIL (ENERGY) IS BACK!!!!”
  • May 18: “Sleepy Joe  is wrong again!”  Retweet:  Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) @TeamTrump · May 17 · It took TWO MONTHS for Joe Biden to admit that President @realDonaldTrump’s decision to restrict travel from China was the right call. This was a colossal fail on Biden’s part.  America can’t afford Biden’s China-centric approach to every issue.
  • May 18: “So the so-called HHS Whistleblower was against HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE. Then why did he make, and sign, an emergency use authorization? @NorahODonnell said, “He shared his concerns with a reporter.” In other words, he LEAKED. A dumb @60Minutes hit job on a grandstanding Never Trumper!”
  • May 18: “We are with them!”  Retweet:  SBS News @SBSNews · May 17 · India, Japan, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, Russia, and all 27 EU member states are backing Australia’s push for a probe into the COVID-19 pandemic. https://bit.ly/2Zd6wJS
  • May 18: “The Wall Street Journal Editorial states that it doesn’t want me to act in an “impulsive” manner in Afghanistan. Could somebody please explain to them that we have been there for 19 years, and while soldier counts are way down now, hardly impulsive. Besides, the Taliban is…..”
  • May 18: “…..mixed about even wanting us to get out. They make a fortune $$$ by having us stay, and except at the beginning, we never really fought to win. We are more of a police force than the mighty military that we are, especially now as rebuilt. No, I am not acting impulsively!”
  • May 18: “Wow! The Front Page @washingtonpost Headline reads, “A BOOST IN TESTS, BUT LACK OF TAKERS.” We have done a great job on Ventilators, Testing, and everything else. Were left little by Obama. Over 11 million tests, and going up fast. More than all countries in the world, combined.”
  • May 18: “TRANSITION TO GREATNESS”
  • May 18: “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!”
  • May 18: “Yes!”  Retweet:  Daily Caller @DailyCaller · May 17 · Health Secretary Azar Says America ‘Must’ Reopen — ‘It’s Not Health Vs. The Economy, It’s Actually Health Vs. Health’ https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/17/health-secretary-azar-reopen-health-economy/
  • May 18: “True, except to the Fake News Media and a former president who didn’t have a clue!”  Retweet:  One America News @OANN · May 17 · HHS Secy. Azar: America’s Coronavirus Response Has Been Historic https://oann.com/hhs-secy-azar-americas-coronavirus-response-has-been-historic/ #OANN
  • May 18:  “This picture seems like just yesterday when Ronald recieved the Congressional Medal of Honor. What a man!”  Retweet:  U.S. Secret Service @SecretService · May 14 · Today, we lost an American Hero: Husband, Father, Son, Medal of Honor Recipient – Special Agent Ronald J. Shurer II. From a grateful Nation and Agency – your memory and legacy will live on forever. Rest In Peace.”