US executive branch text over image of White HouseThis report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.

POTUS’ Schedule*

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

The President has no public events scheduled.

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

9:15 a.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT departs Washington, D.C., en route West Palm Beach, FL, on Air Force Two

11:25 a.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT arrives in West Palm Beach, FL, on Air Force Two

12:00 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit | West Palm Beach, FL

1:45 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT departs West Palm Beach, FL, en route Washington, D.C., on Air Force Two

3:50 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT arrives in Washington, D.C., on Air Force Two

Recap of Monday, December 21, 2020

Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 and reopening developments.

The White House

  • Readout from the Trump Administration’s 45th Governors Briefing on COVID-19 Response & Best Practices
  • Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture
  • Bill Signed into Law | December 22:
    • R. 1520, the “Further Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021,” which provides fiscal year (FY) 2021 appropriations to Federal agencies through Monday, December 28, 2020, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government.
  • Bills Signed into Law | December 21:
    • (Naming of 18 U.S. Postal Service Buildings and one Courthouse)
  • Disaster Declaration: President Donald J. Trump Approves Oklahoma Disaster Declaration

Department of Defense (DOD)

  • Article: Pfizer, Moderna Produce COVID-19 Vaccine
  • Article: Army Nurse Receives First COVID-19 Vaccine at Brooke Army Medical Center
  • Press Release: DOD Awards $4.8 Million Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity to a Calibre Scientific Subsidiary, Anatrace, to Increase Domestic Production Capacity of COVID-19 Testing Reagents
  • Press Release: Defense Department Codifies National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual in Regulation
  • Contracts for December 21, 2020

Department of State

  • Daily Schedule | Tuesday, December 22
  • December 21: Sanctions | Additional Restrictions on the Issuance of Visas for People’s Republic of China Officials Engaged in Human Rights Abuses
  • December 21: Sanctions | Additions of Cuban Military-Owned Companies to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List
  • December 21: Sanctions | The United States Sanctions a Nicaraguan Police Chief, a Member of the Nicaraguan Judiciary, and Another Member of Ortega’s Inner Circle
  • December 21: Statement | Eric Ueland Designated Authorities and Functions of Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
  • December 21: Statement | On Nathan Sales’ Service as Senior Official, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

  • Press Release: The United States Is Providing Immediate Assistance to Respond to Tropical Cyclone Yasa in the Republic of Fiji
  • Press Release: Update on USAID’s Transformation | The New Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI)

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

  • Advisory: Ambassador Kelly Craft Travels to Israel (22-24 Dec)
  • Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East (via VTC)

Department of the Treasury

  • Sanctions: Treasury Sanctions Three Nicaraguan Officials Supporting Ortega Regime
  • Sanctions: Treasury Identifies Cuban State-Owned Businesses for Sanctions Evasion

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

  • Press Release: SEC Charges Company and CEO for $119 Million Securities Fraud Targeting Members of the South Asian American Community
  • Press Release: SEC Names John Moses as Deputy Director of Office of Investor Education and Advocacy
  • Press Release: P. Kothari to Conclude Tenure As SEC Chief Economist and Division of Economic and Risk Analysis Director

Department of Justice

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
  • Speech: Attorney General William P. Barr Delivers Remarks at the Pan Am 103 Press Conference
  • Press Release: Former Senior Libyan Intelligence Officer and Bomb-Maker for the Muamar Qaddafi Regime Charged for The December 21, 1988 Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
  • Press Release: S. Trustee Program Announces Streamlined Forms for Completing Chapter 11 Financial Reports
  • Press Release: Government Contractor Admits Scheme to Inflate Costs on Federal Projects and Pays $11 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Probes
  • Press Release: Two Owners of New York Pharmacies Charged in a $30 Million COVID-19 Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Case
  • Press Release: Atlanta Tax Professionals Plead Guilty to Promoting Syndicated Conservation Easement Tax Scheme Involving More Than $1.2 Billion in Fraudulent Charitable Deductions

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • Readout: Acting Secretary Wolf Addresses the Chinese Threat at Heritage Foundation
  • Speech: Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf Remarks as Prepared | Homeland Security And The China Challenge

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Oklahoma
  • Press Release: FEMA, Department of Labor Create Job Corps Emergency Management Advance Training Program (Washington, D.C.)
  • Press Release: FEMA Home Inspection Part of Disaster Assistance Process (Alabama)
  • Press Release: FEMA Helpline Will Close for Christmas and New Year’s Holidays but Registration Will Still Be Available for Hurricane Zeta Survivors (Alabama)

Department of Commerce

  • Press Release: Commerce Department Will Publish the First Military End User List Naming More Than 100 Chinese and Russian Companies

US International Trade Commission (USITC)

  • Press Release: USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Radio Frequency (“RFID”) Products, Components Thereof, and Products Containing the Same
  • Press Release: USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Vehicle Control Systems, Vehicles Containing the Same, and Components Thereof
  • Press Release: USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Polycrystalline Diamond Compacts and Articles Containing Same

US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

  • Press Release: DFC And Rockefeller Foundation Sign MOU to Invest in Solutions to End Energy Poverty
  • Press Release: DFC Announces $54 Million for India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund

US Export-Import Bank (EXIM)

  • Readout from EXIM Chairman Kimberly Reed’s Call with U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

  • Press Release: Secretary Perdue Announces Groundbreaking Proposal to Transfer Agricultural Animal Biotechnology Regulatory Framework to USDA

Department of Energy

  • Press Release: Department of Energy Announces Eight New Projects Through BIRD Energy Partnership with Israel
  • Press Release: Department of Energy Releases Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap

Department of Transportation

  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Transportation Grants Final Approval of, and Antitrust Immunity for, Addition of Aer Lingus to Oneworld Transatlantic Joint Venture

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: Louisiana Electrical Contractor Pays $22,501 in Back Wages After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Failure to Pay Fringe Benefits
  • Press Release: ICYMI | U.S. Department of Labor Acts to Help American Workers And Employers During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Health & Human Services (HHS)

  • Statement: U.S. Surgeon General Calls for COVID-19 Survivors to Donate Plasma

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

  • Press Release: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update | December 21, 2020
  • Press Release: FDA Approves First Adjuvant Therapy for Most Common Type of Lung Cancer
  • Press Release: FDA Approves Prosthetic Implant for Above-the-Knee Amputations
  • Press Release: FDA Approves First Oral Hormone Therapy for Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine