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 White House had yet to release the President’s schedule.

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

4:00 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT participates in a briefing on Inauguration security | FEMA Headquarters

Recap of Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Note: All bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 and reopening developments.

The White House

  • Statement from the President (urging no violence)
  • Executive Order (E.O.) on Amending Executive Order 13959–Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies
  • Text of a Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate (re: the E.O.)
  • Bills Signed into Law:
    • R. 221, the “Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act,” which elevates the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism;
    • R. 1418, the “Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2020,” which authorizes Federal antitrust oversight of the health insurance industry;
    • R. 1472, which renames the Homestead National Monument of America near Beatrice, Nebraska, as the Homestead National Historical Park;
    • R. 1492, the “Yucca House National Monument Expansion Act,” which authorizes the Department of the Interior to acquire, by donation, an approximately 160- acre parcel of privately-owned land for inclusion within the Yucca House National Monument in Colorado;
    • R. 1923, the “Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020,” which requires Treasury to redesign and issue certain circulating coins to honor prominent American women, the United States Semiquincentennial, and youth sports and the U.S. Paralympics;
    • R. 1925, which designates the Manhattan Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System of the Department of Veterans Affairs as the Margaret Cochran Corbin Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System;
    • R. 2444, the “Eastern European Security Act,” which authorizes the Secretary of State to make direct loans to certain NATO member countries under Section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act;
    • R. 2502, the “Transparency in Federal Buildings Projects Act of 2019,” which requires the General Services Administration to make prospectuses for certain public buildings publicly available on its website;
    • R. 2744, the “USAID Branding Modernization Act,” which authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to use logos and various additional markings, including the U.S. flag, to identify USAID foreign assistance programs abroad;
    • R. 3153, the “Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment Act or the EFFORT Act,” which requires the National Science Foundation to support merit-reviewed and competitively awarded research on the science of opioid addiction;
    • R. 3250, the “Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools Act of 2020,” which requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study of the sites associated with the life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System;
    • R. 4044, the “Protect and Restore America’s Estuaries Act,” which reauthorizes the National Estuary Program through FY 2026;
    • R. 4508, the “Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act,” which directs the U.S. Agency for International Development to award at least 50 percent of Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship Program scholarships to Pakistani women;
    • R. 4704, the “Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act,” which requires the National Science Foundation to support multidisciplinary research with potential relevance to suicide, including potential relevance to prevention and treatment;
    • R. 5126, the “Direct Enhancement of Snapper Conservation and the Economy through Novel Devices Act of 2020 or the DESCEND Act of 2020,” which requires individuals fishing for Gulf reef fish to use certain descending devices;
    • R. 5472, the “Jimmy Carter National Historical Park Redesignation Act,” which redesignates the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia, as the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park;
    • 371, the “Building Up Independent Lives and Dreams Act or the BUILD Act,” which provides charitable organizations with flexibility when making mortgage disclosures;
    • 1310, the “Organization of American States Legislative Engagement Act of 2020,” which strengthens the participation of elected national legislators in the activities of the Organization of American States and reaffirms United States support for Organization of American States human rights and anti-corruption initiatives; and
    • 5076, which authorizes the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate to delegate authority to approve payroll and personnel actions.
  • Disaster Declaration: President Donald J. Trump Approves Connecticut Disaster Declaration
  • Disaster Declaration: President Donald J. Trump Approves Georgia Disaster Declaration
  • Disaster Declaration: President Donald J. Trump Approves Louisiana Disaster Declaration
  • Disaster Declaration: President Donald J. Trump Approves Utah Disaster Declaration

Department of Defense (DOD)

  • Article: Joint Chiefs Stress Service Members’ Commitment to Constitution
  • Statement by Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Doses Delivered Today
  • Publication: Supplemental Guidance for Providing DOD Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccines to DOD Contractor Employees and Select Foreign Nationals
  • Press Release: DOD Releases Report on Defense Spending by State in Fiscal Year 2019
  • Press Release: Department of Defense Announces Establishment of the Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace
  • Article: Trusted Capital Marketplace Reduces Vulnerability to Adversarial Capital
  • Article: DOD’s Autonomous Vessel Sails Through Transit Test
  • Contracts for January 13, 2021

Department of State

  • Daily Schedule | Thursday, January 14
  • January 13: Sanctions | The United States Targets Foundations Controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader
  • January 13: Statement | Terrorist Designation of Abd al-Aziz Malluh Mirjirash al-Muhammadawi
  • January 13: Readout | United States and Vietnam Convene 17 Friends of the Mekong in Support of a Secure, Prosperous, and Open Mekong Region

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

  • Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Mali (via VTC)

Department of the Treasury

  • Press Release: SBA Re-Opening Paycheck Protection Program to Small Lenders on Friday, January 15 and All Lenders on Tuesday, January 19
  • Sanctions: Treasury Targets Billion Dollar Foundations Controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

  • Press Release: Sagar Teotia to Conclude Tenure as SEC Chief Accountant

Department of Justice

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
  • Press Release: Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen’s Video Statement on the Seizure of the U.S. Capitol
  • Press Release: Justice Department Welcomes Passage of The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2020
  • Press Release: Justice Department Settles with New Jersey-Based Staffing Company to Resolve Immigration-Related Discrimination Claims
  • Press Release: Justice Department Publishes Statement on 2016 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Report
  • Press Release: Justice Department Issues Business Review Letter for Proposed University Technology Licensing Program
  • Press Release: Appellate Court Agrees with Government that Supervised Injection Sites are Illegal under Federal Law; Reverses District Court Ruling (re: illegal drugs)
  • Press Release: Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty to Providing Material Support to ISIS
  • Press Release: Texas Woman Indicted for Transporting Minor for Female Genital Mutilation
  • Press Release: Woman Charged in For-Profit Visa Fraud and Alien Smuggling Scheme
  • Press Release: Las Vegas Resident Sentenced to Prison for Elder Fraud Scheme
  • Press Release: Restaurant Chain Manager Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Fraud

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

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: Louisiana Residents Affected by Hurricane Zeta Can Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance
  • Press Release: Hurricane Zeta Survivors: Be Alert to Fraud
  • Press Release: FEMA Provides $1.9 to Allina Health Systems (Minnesota)
  • Press Release: President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Connecticut
  • Press Release: President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Georgia
  • Press Release: President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Utah

Department of Commerce

  • Press Release: Commerce Secretary Signs MOU Establishing U.S. Trade Zone in Kingdom of Bahrain

US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

  • Press Release: DFC Announces $1 Billion W-GDP 2X Asia Initiative

US Export-Import Bank (EXIM)

  • Press Release: EXIM Board Unanimously Approves Two Transactions to Support 500 American Jobs in Hard-Hit Aviation Sector
  • Readout from Chairman Kimberly Reed’s Meeting with Ghana Minister of Finance Kenneth Ofori-Atta

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Reports 29 Mine-Related Deaths in 2020
  • Press Release: Florida Beekeeper Pays $10,487 in Back Wages and Penalties After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Violations of Guest Worker Visa Program
  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $53,841 in Back Wages for Florida Beauty Supply Retailer’s Employees After Finding Wage Violations

Department of Education

  • Press Release: Office for Civil Rights Delivers Annual Report to Congress Highlighting Major Milestones and Achievements in Protecting Students’ Rights

Health & Human Services (HHS)

  • Statement from HHS Chief of Staff Brian Harrison on Promoting Fairness and Transparency in HHS Civil Enforcement Actions

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

  • Press Release: CBP, FDA Seize Counterfeit, Unauthorized E-Cigarettes

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine