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.

6:10 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route to Dalton, GA

7:00 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT attends the Republican National Committee’s Victory Rally featuring Senator David Perdue, Senator Kelly Loeffler, and other Republicans | Dalton, GA

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

9:05 a.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT departs Washington, D.C., en route to Macon, GA, on Air Force Two | Joint Base Andrews

10:50 a.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT arrives in Macon, GA, on Air Force Two | Middle Georgia Regional Airport

12:05 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at a Georgia Faith Community Call to Action | Milner, GA

2:10 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT departs Macon, GA, en route Washington, D.C., on Air Force Two | Middle Georgia Regional Airport

3:40 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT arrives in Washington, D.C., on Air Force Two

Recap of Thursday, December 31, 2020 – Sunday, January 3, 2021

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

The White House

  • Nominations: Thirty Nominations Sent to the Senate | January 3, 2021
  • Presidential Veto Message to the United States Senate for S. 906, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act | January 1, 2021
  • Bill Signed into Law | January 1, 2021:
    • 3418, the “Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act” or the “STORM Act,” which authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide capitalization grants to States to establish revolving funds to provide hazard mitigation assistance to reduce risks from disasters and natural hazards.
  • Presidential Message on National Stalking Awareness Month, 2021 | January 1, 2021
  • Presidential Message on National Mentoring Month, 2021 | January 1, 2021
  • Executive Order on Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay | December 31, 2020
  • Presidential Proclamation on Suspension of Entry of Immigrants and Nonimmigrants Who Continue to Present a Risk to the United States Labor Market | December 31, 2020
  • Presidential Permit | December 31, 2020 (re: border facilities permit in Texas, constructing the U.S. portion of a new bridge adjacent to the Pharr International Bridge)
  • Bills Signed into Law | December 31, 2020:
    • 461, the “HBCU Propelling Agency Relationships Towards a New Era of Results for Students Act,” which requires Federal agencies to submit annual plans on increasing the participation of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in their programs and to establish the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs;
    • 914, the “Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2020,” which reauthorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Integrated Ocean Observing System through fiscal year 2025; modifies requirements related to the Named Storm Event Model and post-storm assessments; and requires the Commerce Department to establish a National Water Center;
    • 979, the “Federal Advance Contracts Enhancement Act or the FACE Act,” which requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit a report to the Congress on advance contracts, which are established prior to disasters in order to be able to quickly provide life-sustaining goods and services in the immediate aftermath of a disaster;
    • 1130, the “Scarlett’s Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act,” which authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to develop, maintain, or support programs that address sudden unexpected infant death and sudden unexpected death in childhood;
    • 1342, the “Great Lakes Environmental Sensitivity Index Act of 2020,” which requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to update at least once every seven years its environmental sensitivity index products for each coastal area of the Great Lakes;
    • 1694, the “One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act,” which requires National Aeronautics and Space Administration to add recommendations and inform other relevant Federal agencies of information relating to the principle of due regard and the limitation of harmful interference with historic Apollo lunar landing site artifacts;
    • 1869, the “Secure Federal Leases from Espionage And Suspicious Entanglements Act or the Secure Federal LEASEs Act,” which requires Federal lessees, before entering into a lease agreement or approving a novation agreement for high-security leased space, to require an entity to identify the immediate or highest-level owner of the space and disclose whether that owner is a foreign person or entity;
    • 2174, the “Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act of 2019,” which authorizes the Justice Department to award grants to certain entities to further efforts related to missing persons and unidentified remains;
    • 2216, the “Transparency and Effective Accountability Measures for Veteran Caregivers Act or the TEAM Veteran Caregivers Act,” which requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally recognize veterans’ caregivers, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to caregiver program eligibility, and provide time-limited benefits for veterans who are determined ineligible for the program;
    • 2683, the “Child Care Protection Improvement Act of 2020,” which establishes a task force to assist Federal and State agencies in implementing federally required background checks for child care staff;
    • 2730, the “Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century Act,” which requires the Federal Aviation Administration to take steps to encourage direct representation of certain interests on the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) and public participation in the nomination of DAC members;
    • 3312, the “Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act of 2020,” which authorizes the Justice Department to award grants for State and local correctional facilities to provide clinical services for people with serious mental illness who need post-release mental health services; and
    • 3989, the “United States Semiquincentennial Commission Amendments Act of 2020,” which amends the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016 to modify certain membership and other requirements of the Commission.
  • Signing Statement by the President | December 31, 2020 (re: S. 3989, the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Amendments Act of 2020)
  • Signing Statement by the President | December 31, 2020 (re: S. 914, the Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2020)
  • Disaster Declaration: President Donald J. Trump Approves Mississippi Disaster Declaration | December 31, 2020
  • Proclamation on National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2021 | December 31, 2020

Department of Defense (DOD)

  • Statement by Acting Secretary Miller on Iranian Threats and the USS Nimitz | January 3, 2021
  • Press Release: USS Nimitz Returns to Home Port | December 31, 2020
  • Article: After 75 Years, Veteran Will Receive Honors for WWII Service
  • Press Release: This Week in Operation Warp Speed – Dec. 31, 2020
  • Press Release: Defense Department Statement on COVID-19 Distribution Plan
  • Article: Cormac the Llama Yields Antibodies That May Prove Effective Against COVID-19
  • Contracts for December 31, 2020

Department of State

  • Daily Schedule | Monday, January 4
  • January 3: Travel Advisory | Special Envoy Rayburn Travel to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan
  • January 3: Travel Advisory | Assistant Secretary Schenker Travel to Jordan, Algeria, and Morocco
  • January 1: Statement | Removing the Cuban Military’s Grip from Cuba’s Banking Sector
  • December 31: Statement | U.S. Vote Against the United Nations 2021 Program Budget
  • December 31: Statement | On the Fate of the “Hong Kong 12”
  • December 31: Statement | Aryeh Lightstone Designated as U.S. Special Envoy for Economic Normalization
  • December 31: Statement | Haiti’s Independence Day
  • December 31: Statement | Under Secretary Krach Announces Winners of the 2020 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

Department of the Treasury

Department of Justice

January 1, 2021

  • Statement of the Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen on the Death of Former Attorney General Richard (Dick) Thornburgh

December 31, 2020

  • Press Release: TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp. Agrees to Pay $179.7 Million to Resolve Overpayments from the Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Press Release: Justice Department Settles with Indiana School District to Resolve Disability Discrimination Investigation into School Seclusion and Restraint Practices

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

  • Travel Advisory: Acting Secretary Wolf Traveling to Middle East to Meet with Regional Counterparts
  • Press Release: DHS Releases Detailed Immigration Data
  • Press Release: CBP Issues Withhold Release Order on Seafood Harvested with Forced Labor by Lien Yi Hsing No. 12 (Washington, D.C.)
  • Press Release: Winter Storm Leads to Humanitarian Rescues Throughout Big Bend Sector (Texas)
  • Press Release: Laredo CBP Officers Apprehend Fugitive Sought for Aggravated Assault (Texas)
  • Press Release: 10K Drug Paraphernalia “Dabbers” Intercepted by CBP Officers in Chicago (Illinois)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Mississippi
  • Press Release: FEMA Reimburses nearly $7 million to Massachusetts for COVID-19 Food Security Response

US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

US Export-Import Bank (EXIM)

  • Joint Statement of the Export-Import Bank of the United States and Qatar Investment Authority
  • Joint Statement of the Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Qatar Development Bank
  • Travel Advisory: EXIM Chairman Kimberly Reed to Visit Qatar, Oman, and Sudan to Underscore U.S. Economic Commitment to the Region (Jan. 2-7, 2021)
  • Press Release: Luke J. Lindberg Appointed Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at Export-Import Bank of the United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

  • Press Release: USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue Issues Proclamation Honoring Longtime Broadcaster Orion Samuelson
  • Press Release: USDA Approves Maine to Accept SNAP Benefits Online

Department of Energy

  • Press Release: Department of Energy Extends Fourth Set of LNG Export Authorizations Through 2050

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report
  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Publishes Guidance on Expiration of Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave for Coronavirus
  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $3,849,222 In Coronavirus Violations
  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Issues Two Wage and Hour Opinion Letters on Fair Labor Standards Act Compliance
  • Press Release: City of Tipton, Indiana, Pays $91,924 in Overtime Back Wages To 15 Firefighters Following U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine