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*

9:40 a.m. EST – The President and The First Lady depart the White House en route Joint Base Andrews

10:00 a.m. EST – The President and The First Lady depart Washington, D.C., en route Houston, Texas

1:00 p.m. EST – The President and The First Lady arrive in Houston, Texas (12:00 PM Local) | Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base

1:55 p.m. EST – The President tours Harris County Emergency Operations Center (12:55 PM Local) | Houston, TX

3:20 p.m. EST – The President and The First Lady tour Houston Food Bank and meet volunteers (2:20 PM Local)

6:00 p.m. EST – The President delivers remarks at the FEMA COVID-19 vaccination facility at NRG Stadium; The First Lady also attends (5:00 PM Local) | Houston, Texas

7:00 p.m. EST – The President and The First Lady depart Houston, Texas, en route Washington, D.C. (6:00 PM Local) | Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base

9:40 p.m. EST – The President and The First Lady arrive at Joint Base Andrews

10:00 p.m. EST – The President and The First Lady arrive at the White House | South Lawn

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

The Vice President will be in Washington, D.C.; has no public events scheduled

White House Press Briefing Schedule*

11:00 a.m. EST – Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and public health officials | The White House

11:30 a.m. EST – Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Gaggle on Air Force One | Joint Base Andrews

*The US President (POTUS) and Vice President’s (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change, as is the White House press briefing schedule.


Recap of Thursday, February 25, 2021

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

The White House

  • Statement by President Biden on the Anniversary of Russia’s Illegal Invasion of Ukraine | February 26, 2021
  • Readout of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Call with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia
  • Readout of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Call with President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya
  • Remarks by President Biden at the National Governors Association’s Winter Meeting
  • Remarks by President Biden at an Event Commemorating the 50 Millionth COVID-19 Vaccine Shot
  • Statement by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (re: Senate Parliamentarian decision on the $15 per hour federal minimum wage increase in the American Rescue Plan)
  • Transcript: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, February 25, 2021

Department of Defense (DOD)

  • Press Release: US Conducts Defensive Precision Strike
  • Article: US Conducts Defensive Airstrikes Against Iranian-backed Militia in Syria
  • Article: Austin Praises Nimitz Carrier Strike Group for Record-Breaking Deployment
  • Article: US Access to Space Is a Vital National Interest
  • Article: Austin Praises ‘Whole-of-Government, All-of-Nation’ Effort Against COVID-19
  • Article: Wolfpack Soldiers Set Sights on COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Article: DOD Officials Provide COVID-19 Response Update
  • Article: Secretary of Defense Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy in Military
  • Press Release: Department of Defense Releases Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies for Academic Program Year 2019-2020
  • Contracts for February 25, 2021

Department of State

  • Daily Schedule | Friday, February 26
  • February 25: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud
  • February 25: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister al-Sabah
  • February 25: Statement | On the Occasion of Kuwait’s National Day and Liberation Day
  • February 25: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Dutch Foreign Minister Blok
  • February 25: Statement | Crimea Is Ukraine
  • February 25: Statement | Religious Freedom Concerns in Russia
  • February 25: Sanctions | Designation of Former Prosecutor General Dobroslav Trnka of the Slovak Republic for Involvement in Significant Corruption
  • February 25: Advisory | Secretary Blinken’s Virtual Travel to Mexico and Canada
  • February 25: Transcript | Department Press Briefing – February 25, 2021
  • February 25: Transcript | Briefing with Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Julie J. Chung On Secretary Blinken’s Upcoming Virtual Trip to Canada and Mexico

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

  • Explanation of Vote on a UN Security Council Resolution Renewing Yemen Sanctions
  • Remarks at the UN Security Council Stakeout Following the Presentation of Credentials to the UN Secretary-General
  • Remarks at the Ad-Hoc Working Group Meeting for General Assembly Revitalization (via VTC)
  • Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in Syria (via VTC)

Department of the Treasury

  • Readout: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen’s Meeting with Bi-Partisan Small-Town Mayors
  • Press Release: Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Opens Funding Round for CDFI Rapid Response Program
  • Letter from Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen to G20 Colleagues
  • Press Release: Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Advances Its Work on Operational Measures to Prosecute Terrorist Financing and Virtual Assets

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

  • Press Release: SEC Issues Whistleblower Awards Totaling Over $1.7 Million

Department of Justice

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
  • Press Release: Two Doctors Charged in Illegal Opioid Distribution and Health Care Fraud Conspiracy
  • Press Release: Former Air Force Contractor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Taking 2,500 Pages of Classified Information

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

  • Press Release: Secretary Mayorkas Delivers Remarks at the 2nd Annual President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition
  • Press Release: DHS Announces Funding Opportunity for $1.87 Billion in Preparedness Grants
  • Press Release: USBP Intercepts Human Smuggler’s Flight (California)
  • Press Release: USBP Agents Locate, Arrest Attempted Murder Suspect (California)
  • Press Release: Group of 130 Illegal Aliens Arrested in Mission (Texas)
  • Press Release: Quick Action by Laredo Sector Border Patrol Saves Individual From Hypothermia (Texas)
  • Press Release: Black History Month in New Orleans with Assistant Director of Field Operations Terence Hudson (Louisiana)
  • Press Release: CBP Seizes Large Shipment of Designer Watches, Again, Worth $15M (Kentucky)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: FEMA Expands its Reinsurance Program by Transferring $575 Million in Flood Risk to Capital Markets (Washington, D.C.)
  • Press Release: Oklahomans Affected by Winter Weather Can Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance
  • Press Release: FEMA to Evaluate Readiness of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
  • Press Release: FEMA Region 3 Awards More Than $1.2B to Reimburse States for COVID-19 Costs
  • Press Release: FEMA Provides $179 Million to Virginia for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
  • Press Release: FEMA Awards Over $64 Million to Rhode Island for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)

  • Press Release: What They Are Saying | Katherine Tai is an Experienced Trailblazer Who Deserves Swift Confirmation

Department of Commerce

  • Press Release: US Department of Commerce Announces Additional Biden-Harris Administration Appointments | February 26, 2021
  • Blog: Spotlight on Commerce | Tamarind Murietta, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial Service in Mozambique
  • Blog: Spotlight on Commerce | Shahara Warren, Supervisory Consumer Safety Officer, Fisheries Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

US International Trade Commission (USITC)

  • Press Release: USITC Votes to Continue Investigations Concerning Pentafluoroethane (R-125) from China
  • Press Release: USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Robotic Floor Cleaning Devices and Components Thereof

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

  • Press Release: USDA Invests $42 Million in Distance Learning and Telemedicine Infrastructure to Improve Education and Health Outcomes

Department of Energy

  • Press Release: Jennifer M. Granholm Sworn in as 16th Secretary of Energy

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • Press Release: EPA Southeast Supports Texas Water System Recovery
  • Press Release: EPA to Review Cleanups at Seven New England Superfund Sites This Year
  • Press Release: US Government Calls for End of Disposing Solid Waste at Puerto Rico Municipal Landfill

Department of Transportation

  • Joint Statement by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada on the Nexus between Transportation and Climate Change
  • Press Release: Air Travel Consumer Report: December 2020, Full Year 2020 Numbers
  • Press Release: US Department of Transportation Announces $908 Million Loan for the Silver Line Regional Rail Project in Dallas

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report
  • Press Release: US Department of Labor awards $1.7M incremental funding to Guam for grant supporting employment amid coronavirus pandemic
  • Press Release: US Department of Labor guidance to state UI programs expands eligibility for workers who declined work due to pandemic safety concerns
  • Press Release: US Department of Labor awards $5M grant to reduce child labor in Ethiopia’s coffee fields using a gender-focused approach
  • Press Release: US Department of Labor collaborates with Brasfield & Gorrie to promote workplace safety at Florida construction site
  • Press Release: OSHA signs alliance with South Dakota One Call, SDSU Engineering Extension Program to train, protect workers from excavation hazards

Health & Human Services (HHS)

  • Press Release: OCR Resolves Three Discrimination Complaints After Medstar Health System Ensures Patients With Disabilities Can Have Support Persons in Health Care Settings During Covid-19 Pandemic

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

  • Press Release: FDA Allows More Flexible Storage, Transportation Conditions for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
  • Press Release: FDA Approves Targeted Treatment for Rare Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Mutation

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine