This 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
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 webpage
- Department of Defense COVID-19 webpage
- Department of State COVID-19 Travel Advisory webpage
- Office of Personnel Management COVID-19 webpage
- Food and Drug Administration COVID-19 webpage
- Department of Homeland Security Employee COVID-19 webpage
- Department of Labor COVID-19 webpage
- USAGov COVID-19 webpage
Non-USG COVID Webpages
Johns Hopkins University & Medicine
- Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker (tracks vaccine distribution in the United States)
- Coronavirus Resource Center