This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.
POTUS’ Schedule*
9:50 a.m. EDT – The President and The Vice President receive the President’s Daily Brief | Oval Office
3:00 p.m. EDT – The President meets with six Dreamers with DACA who work in health care, education, and agriculture | Oval Office
4:30 p.m. EDT – The President receives the Weekly Economic Briefing | Oval Office
VPOTUS’ Schedule*
9:50 a.m. EDT – the Vice President will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the Oval Office
In the afternoon, the Vice President will travel to New York, New York, and join the Second Gentleman for their daughter’s graduation.
White House Press Briefing Schedule*
12:30 p.m. EDT – Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse | James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
*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, May 13, 2021
Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19, the American Jobs Plan and reopening developments.
The White House
- Readout of Oval Office Meeting with Senators Capito, Barrasso, Blunt, Crapo, Toomey, and Wicker (re: infrastructure)
- Remarks by President Biden Before a Meeting on Infrastructure
- Remarks by President Biden on the Colonial Pipeline Incident
- Remarks by President Biden on the COVID-19 Response and the Vaccination Program
- Transcript: Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
- Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration to Invest $7 Billion from American Rescue Plan to Hire and Train Public Health Workers in Response to COVID-19
- Remarks by Vice President Harris and Secretary Marty Walsh Before Inaugural Meeting of the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment
- Transcript: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, May 13, 2021
- Nomination: President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate Catherine Lhamon for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education
- Nomination Sent to the Senate
- Disaster Declaration: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves West Virginia Disaster Declaration
- Disaster Declaration: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Hawaii Disaster Declaration
Department of Defense (DOD)
- Readout of Undersecretary of Defense Dr. Colin H. Kahl Meeting With Israeli Ministry of Defense Director of Policy Zohar Palti
- Joint Press Statement for the 19th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue
- Article: Pentagon, NATO Demonstrate Transparency Officials Want Russia to Emulate
- Article: Nuclear Deterrence Remains Department’s Highest Priority Mission
- Article: Speed, Integration Needed to Deter China, Russia, Vice Chairman Says
- Article: Deputy Defense Secretary Travels to Texas With Focus on Innovation, Modernization
- Press Release: Department of Defense Releases Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military
- Article: Members of DOD Must Work Together to Change Toxic Climates, Cultures
- Contracts for May 13, 2021
Department of State
- Daily Schedule | Friday, May 14
- May 13: Statement | U.S.-ROK Pledge to Increase Cooperation on ASEAN and Southeast Asia
- May 13: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Australian Foreign Minister and Minister for Women Marise Payne At a Joint Press Availability
- May 13: Statement | U.S. Department of State and Google Launch Women Tech Founders Program
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Readout: Administrator Samantha Power’s Meetings on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance
Department of the Treasury
- Press Release: Treasury Distributes $742 million to States and Territories through Homeowner Assistance Fund
Department of Justice
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
- Press Release: Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down San Diego Return Preparer
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)/US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Statement on the Approval of an Additional Jones Act Waiver in Response to Eastern Seaboard Oil Supply Constraints (re: Colonial Pipeline)
- Press Release: CISA Launches a Space Systems Critical Infrastructure Working Group
- Press Release: Yuma Sector Canine Sniffs Out Fentanyl (Arizona)
- Press Release: CBP Officers Stop Two Juvenile Drug Smugglers Wednesday (Texas)
- Press Release: CBP Officers at Pharr International Bridge Discover Half Ton of Marijuana in Trailer (Texas)
- Press Release: Dulles CBP Officer’s Referral Leads to Seizure of $101k in Unreported Currency, Prohibited Agriculture, Immigration Violation (Virginia)
- Press Release: USCIS Temporarily Suspends Biometrics Requirement for Certain Form I-539 Applicants
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Press Release: More Than One Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered at Federally Run and Supported Sites Across FEMA Region 3’s Mid-Atlantic States
- Press Release: Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine now available at the Greenbelt Community Vaccination Center in Maryland
- Press Release: FEMA News Release: FEMA, VDH partner to allow for ages 12-15 to be vaccinated, additional clinics operational (Virginia)
- Press Release: FEMA Supported Site in Philadelphia to Administer Pfizer Vaccines to Teens Ages 12-15 (Pennsylvania)
- Press Release: Proposed City and County of Denver Flood Map Reflects Changes to Local Flood Risk, Insurance Rates (Colorado)
- Press Release: Winter Storm Survivors in Muskogee County Can Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance (Oklahoma)
- Press Release: What to Expect after Applying with FEMA (Tennessee)
- Press Release: FEMA Urges You to Spend Disaster Funds Wisely (Alabama)
- Press Release: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Hawaii
- Press Release: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for West Virginia
- Press Release: It’s Time to Prepare for Hurricane Season
Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)
- Congressional Testimony of Ambassador Katherine Tai Before the House of Ways and Means Committee Hearing on the President’s Trade Agenda
- Readout of Ambassador Katherine Tai’s Virtual Meeting With Minister Ebrahim Patel of South Africa About Increasing Vaccine Production and Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic
US International Trade Commission (USITC)
- Press Release: USITC Votes to Continue Investigations Concerning Walk-Behind Snow Throwers from China
- Press Release: USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Fitness Devices, Streaming Components Thereof, and Systems Containing Same
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Press Release: FCC to Hold Open Commission Meeting Thursday, May 20, 2021
- Press Release: FCC Grants Additional Rural Tribal Spectrum Licenses
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the Confirmation of Dr. Jewel Bronaugh as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Press Release: Interior and Agriculture Departments Outline Wildland Fire Preparedness, Climate Resiliency Plans
- Press Release: USDA to Purchase $159.4 Million in Nutritious Consumer-Ready Seafood and More for Food Assistance Programs
Department of Interior (DOI)
- Press Release: Interior and Agriculture Departments Outline Wildland Fire Preparedness, Climate Resiliency Plans
- Press Release: Interior Department Initiates Next Steps for Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program Selections
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Press Release: EPA Rescinds Unnecessary Benefit-Cost Rule
- Press Release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, and State Partners Announce Winners of International Challenge Seeking Innovative Ways to Destroy PFAS in Firefighting Foam
- Press Release: EPA Announces the 2021 Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award Winners
- Link: Other Daily EPA Press Releases
Department of Transportation
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Transportation Names Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I Award Recipients
Department of Labor
- Press Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor announces 18-month delay to rule affecting prevailing wage for certain immigrants, non-immigrants
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor announces ‘America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion’ is 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme
- Press Release: OSHA, Maine Brewers’ Guild, Maine Department of Labor’s Workplace Safety and Health Division partner to promote worker safety
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor recovers more than $530K in back wages after investigation finds Florida employer missed multiple payrolls
Department of Education
- Statement by Secretary Cardona on President Biden’s Nomination of Catherine Lhamon
- Press Release: Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Denies Reinstatement Application of For-Profit Law School
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Announces 161 Students from Across the Country As 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars
- Press Release: Secretary Cardona Holds Virtual Roundtable with Members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community | May 12, 2021
- Press Release: Department of Education Launches Outreach Campaign to Millions of K-12 Students and Federal Pell Grant Recipients Now Eligible for Monthly Discounts on Broadband Internet Service | May 12, 2021
Health & Human Services (HHS)
- Statement from Secretary Becerra on Visit to Emergency Intake Site in Long Beach, California (re: border crisis)
- Press Release: CMS Issues Guidance on American Rescue Plan Funding for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services
Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
- Press Release: FDA Releases Investigation Report Following 2020 Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Red Onions
- Press Release: FDA Continues to Monitor the Effects of Magnets in Consumer Electronics on Implanted Medical Devices
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