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*

10:00 a.m. EDT – The President receives the President’s Daily Brief

10:45 a.m. EDT – The President and The Vice President meet with their national security team to hear intelligence, security, and diplomatic updates on the evolving situation in Afghanistan | Situation Room

1:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on remarks on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, SIV applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans; The Vice President also attends | East Room

2:05 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT departs Washington, D.C., en route Wilmington, Delaware

3:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT arrives in Wilmington, Delaware

Upcoming White House Visit:

  • August 26:  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
  • August 30:  Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

10:45 a.m. EDT – the President and the Vice President will meet with their national security team to hear intelligence, security, and diplomatic updates on the evolving situation in Afghanistan | Situation Room

1:00 p.m. EDT – the Vice President will attend when the President delivers remarks on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, SIV applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans | East Room

9:15 p.m. EDT– the Vice President will depart Washington, D.C., en route Singapore.

*The US President (POTUS) and Vice President’s (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change.

Recap of Thursday, August 19, 2021

Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 developments.

The White House

  • Readout of President Joe Biden Call with President Emmanuel Macron of France (re: AFG)
  • Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with House Leadership and Committee Chairs on Build Back Better Agenda
  • Fact Sheet: The Build Back Better Agenda Will Provide Greater Tax Fairness for Small Businesses
  • Statement by President Joe Biden on Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims
  • Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on World Humanitarian Day
  • Appointment: President Biden Intends to Appoint Maria-Elena Giner as Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission | August 20, 2021

Department of Defense (DOD)

  • Transcript: Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing (re: AFG)
  • Transcript: Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing (re: AFG and other matters)
  • Article: Flow of Evacuees out of Kabul Continuing Apace, Officials Say
  • Article: More Than 2,000 Evacuated From Afghanistan in 24 Hours
  • Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Meeting With Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah (re: AFG)
  • Article: S., Qatari Defense Leaders Discuss Afghanistan, Other Issues at Pentagon Meeting
  • Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s Call with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (re: AFG)
  • Contracts for August 19, 2021

Department of State

Afghanistan

  • August 19: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Videoconference with G7 Foreign Ministers and the High Representative of the European Union on Afghanistan
  • August 19: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg
  • August 19: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Spanish Foreign Minister Albares
  • August 19: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar
  • August 19: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Albanian Prime Minister Rama

Other Developments

  • August 19: Sanctions | Sanctioning Cuban Officials in Response to Violence against Peaceful Protestors
  • August 19: Statement | Department of State Offers Reward for Information to Bring Guinea-Bissau Narcotics Trafficker to Justice
  • August 19: Statement | On the Occasion of World Humanitarian Day

August 19:  Transcript | Department Press Briefing

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

  • Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at a UN Security Council Briefing on ISIL/Da’esh
  • Statement by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on World Humanitarian Day

Department of the Treasury

  • Sanctions: Treasury Sanctions Senior Cuban Officials in Response to Violence Against Peaceful Demonstrators
  • Sanctions List Updates: Global Magnitsky Designations
  • Press Release: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Sends Letter with Secretary of the Department of Labor Martin J. Walsh to Congressional Leaders on Unemployment Insurance

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

  • Press Release: SEC Enhances Access to Financial Disclosure Data

Department of Justice

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/ Customs and Border Protection (CBP)/US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)

  • Message from Deputy Secretary John Tien on the Current Situation in Afghanistan
  • Readout of Secretary Mayorkas’ Visit to Miami, Florida
  • Press Release: Coordination Amongst Agencies Leads to Rescue of Six Migrants (California)
  • Press Release: Laredo CBP Officers Seize Methamphetamine Worth Over $20 Million at World Trade Bridge (Texas)
  • Press Release: Checkpoint Agents Arrest 60 Migrants in Three Smuggling Attempts (Texas)
  • Press Release: Border Patrol Arrest Multiple Criminal Migrants (Texas)
  • Press Release: Human Smuggler Crashes into Civilian Vehicle After Leading Law Enforcement on Vehicle Pursuit (Texas)
  • Press Release: CBP to Hold Global Entry Enrollment Event at the Bozeman-Yellowstone Airport (Montana)
  • Press Release: Memphis Seizes Cocaine Found In Hammocks (Tennessee)
  • Press Release: Air and Marine Operations works with partners in Haitian earthquake relief efforts (Florida)
  • Press Release: Cap Reached for Remaining H-2B Visas for Returning Workers for FY 2021
  • Press Release: USCIS Reaches Settlement Agreement in “No Blank Space Rejection Policy” Case

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: FEMA Approves Additional $7.4 Million for Hurricane Michael Recovery (Florida)

Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)

  • Statement from Ambassador Katherine Tai on the Vote by Workers in Silao, Mexico

US International Trade Commission (USITC)

  • Press Release: USITC Makes Determinations in Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews Concerning Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Standard, Line, and Pressure Pipe from China

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

  • Press Release: FTC Alleges Facebook Resorted to Illegal Buy-or-Bury Scheme to Crush Competition After String of Failed Attempts to Innovate

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

  • Press Release: USDA Invests $26 Million in Biofuel Infrastructure to Expand Availability of Higher-Blend Renewable Fuels in 23 States
  • Press Release: USDA Announces Improvements to the Dairy Safety Net and New Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program

Department of Energy (DOE)

  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Energy Announces $61 Million to Advance Breakthroughs in Quantum Information Science

Department of Interior (DOI)

  • Press Release: Interior Department Announces Next Steps for Idaho Onshore Wind Energy Project

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report
  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor, City of Lubbock mark National Safe Digging Day
  • Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor announces $90M in grants to support training, employment services for workers displaced by the pandemic
  • Press Release: Lansing contractor pays 18 subcontracted workers $26K in back wages, fringe benefits after U.S. Department of Labor investigation

Department of Education

  • Press Release: Over 323,000 Federal Student Loan Borrowers to Receive $5.8 Billion in Automatic Total and Permanent Disability Discharges