This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.
POTUS’ Schedule*
10:05 a.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT receive the President’s Daily Brief | Oval Office
6:15 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT, THE FIRST LADY, THE VICE PRESIDENT, and THE SECOND GENTLEMAN attend a holiday celebration for the Democratic National Committee; THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT deliver remarks
VPOTUS’ Schedule*
10:05 a.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT will receive the President’s Daily Brief | Oval Office
11:30 a.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT and Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen will deliver remarks and participate in a moderated conversation at the Freedman’s Bank Forum | The Department of the Treasury
6:15 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT, THE FIRST LADY, THE VICE PRESIDENT, and THE SECOND GENTLEMAN attend a holiday celebration for the Democratic National Committee; THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT deliver remarks
White House Press Briefing Schedule*
1:00 p.m. EST – Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki | 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 Monday, December 13, 2021
Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 developments.
The White House
U.S. Storm Damage
- Remarks by President Biden After a Briefing on the Federal Response to the Severe Weather that Impacted Several U.S. States
- Disaster Declaration: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Illinois Disaster Declaration
- Emergency Declaration: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Tennessee Emergency Declaration
Foreign Affairs
- Readout of President Biden’s Call with President of Finland Sauli Niinistö
- Press Release: Vice President Kamala Harris Announces New Commitments as Part of the Call to Action for the Private Sector to Deepen Investment in Central America, Now Totaling Over $1.2 Billion
- Readout of Middle East and North Africa Coordinator McGurk’s Travel to Iraq
Other Developments
- Executive Order (E.O.) on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government
- Remarks by President Biden at Signing of Executive Order on Government Services
- Fact Sheet: Putting the Public First | Improving Customer Experience and Service Delivery for the American People (E.O.-related)
- Nomination: President Biden Announces Nominee for Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency | December 14, 2021
- Nominations: President Biden Announces Key Nominees
- Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Transcript: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, December 13, 2021
- Transcript: Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan
Department of Defense (DOD)
- Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Meeting with Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Dr. Arvydas Anušauskas
- Remarks from Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Welcoming Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Dr. Arvydas Anušauskas to the Pentagon
- Article: S., Lithuania Sign Agreement to Further Military Interoperability
- Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Call with Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh
- Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Water Contamination Issues on Oahu
- Readout: Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks Visits Michigan and Colorado
- Transcript: Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing
- Article: DOD Assists in Tornado Recovery, Cleanup
- Article: Digital Memorial Pays Tribute to Service Members Who Died
- Press Release: Defense Department Extends Deadline to Request Adoption Reimbursement
- Contracts for December 13, 2021
Department of State
Daily Schedule | Tuesday, December 14
U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken is on travel to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Hawaii from December 14-17, 2021.
Asia-Pacific
- December 13: SecState Speech | A Free and Open Indo-Pacific
- December 13: Fact Sheet | Secretary Blinken’s Remarks on a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
- December 13: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo
- December 14: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Pandjaitan and Minister of Trade Lutfi
- December 14: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi Before Their Meeting
- December 14: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony
- December 14: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a Press Availability
- December 14: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken to Mission Indonesia Staff
- December 14: Fact Sheet | The United States-Malaysia Relationship
Europe/Eurasia
- December 14: Statement | Commending the European Union’s Sanctions Actions Against Wagner Group and Affiliates
- December 13: Statement | Joint Statement between the United States and Uzbekistan Following the Inaugural Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Dialogue
Africa
- December 13: Statement | Benin: Trial and Sentencing of Political Opponents
- December 13: Sanctions | U.S. Imposes Visa Restrictions on Wildlife Traffickers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Western Hemisphere
- December 13: Statement | Conclusion of the Eleventh Round of the Columbia River Treaty Negotiations (Canada)
Other Developments
- December 14: Advisory | U.S. Government Participation at Virtual UNHCR High-Level Officials Meeting
- December 13: Statement | Afghanistan Relocation and Resettlement Update
- December 13: Transcript | Department Press Briefing
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Readout: Administrator Power’s Meeting with Hong Kong Democracy Activists
- Statement by Administrator Samantha Power (re: E.O.)
US Mission to the United Nations (UN)
- Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield After the Vote on a UN Security Council Resolution on Climate and Security
- Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the Launch of UNFPA Humanitarian Action 2022
- Remarks at a UN Security Council Debate on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
Department of the Treasury
- Readout: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen’s Meeting with G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
- Readout: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen’s Meeting with the Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America
Department of Justice
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
- Speech: Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Delivers Remarks at the Democracy Fund’s Language Access for Voters Summit
- Press Release: Deadline Extended for Submitting Comments on Draft Policy Statement on Licensing Negotiations and Remedies for Standards-Essential Patents Subject to F/RAND Commitments
- Press Release: Man Pleads Guilty Sexual Assault of Child in Grenada
- Press Release: Leaders of the Lorenzana Drug Trafficking Organization Extradited on International Narcotics Trafficking Charges
- Press Release: Fugitive Extradited from Cameroon to the United States to Serve 80 Year Prison Sentence
- Press Release: Justice Department Obtains Settlement from Kentucky Landlords to Resolve Claims of Sexual Harassment Against Female Tenants
- Press Release: Georgia Woman Pleads Guilty to Promoting Nationwide Tax Fraud Scheme
- Press Release: New Jersey Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Promoting Tax Fraud Scheme
- Press Release: Virginia Business Owner Charged with $1.5 Million Employment Tax Fraud
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Statement from Secretary Mayorkas on President Biden’s Customer Experience Executive Order
- Press Release: Secretary Mayorkas Swears in Chris Magnus as CBP Commissioner
- Press Release: Immigration Help Available to Those Affected by Natural Disasters and Other Unforeseen Circumstances
- Press Release: Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents Halt Two Human Smuggling Attempts (Texas)
- Press Release: Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents Arrest Multiple Passport Imposters (Texas)
- Press Release: RGC Agents Encounter a Large Group and Witness a Car Filled With Migrants Crash In Roma, Texas (Texas)
- Press Release: Over $236K Worth of Marijuana Seized by Border Patrol (Texas)
- Press Release: Cincinnati CBP Seize Fake Jewelry and Scarves Worth over $3 Million (Ohio)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Press Release: FEMA Administrator Swears in Erik Hooks as Deputy Administrator
- Link to other FEMA press releases
Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)
- Readout of Ambassador Katherine Tai, Ambassador Sarah Bianchi, and A/USTR Hamilton’s Meeting with African Continental Free Trade Area Secretary General Wamkele Mene and African Union Ambassador Suka Mafudze [Note: readout is not yet posted to USTR’s website]
Department of Commerce
- Fact Sheet: U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED)
- Press Release: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo Announces Finalists for $1 Billion “Build Back Better Regional Challenge”
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Press Release: Phantom Debt Collectors Permanently Banned from Industry in FTC Settlement
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Press Release: USDA Announces Additional Farm Service Agency and Rural Development State Directors
Department of Energy (DOE)
- Press Release: ICYMI | Secretary Granholm Traveled to Illinois to Highlight the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Department of Interior (DOI)
- Press Release: Winnie Stachelberg Joins Interior Department as Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Press Release: EPA Opens $20 Million Grant Competition for Community Air Pollution Monitoring
- Link to other daily EPA press releases
Department of Transportation
- Press Release: News Conference on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $25 Million Federal Grant to Revitalize the Manchester Millyard
Department of Labor
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor recovers $90K in back wages for 33 workers at Laurel, Petal auto repair shops after investigation finds violations
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor recovers $135K in back wages, damages after investigation finds Washington restaurant willfully violated overtime rules
- Press Release: History of violations | Dollar General continues to put workers at risk; company faces $321K in penalties after recent Alabama inspection
Department of Education
- Statement by Secretary Cardona on President Biden’s Executive Order on Improving Customer Experience and Government Services for the American People
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Announces $182 Million in Education Innovation and Research Grants to Improve Academic Achievement for Underserved Students
