This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.
POTUS’ Schedule*
8:20 a.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT departs Wilmington, Delaware, en route the White House | Biden Residence, Wilmington, DE
9:15 a.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House | South Lawn
10:10 a.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT receives the President’s Daily Brief | The White House
12:45 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT has lunch with The Vice President | Private Dining Room
1:30 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT meets with members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant | Oval Office
VPOTUS’ Schedule*
12:45 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT will have lunch with the President in the Private Dining Room
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 Friday-Sunday, December 17-19, 2021
Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 developments.
The White House
December 19, 2021
- Statement from Press Secretary Jen Psaki (re: Senator Manchin)
- Statement by President Joe Biden on the Passing of Former Senator Johnny Isakson
December 17, 2021
- Readout of AUKUS Joint Steering Group Meetings
- Transcript: Background Press Call on Broad Middle East Regional Year-End Discussion | December 17, 2021
- Remarks by President Biden at South Carolina State University’s 2021 Fall Commencement Ceremony
- Transcript: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jen Psaki En Route Orangeburg, SC
- Transcript: Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
- Nominations: President Biden Announces Two Key Nominees
- Appointments: President Biden Announces Key Regional Appointments for USDA, HUD, and FEMA
- Nomination Sent to the Senate
- Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration Advances Equity and Opportunity for Black People and Communities Across the Country
- Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration’s Historic Investments and Support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- Blog: Six Ways to Welcome Our Afghan Allies
Department of Defense (DOD)
- Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Call With German Federal Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht
- Transcript: Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing
- Readout: Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks Visits U.S. Strategic Command
- Remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at a Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony for Three Medal of Honor Recipients (As Delivered)
- Article: Secretary of Defense Austin Spoke at Hall of Heroes Inductees’ Ceremony
- Article: Biden Awards Medal of Honor to Soldiers
- Article: Austin Honors Three Medal of Honor Recipients
- Article: Meet the 2021 USO Service Members of the Year
- Contracts for December 17, 2021
Department of State
- Daily Schedule | Monday, December 20
Europe
- December 17: Transcript | Senior Administration Official on U.S. Diplomatic Engagement Regarding Our Ongoing Commitment to Ukraine’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity, and Independence
- December 17: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Bulgarian Prime Minister Petkov
- December 17: Statement | Weakened Media Freedom in Poland
Middle East
- December 17: Transcript | Senior State Department Official on the JCPOA Talks in Vienna
Asia-Pacific
- December 17: Statement | The Sixth U.S.-ROK Senior Economic Dialogue
Africa
- December 17: Statement | Commemorating the Sudanese People’s Peaceful Revolution
- December 17: Statement | Imposing Sanctions on CAR Militia Leader
- December 17: Statement | Reports of Mass Detentions, Killings, and Forced Expulsions in Western Tigray (Ethiopia)
Western Hemisphere
- December 17: Transcript | Western Hemisphere Affairs Assistant Secretary Brian A. Nichols on the Recent International Partners Meeting on Haiti
Other Department Developments
- December 17: Statement | United States Will Host the 10th Conference of the States Parties (COSP) to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2023
- December 17: Statement | Honoring International Migrants Day
- December 17: Statement | The Election of Justin Hansford to the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
National Day Statements
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Readout: Administrator Samantha Power Holds Meetings on COVID-19 Vaccine Access and Delivery Efforts
- Readout: Administrator Power’s Meeting with Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development of Canada
- Readout: Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman’s Meeting with Syrian Negotiations Commission President Anas Abda and Co-chair of the Constitutional Committee Hadi al-Bahra
- Press Release: USAID Prioritizing Operational Sustainability in Support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Executive Order on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability
Department of the Treasury
- Press Release: Treasury Announces Social Impact Partnership to Pay for Results Act Grants for Oklahoma
- Readout: Financial Stability Oversight Council Meeting on December 17, 2021
- Remarks by Secretary Janet L. Yellen at the Open Session of the Meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Council
- Press Release: Financial Stability Oversight Council Releases 2021 Annual Report
- Joint Statement on UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group
- Sanctions List Updates: Central African Republic Designation
Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Press Release: SEC Charges Clinical Drug Trial Investigator with Insider Trading
- Press Release: James E. Grimes Named Chief Administrative Law Judge at SEC
Department of Justice
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
- Joint U.S.-EU Statement following the U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial
- Press Release: Antitrust Division Seeks Additional Public Comments on Bank Merger Competitive Analysis
- Press Release: Team Telecom Recommends FCC Grant Google and Meta Licenses for Undersea Cable
- Press Release: Alcoa to Clean Up Remaining Surface Contamination at Former East St. Louis Aluminum Plant Under Federal Settlement
- Press Release: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced To 50 Years in Prison for Producing and Using Facebook to Distribute Child Pornography
- Press Release: Four Executives Sentenced for SBA Fraud Scheme Spanning 13 Years
- Press Release: Florida Return Preparer Convicted of Tax Fraud
- Statement from Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Regarding Settlement between U.S. Postal Service and NAACP
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Joint U.S.-EU Statement following the U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting
- Press Release: CISA Issues Emergency Directive Requiring Federal Agencies to Mitigate Apache Log4J Vulnerabilities
- Press Release: CBP Releases November 2021 Monthly Operational Update (Washington, D.C.)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Link to press releases
Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)
- Readout of the Fifth Meeting of the Joint Commercial Commission Between the United States and the Republic of Moldova
- Joint Statement on the Fifth Meeting of the Joint Commercial Commission Between the United States and the Republic of Moldova
Department of Commerce
- Blog: Shop Smart and Stay Safe This Season
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Press Release: FTC Joins Amicus Brief in John Fralish v. Bank of America
- Press Release: FTC’s Lois C. Greisman Earns Presidential Rank Award
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Press Release: Kentucky Tornadoes Communications Status Report for December 19, 2021
- Press Release: Kentucky Tornadoes Communications Status Report for December 18, 2021
- Press Release: Kentucky Tornadoes Communications Status Report for December 17, 2021
- Press Release: Simington Addresses Digital Progress Institute
- Press Release: Four Companies Settle FCC Investigations of Compliance with 911 Rules
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Press Release: USDA Announces Additional Farm Service Agency and Rural Development State Directors
- Press Release: USDA, DOI, and FEMA Jointly Establish New Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission
- Press Release: USDA Distributes $1.5 Billion to Strengthen School Meal Program
Department of Interior (DOI)
- Press Release: Assistant Secretary Tanya Trujillo Highlights Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments in Drought Mitigation During New Mexico Visit
- Press Release: Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security Jointly Establish New Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission
- Press Release: Interior Department Releases Implementation Guidance to States on Infrastructure Law Efforts to Address Legacy Pollution
Department of Labor
- Statement from the U.S. Department of Labor on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals dissolving the stay of OSHA emergency temporary standard on vaccination and testing | October 18, 2021
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor to hold public hearing on proposed rule to improve safe use of mobile, powered-haulage mining equipment
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor offers virtual seminar to help employers comply with the $15 per hour federal contractor worker minimum wage
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor awards $8M to Industry Intermediaries to expand Registered Apprenticeship models in care economy, supply chain sectors
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor announces first Johnson & Johnson Vision training program graduates at Jacksonville Job Corps Center
Health & Human Services (HHS)
- Press Release: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Welcomes Carole Johnson Back to HHS as New HRSA Administrator
Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
- Press Release: FDA Approves New Treatment for Myasthenia Gravis
- Press Release: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update | December 17, 2021
