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*

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

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

  • December 18: Statement | Qatar National Day
  • December 18: Statement | Niger’s National Day

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