This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.
POTUS’ Schedule*
10:15 a.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT receives the President’s Daily Brief | The White House
4:00 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT holds a press conference | East Room
VPOTUS’ Schedule*
1:50 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT will ceremonially swear in Mark Brzezinski to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Poland | Vice President’s Ceremonial Office
*The US President (POTUS) and Vice President’s (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change.
Recap of Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 developments.
The White House
- Statement by President Biden on 5G Agreement
- Transcript: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, January 18, 2022
- Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Historic Investment to America’s Port and Waterway Infrastructure | January 19, 2022
- Readout of President Biden’s Call with President Sauli Niinistö of Finland (RUS, UKR, NATO, OSCE)
- Press Release: President Biden Announces Host City for Ninth Summit of the Americas (Los Angeles)
- Presidential Delegation: President Biden Announces Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Honduras to Attend the Inauguration of Her Excellency Xiomara Castro
- Statement from Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh on the Vice President’s Travel to Honduras (Jan. 27)
- Presidential Delegation: President Biden Announces Presidential Delegation to the Republic of The Gambia to Attend Presidential Inauguration of His Excellency Adama Barrow
Department of Defense (DOD)
- Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Regarding the January 17, 2022, Terrorist Attack on the United Arab Emirates
- Transcript: Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing
- Article: Defense Microelectronics Activity Designated Center for Industrial Technical Excellence
- Article: Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee Dies at 102
- Article: Making Martial Arts Instructors
- Article: Sports Heroes Who Served | World Series Champion Served in Navy During WWII
- Contracts for January 18, 2022
Department of State
- Daily Schedule | Wednesday, January 19
Asia-Pacific
- January 18: Readout | Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Call with Republic of Korea First Vice Foreign Minister Choi (DPRK, Burma, RUS, UKR)
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus
- January 18: Advisory | Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Ukraine, Germany, and Switzerland (Jan. 18-21)
- January 18: Transcript | A Senior State Department Official on the Secretary’s Upcoming Travel to Ukraine and Germany
- January 18: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Call with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov (SSD, NATO-Russia Council, UKR)
- January 18: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Albares (UKR, RUS, LatAm)
- January 18: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Before Their Meeting
- January 18: Transcript | Senior State Department Official On Belarus
Western Hemisphere
- January 18: Readout | Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Argentine Foreign Minister Cafiero (bilat, IMF, NIC, Iran, HR Council)
- January 18: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero Before Their Meeting
Middle East
- January 18: Sanctions | Sanctioning Hizballah Financiers in Lebanon
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Press Release: United States Announces $40 Million in Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Vulnerable People Affected by the Crisis in Lebanon
US Mission to the United Nations (UN)
- Remarks on the 25th Anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate
- Transcript: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s Interview with Jonathan Capehart on The Washington Post Live Podcast “Capehart”
- Remarks by Under Secretary Uzra Zeya at a UN Security Council Open Debate on Addressing Violence Targeting Women in Peace and Security Processes
Department of the Treasury
- Readout: Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo’s Meeting with CEOs of NGOs Operating in Afghanistan
- Press Release: Treasury International Capital Data for November
- Sanctions: Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Financiers in Lebanon
- Sanctions List Updates: Counter Terrorism Designations
Department of Justice
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
- Speech: Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter Delivers Remarks on Modernizing Merger Guidelines
- Press Release: Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission Seek to Strengthen Enforcement Against Illegal Mergers
- Press Release: U.S. Citizen Charged with Conspiring to Provide Electronic Equipment and Technology to the Government of Iran
- Press Release: Maryland Security Guard Charged With Tax Evasion
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Press Release: Laredo Sector Border Patrol arrest over 160 at the checkpoint (Texas)
- Press Release: 14 Arrests Within Hours at the Checkpoint (Texas)
- Press Release: Laredo Sector Border Patrol stops marijuana smuggling attempt near El Cenizo (Texas)
- Press Release: CBP Officers Seize over $300K in Cocaine at the Hidalgo International Bridge (Texas)
- Press Release: $8.7 Million Fake Jewelry Seized by Cincinnati, Indianapolis CBP (Ohio, Indiana)
- Press Release: CBP Lists Top 10 Agriculture Seizures of 2021 (Washington, D.C.)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Link to daily press releases
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Press Release: Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department Seek to Strengthen Enforcement Against Illegal Mergers
- Press Release: FTC Returns More Than $10 Million to Consumers Who Paid Hidden Fees to LendingClub
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Press Release: Chair Rosenworcel Statement on 5G Deployment Agreement
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Press Release: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Highlights Key Work in 2021 to Combat Climate Change
- Press Release: Secretary Vilsack Announces New 10 Year Strategy to Confront the Wildfire Crisis
Department of Interior (DOI)
- Press Release: Interior Department Releases Blueprint for Central Utah Project’s Implementation of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2022
- Press Release: Interior Department, Federal Partners Announce Interagency Effort to Clean Up Legacy Pollution, Implement Infrastructure Law
- Press Release: White House Council on Native American Affairs to Engage Tribal Leaders on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Public Safety and Criminal Justice
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Link to EPA press releases
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Press Release: FAA Statements on 5G
Department of Labor (DOL)
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor recovers nearly $25K in back wages, damages for 26 workers at Pittsburgh home health service company
- Press Release: Idaho painting contractor pays $81K in back wages, liquidated damages to 35 workers shortchanged by illegal pay practices
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor finds Charleston Walgreens store employed 12-year-old worker in violation of child labor laws
Department of Education
- Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Announces Distribution of All American Rescue Plan ESSER Funds and Approval of All 52 State Education Agency Plans
Health & Human Services (HHS)
- Press Release: HHS Announces Availability of $13 Million to Increase Behavioral Health Care Access in Rural Communities
- Press Release: ONC Completes Critical 21st Century Cures Act Requirement, Publishes the Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement for Health Information Networks
Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
- Press Release: FDA Roundup | January 18, 2022
- Press Release: FDA Releases CDRH Health of Women Strategic Plan to Better Inform Medical Device Research and Regulation for All Women
Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
- Press Release: HUD Announces $83 Million to Deliver Equitable COVID-19 Relief to Tribal Communities