This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.

POTUS’ Schedule*

9:30 a.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT receive the President’s Daily Brief | Oval Office

1:45 p.m. EST – The President, The Vice President, and the Secretary of the Treasury meet with business leaders about the critical need for the American Rescue Plan | Oval Office

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

9:30 a.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT joins THE PRESIDENT in receiving the President’s Daily Brief | Oval Office

12:00 p.m. EST – THE VICE PRESIDENT will ceremonially swear in Denis McDonough as Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Eisenhower Executive Office Building

1:45 p.m. EST – THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT, and the Secretary of the Treasury will meet with business leaders about the critical need for the American Rescue Plan | Oval Office

White House Press Briefing Schedule*

12:45 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, February 8, 2021

Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 and reopening developments.

The White House

• Readout of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India

• Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris During Tour of the State Farm Stadium Vaccination Site in Glendale, Arizona

• Transcript:  Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials

• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with Secretary General Natthaphon Narkphanit of the Thai National Security Council

• Transcript:  Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, February 8, 2021

Department of Defense (DOD)

• Article:  DOD Leaders Will Address Extremism in the Ranks

• Article:  USS Ronald Reagan Begins 2nd Round of COVID-19 Vaccinations

• Contracts for February 8, 2021

Department of State

• Daily Schedule | Tuesday, February 9

• February 8:  Statement | Nicaragua’s Foreign Agents Law Drives Nicaragua Toward Dictatorship, Silencing Independent Voices

• February 8:  Statement | US Decision To Reengage with the UN Human Rights Council

• February 8:  Interview | Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Wolf Blitzer of CNN’s The Situation Room

• February 8:  Advisory | Notice of Meeting: U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (Feb. 11)

• February 8:  Transcript | Department Press Briefing – February 8, 2021

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

• Statement on US Reengagement with the UN Human Rights Council

• Remarks at a Briefing on Preparations for COP26 (via VTC)

Department of Justice

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases

• Press Release:  Doctor Sentenced for Role in Unlawful Distribution of Opioids

• Press Release:  North Carolina Return Preparer Sentenced to 50 Months in Prison for Multi-Year Tax Fraud Scheme

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

• Press Release:  Air and Marine Operations, Partners Seize Nearly 2 Tons of Cocaine in Eastern Pacific (Washington, D.C.)

• Press Release:  Arizona DPS/Yuma Sector Border Patrol Thwart Human Smuggling Attempt Inside of Semi-Truck (Arizona)

• Press Release:  Border Patrol Agents Seize Cocaine/Meth in Calexico (California)

• Press Release:  Border Patrol Arrests Convicted Sureño Gang Member (California)

• Press Release:  $500K Worth of Marijuana Seized in the Rio Grande Valley (Texas)

• Press Release:  433 Pounds of Green Cocaine Seized Since October 1 by Cincinnati CBP (Ohio)

• Press Release:  U.S. Border Patrol and Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Vehicle Stop Snags Bricks of Cocaine (Alabama)

• Press Release:  Dulles CBP Picks Counterfeit Guitars to the Tune of $158K (Virginia)

• Press Release:  DHS Announces Final Rule for a More Effective and Efficient H-1B Visa Program

• Press Release:  USCIS Strengthens Protections to Combat H-1B Abuses

• Press Release:  New E-Verify.gov Website a User-Friendly Source to Verify Employment Eligibility

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Press Release:  FEMA Supports Vaccine Distribution | COVID-19 Response Update (Washington, D.C.)

• Press Release:  FEMA Direct Lease Program Seeks Property Management Resources in Lane County (Oregon)

• Press Release:  FEMA Needs Your Current Contact Information (Mississippi)

• Press Release:  FEMA Grants are for Disaster-Related Expenses Only (Alabama)

Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)

• Press Release:  Key Staff Appointments Announced

Department of Commerce

• Press Release:  New Timeline of Deadliest California Wildfire Could Guide Lifesaving Research and Action

• Press Release:  NOAA Satellites Helped Save a Record 421 Lives in 2019

US International Trade Commission (USITC)

• Press Release:  USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Integrated Circuits and Products Containing the Same

• Press Release:  USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Wireless Communications Equipment and Components Thereof

Department of Transportation

• Statement by DOT Chief of Staff Laura Schiller (re: a member of Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s security detail tested positive for COVID-19)

Department of Labor

• Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Al Stewart on the death of former Secretary of Labor George P. Shultz

• Press Release:  US Department of Labor launches new monthly series of workshops to provide employment assistance to transitioning military spouses

• Press Release:  Federal court in Texas sentences former train engineers’ union treasurer to prison, orders $61K restitution following US Labor Department probe

• Press Release:  Detroit grocer pays $10K in civil money penalties after US Department of Labor finds child labor violations

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

• Press Release:  FDA Announces New Resource for Veterinarians and Pet Owners Interested in Clinical Field Studies of Animal Cells, Tissues, and Cell- and Tissue-Based Products

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 webpage

• Department of Defense COVID-19 webpage

• Department of State COVID-19 Travel Advisory webpage

• Office of Personnel Management COVID-19 webpage

• Food and Drug Administration COVID-19 webpage

• Department of Homeland Security Employee COVID-19 webpage

• Department of Labor COVID-19 webpage

• USAGov COVID-19 webpage

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

• Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker (tracks vaccine distribution in the United States)

• Coronavirus Resource Center

  • COVID-19 Interactive Map