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. EDT – THE PRESIDENT receives the President's Daily Brief | Closed Press

2:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT, and the Secretary of the Treasury meet with House progressives to discuss his legislative agenda | Oval Office

4:30 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT, and the Secretary of the Treasury meet with a bicameral group of moderates to discuss his legislative agenda | Oval Office

VPOTUS' Schedule*

2:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT, and the Secretary of the Treasury meet with House progressives to discuss his legislative agenda | Oval Office

4:30 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT, and the Secretary of the Treasury meet with a bicameral group of moderates to discuss his legislative agenda | Oval Office

White House Press Briefing Schedule*

1:00 p.m. EDT – 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, October 18, 2021

Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 developments.

The White House

  • Fact Sheet: Improving Access and Care for Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions | October 19, 2021
  • Remarks by President Biden at the 2021 State and National Teachers of the Year Event
  • Statement of President Joe Biden on the Passing of General Colin Powell
  • Proclamation on the Death of General Colin Powell
  • Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Meeting with Luhut Pandjaitan of Indonesia
  • Transcript: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, October 18, 2021
  • Fact Sheet: Biden-?Harris Administration Launches Plan to Combat PFAS Pollution
  • Press Release: White House Appoints 2021-2022 Class of White House Fellows

Department of Defense (DOD)

  • Statement from Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on the Death of Colin Powell
  • Remarks from Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III to Traveling Media on the Death of Colin Powell
  • Article: First African American Joint Chiefs Chairman Also Was the Youngest
  • Readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Visit to Georgia
  • Press Release: Force Health Protection Guidance (Supplement 23) Revision 1, Department of Defense Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Attestation, Screening Testing, and Vaccination Verification
  • Publication: Force Health Protection Guidance (Supplement 23) Revision 1, Department of Defense Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Attestation, Screening Testing, and Vaccination Verification
  • Press Release: Acting Chief Prosecutor Named for Military Commissions
  • Article: Adam Driver Draws Parallels Between Acting, Military Careers
  • Advisory: Guantanamo Periodic Review Board Media Invitation Announced October 26, 2021
  • Contracts for October 18, 2021

Department of State

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on travel to Ecuador and Colombia, from October 19-21. 

  • October 18:  Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken on the Passing of Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
  • October 18:  Transcript | Briefing with Western Hemisphere Affairs Assistant Secretary Brian A. Nichols on the Secretary's Upcoming Travel to Colombia and Ecuador
  • October 18:  Readout | Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken's Meeting with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Israeli Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid
  • October 18:  Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi Before Their Meeting
  • October 18:  Statement | Announcement of Transition in Leadership on Afghanistan Diplomacy
  • October 18:  Statement | Congratulations on Cabo Verde's Presidential Elections
  • October 18:  Transcript | Department Press Briefing

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

  • Statement: Administrator Power Visits Delaware State University
  • Press Release: USAID Signs First MOU under the Minority-Serving Institutions Partnership Initiative with Delaware State University to Promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion in Food and Water Security
  • Remarks: Administrator Samantha Power at the USAID-Delaware State University MOU Signing Ceremony
  • Press Release: USAID Awards $3.5 Million to Fund Bicycles for Growth Initiative to Increase Access in Rural Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Press Release: The United States and UNICEF Sign a New Five-Year Agreement to Support Indonesia's COVID-19 Prevention and Response

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

  • Statement by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield?on the Passing of General Colin Powell
  • Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield?at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Central African Republic
  • Remarks at a UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting on Rising Sea Levels and Implications for International Peace and Security
  • Remarks at a Third Committee Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants
  • Remarks at a Third Committee Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances
  • Remarks at a Third Committee Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Opinion and Expression
  • Remarks at a Second Committee Interactive Dialogue with the Executive Secretaries of the Regional Economic Commissions
  • Remarks at a Meeting of the Sixth Committee on Agenda Item 80: Report of the UN Commission on International Trade Law on the Work of Its 54th Session
  • Remarks in a Meeting of the Sixth Committee on Agenda Item 88: Strengthening the International Treaty Framework

Department of the Treasury

  • Press Release: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Sends Letter to Congressional Leadership on the Debt Limit
  • Press Release: U.S. Department of the Treasury Releases Sanctions Review
  • Press Release: Treasury International Capital Data for August

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

  • Press Release: SEC Staff Releases Report on Equity and Options Market Structure Conditions in Early 2021

Department of Justice

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
  • Press Release: CEO of Major Defense Contractor Charged with Bribery
  • Press Release: Former Security Services Executives Plead Guilty to Rigging Bids for Department of Defense Security Contracts
  • Press Release: Former Department of Defense Employee Charged with Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury Brought to the United States to Face Charge
  • Press Release: Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS and Al-Nusra Front
  • Press Release: Jury Convicts Chicago Man of Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS
  • Press Release: Colombian Businessman Charged with Money Laundering Extradited to the United States from Cabo Verde
  • Press Release: New York Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Trafficking Exotic African Cats
  • Press Release: Texas Physician Found Guilty for Unlawfully Prescribing Over 1.3 Million Doses of Opioids

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • Press Release: CISA, FBI, and NSA Release BlackMatter Ransomware Advisory to Help Organizations Reduce Risk of Attack
  • Press Release: CBP to hold Global Entry Enrollment Workshop in Grand Forks (North Dakota)
  • Press Release: CBP Officers in International Falls seize counterfeit Apple AirPods valued at more than $800,000 (Minnesota)
  • Press Release: McAllen Border Patrol Agents Arrest Four Criminal Migrants (Texas)
  • Press Release: Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to Issue Enhanced Tribal Card Through Agreement with CBP (Washington State)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: Get Earthquake Ready: Join the Annual Shakeout Drill on Oct. 21 (Region V)
  • Press Release: ICYMI — FEMA Administrator Talks Importance of Emergency Managers in Fight Against Climate Change at International Association of Emergency Managers Conference
  • Press Release: One Week Left for Middle Tennesseans to Apply for Disaster Assistance
  • Press Release: Use FEMA Grants for Intended Purpose (North Carolina)

Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)

  • Press Release: Week Ahead Guidance for the Week of October 18-23, 2021
  • Advisory: Ambassador Tai to Travel to Brussels and Attend G7 Trade Ministers Meeting in London

Department of Commerce

  • Readout of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Meeting with with Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland Ville Skinnari

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

  • Press Release: FTC Issues Annual Report to Congress on Protecting Older Adults

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

  • Press Release: Acting Chair Rosenworcel Proposes Rules to Combat Rise of Robotexts

Department of Energy (DOE)

  • Press Release: DOE Announces $105 Million for Small Businesses to Invest in Clean Energy Research and Development

Department of Interior (DOI)

  • Press Release: Interior Department to Hold Listening Sessions on Advancing Equity in Recreation

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • Link:  Other Daily EPA Press Releases
  • Press Release: EPA Administrator Regan Announces Comprehensive National Strategy to Confront PFAS Pollution

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: Investigation recovers $97K in back wages for 137 restaurant workers whose employer improperly failed to pay for missed or partial 'meal breaks'
  • Press Release: Federal investigators recover $106K for 50 employees of vending machine operator after U.S. Department of Labor finds overtime violations

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

  • Press Release: FDA Approves Cyltezo, the First Interchangeable Biosimilar to Humira

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.