US Executive Branch Update – September 29, 2021

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

POTUS' Schedule*

Note: The President cancelled his planned visit to Chicago today to continue negotiations with Congress.

9:30 a.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT receives the President's Daily Brief

12:00 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT attends the memorial of former Indiana First Lady Susan Bayh

VPOTUS' Schedule*

2:00 p.m. EDT - THE VICE PRESIDENT will meet with small business leaders to discuss how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Build Back Better Agenda will help them grow their companies | Vice President's Ceremonial Office.

White House Press Briefing Schedule*

2:00 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 Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Note: Bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 developments.

The White House

• Transcript: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, September 28, 2021
• Transcript: Press Briefing by White House COVID-?19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
• Statement from Vice President Harris on Federal Agency Actions to Promote Voter Participation
• Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Promotes Voter Participation with New Agency Steps
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on Senior Administration Official Trip to Middle East
• Nominations: President Biden Announces Nine New Nominees to Serve as U.S. Attorneys
• Nominations Sent to the Senate

Department of Defense (DOD)

• Press Release: DoD Publishes Federal Register Notice for Input on Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Opportunities
• Congressional Testimony: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Remarks Before the Senate Armed Services Committee (As Prepared)
• Article: Austin Gives Senate Hard Truths of Lessons From Afghanistan
• Article: Austin, Milley | No Debate About Courage, Commitment of Americans Who Served in Afghanistan
• Article: DOD Official Says Concept of Integrated Deterrence Is Call to Action
• Joint Press Statement for the 20th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue
• Article: Sports Heroes Who Served | 4 Football Notables Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
• Contracts for September 28, 2021

Department of State

• Daily Schedule | Wednesday, September 29
• September 28: Readout | Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez
• September 28: Remarks | Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez Before Their Meeting
• September 28: Statement | On Russia's Obstructionism at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
• September 28: Fact Sheet | The United States-European Union Trade and Technology Council
• September 28: Advisory | Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry's Travel to Switzerland, Italy, and France
• September 28: Statement | United States Announces $37 Million Contribution to Education Cannot Wait
• September 28: Statement | USA Pavilion Cultural Performers at Expo 2020 Dubai
• September 28: Transcript | Department Press Briefing

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Readout: Administrator Power's Meeting with Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
• Readout: Administrator Samantha Power Meets with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai
• Readout: Administrator Samantha Power Meets with Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank
• Readout: Administrator Power's Meeting with Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
• Readout: USAID Administrator Samantha Power's Meeting with Libya High National Election Commission Chairman Dr. Emad Al-Sayah

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

• Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Somalia
• Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Syria

Department of the Treasury

• Press Release: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Sends Letter to Congressional Leadership on the Debt Limit
• Congressional Testimony of Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate
• Readout: Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo's Virtual Meeting with the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions
• Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen to the National Association for Business Economics

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

• Press Release: SEC Obtains Emergency Relief Against New York Real Estate Developer Charged with EB-5 Securities Fraud
• Press Release: SEC Atlanta Regional Office to Co-Host "Money and Markets: Trends and Risks for Retail Investors"
• Press Release: SEC Bars Two Individuals from Whistleblower Award Program
• Press Release: Dan Berkovitz Named SEC General Counsel; John Coates to Leave SEC

Department of Justice

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
• Press Release: Indictment Unsealed Against Six Individuals and Foreign Financial Service Firm for Tax Evasion Conspiracy
• Press Release: Man Sentenced for Role in International Human Smuggling Conspiracy
• Press Release: Four Defendants Indicted for Laundering Target Gift Cards Purchased by Fraud Victims
• Press Release: Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination at 38 Multifamily Housing Complexes in North Carolina
• Press Release: Concrete Contractor Pleads Guilty to Rigging Bids for Public Contracts in Minnesota
• Press Release: Texas Man Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Tax Returns with Stolen Identities

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

• Press Release: Secretary Mayorkas Announces Designation of Croatia as a New Participant in the Visa Waiver Program
• Press Release: CISA Releases New Tool to Help Organizations Guard Against Insider Threats
• Press Release: Laredo Sector Border Patrol discovers two stash houses (Texas)
• Press Release: RGV Agents Apprehend Man Previously Convicted for Homicide (Texas)
• Press Release: CBP Officers Intercept Methamphetamine Worth Over $24M at the Camino Real Cargo Facility (Texas)
• Press Release: Multi Agency Rescue in Big Bend National Park (Texas)
• Press Release: Laredo Sector Border Patrol proudly presents September Youth of the Month Honorees (Texas)
• Press Release: Dulles CBP Officers Seize $46K in Unreported Currency from Traveler Destined to Cameroon (Virginia)

Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)

• Readout of Ambassador Katherine Tai Meeting with European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis
• Advisory: Ambassador Katherine Tai to Travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the U.S.-EU Trade And Technology Council

Department of Commerce

• Press Release: Secretary Raimondo Outlines Agenda to Increase American Competitiveness
• Blog: The Last Drone Standing: First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

• Press Release: FTC Chair Lina M. Khan Appoints Directors of Bureau of Competition and Bureau of Consumer Protection
• Press Release: Alabama Board of Dental Examiners Agrees to Settle FTC Charges that It Unreasonably Excluded Lower Cost Online and Teledentistry Providers from Competition
• Press Release: FTC Issues Final Rule Establishing Process for Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Submission of Proposed Rules
• Press Release: Operator of Businesses that Scammed Prisoners and Their Families Permanently Banned from Magazine Sales in Settlement with FTC and Florida Attorney General

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

• Press Release: FCC Requests 6 GHz Automated Frequency Coordination Proposals
• Press Release: Simington Chats Broadband With Internet Innovation Alliance
• Press Release: FCC Robocall Mitigation Database Call Blocking Deadline Is Today
• Press Release: FCC Opens Second Filing Window for Emergency Connectivity Fund
• Press Release: FCC Enrolls 6M+ Households in EBB Program

US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

• Press Release: DFC Loan to Produbanco to Drive Inclusive Development in Ecuador

Department of Energy (DOE)

• Press Release: DOE Signs Up 125+ Local Governments to Fast-Track Solar Permits

Department of Interior (DOI)

• Press Release: Interior Department Announces Environmental Review of Proposed Wind Energy Projects Offshore New Jersey
• Press Release: Secretary Haaland Highlights Biden Administration Conservation Efforts in Visit to National Wildlife Refuge
• Press Release: Interior Department Announces Nearly $80 Million to States for Collaborative Efforts to Conserve Habitat for America's Most Imperiled Species
• Press Release: Interior Department Withdraws Trump-Era Fossil Fuel Valuation and Civil Penalty Rule

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Link: Other Daily EPA Press Releases
• Press Release: EPA Honors 2021 Green Power Leaders
• Press Release: EPA Awards Nearly $6 Million for Research on Potential Risks from Pollutants Found in Biosolids from Wastewater Treatment

Department of Labor

• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor cites JBS Foods Inc. for repeated safety failures after worker's death at Swift Beef's Colorado facility
• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor awards more than $11.6M in grants to educate workers, employers on workplace safety, health
• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor awards $1M in Brookwood-Sago grants for mine safety education, training to 13 recipients

Department of Education

• Statement from Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Rich Cordray Regarding Loan Servicers

Health & Human Services (HHS)

• Press Release: SAMHSA Awards Record-Setting $825 Million in Grants to Strengthen Community Mental Health Centers, and Support Americans Living with Serious Emotional Disturbances, Mental Illnesses
• Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Provides Nearly $1 Billion in American Rescue Plan Funds to Modernize Health Centers and Support Underserved Communities

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