United States: U.S. Executive Branch Update – August 18, 2023

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

POTUS' Schedule*

11:00 a.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT greets and welcomes President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan to the Camp David Trilateral Summit | Camp David

11:15 a.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT holds a trilateral meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan | Camp David

3:00 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT hosts a joint press conference with President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan | Camp David

6:00 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT departs Camp David en route to Joint Base Andrews

6:45 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT and The First Lady depart Joint Base Andrews en route to Reno, Nevada

10:30 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT and The First Lady arrive in Reno, Nevada

VPOTUS' Schedule*

The Vice President and The Second Gentleman are in Los Angles, California, and have no public events scheduled.

White House Press Briefing*

8:30 a.m. EDT - Press Gaggle by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

*The U.S. President (POTUS) and Vice President's (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change, as is the White House press briefing schedule.

Recap of Thursday, August 17, 2023

Note: All colored text denotes hyperlinks.

The White House

• Remarks by President Biden Before Air Force One Departure | Joint Base Andrews, Maryland (re: Ellen Casey funeral)
• Remarks by President Biden After Air Force One Arrival | Avoca, Pennsylvania (re: Ellen Casey)
• Press Release: What They Are Saying | One Year Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act
• Statement from President Joe Biden on White House Counsel Stuart Delery (re: resignation)
• Disaster Declaration: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Tennessee Disaster Declaration
• Press Release: The White House Opens Volunteer Applications for the 2023 Holiday Season

Department of Defense (DOD)

• Transcript: Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing
• Article: DOD Personnel Working With Hawaii, FEMA Officials to Speed Relief to Maui
• Article: General Says Deterring Two 'Near Peer' Competitors Is Complex
• Publication: 2023 Military Service Academies On-Site Installation Evaluation Report
• Transcript: Elizabeth Foster, Executive Director, Office of Force Resiliency and Sexual Assault Prevention Response Office, and Dr. Andra Tharp, Senior Prevention Advisor for the Department's Office of Force Resiliency and SAPRO, Off-Camera, On-the-Record Media Roundtable
• Press Release: Department of Defense Releases Actions to Transform Climate and Enhance Prevention of Harmful Behaviors at Military Service Academies
• Press Release: Department of Defense-Sponsored Cyber Internship Offers Knowledge, Inspiration for College Students
• Publication: 2023 Biodefense Posture Review
• Press Release: DOD Unveils Collaborative Biodefense Reforms in Posture Review
• Press Release: Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Statement on Blended-Wing-Body Aircraft Prototype
• Contracts for August 17, 2023

Department of State

Daily Schedule | Friday, August 18, 2023

Middle East

• August 17: Readout | Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Dermer
• August 17: Readout | Secretary Blinken's Call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan
• August 17: Statement | Designating Two Syrian Factions and Their Leaders in Connection with Serious Human Rights Abuses

Europe, Ukraine, Russia

• August 17: Statement | Designating Individuals Involved in the Poisoning of Aleksey Navalny

Asia-Pacific

• August 17: Advisory | Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Rao Gupta Travels to Seattle for the APEC Women and the Economy Forum
• August 17: Statement | Indonesia Independence Day

Africa

• August 17: Statement | On Fighting in Nyala in South Darfur, Sudan
• August 17: Statement | The Gabonese Republic National Day

Department Press Briefings

• August 17: Transcript | Department Press Briefing

U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN)

• Remarks at a UN Security Council Meeting Called by Russia on Threats to International Peace and Security
• Joint Statement on the Human Rights Situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK

Department of the Treasury

• Sanctions: Treasury Targets Individuals Involved in the Poisoning of Aleksey Navalny
• Sanctions: Treasury Sanctions Two Syria-Based Militias Responsible for Serious Human Rights Abuses in Northern Syria
• Sanctions List Updates: Magnitsky-related Designations; Syria-related Designations; Non-Proliferation Designations Updates

The Federal Reserve

• Press Release: Federal and state financial regulatory agencies issue interagency statement on supervisory practices regarding financial institutions affected by the Hawaii Wildfires
• Press Release: Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement action

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

• Press Release: Federal and State Financial Regulatory Agencies Issue Interagency Statement on Supervisory Practices Regarding Financial Institutions Affected by the Hawaii Wildfires

Department of Justice (DOJ)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases

• Press Release: Foreign National Sentenced to Over 21 Years for Mailing Ricin to President of the United States in 2020
• Press Release: Vice President of Asphalt Paving Company Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging
• Press Release: Gang Leaders Sentenced for Racketeering Conspiracy and Murder
• Press Release: Final Defendant Sentenced in South Carolina's Largest RICO Conspiracy
• Press Release: Former Alabama Correctional Sergeant Convicted of Violating the Civil Rights of an Inmate and Obstruction of Justice

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

• Press Release: DHS Reopens USCIS Field Office in Havana, Cuba
• Press Release: DHS and GSA Announce $288 Million in Inflation Reduction Act Funding for Expansion of DHS St. Elizabeths West Campus
• Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Launches SchoolSafety.gov Awareness Campaign
• CBP Press Release: Del Rio Port of Entry CBP officers intercept three human smuggling attempts in less than 24 hours (Texas)
• CBP Press Release: Border Patrol agents take life-saving action at vehicle accident (California)
• CBP Press Release: CBP agriculture specialists discover first-in-nation pest in San Diego | Local Media Release (California)
• CBP Press Release: Dulles CBP Officer Leads Effort to Return Fleeing Maryland Rape Suspect from El Salvador (Virginia)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Link to daily press releases

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)

• Press Release: United States Establishes USMCA Dispute Panel on Mexico's Agricultural Biotechnology Measures

Department of Commerce

• Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Announces $106 Million in Recommended Funding for West Coast and Alaska Salmon Recovery
• Press Release: Commerce Issues Preliminary Determinations of Antidumping Duty Investigations of Tin Mill Products from Canada, the People's Republic of China, Germany, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Taiwan, the Republic of Turkey, and the United Kingdom

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

• Press Release: Telemarketer Fees to Access the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry to Increase in FY 2024

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

• Press Release: CGB Announces Second Round of ACP Outreach Grant Program Awards
• Press Release: Hawaii Wildfires Communications Status Report - Aug. 17, 2023

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

• Press Release: CFPB Penalizes Freedom Mortgage and Realty Connect for Illegal Kickbacks

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Statement by Secretary Vilsack Regarding USMCA Dispute Settlement Panel Request on Mexico's Agricultural Biotechnology Measures

Department of Energy (DOE)

• Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Announces $48 Million In Grid Resilience Grants for States and Tribal Nations to Modernize Electric Grid
• Press Release: DOE Awards $34 Million to Advance Clean Hydrogen
• Press Release: DOE Brings Partners Together for First-Ever Net Zero World Ministerial

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Press Release: EPA Releases Initial Nationwide Monitoring Data on 29 PFAS and Lithium
• Press Release: EPA Announces Federal Enforcement Priorities to Protect Communities from Pollution
• Link to other EPA press releases

Department of Transportation (DOT)

• Press Release: Secretary Buttigieg Appoints Members of the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE)

Department of Labor (DOL)

• Press Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report
• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor announces availability of $65M in grants to expand access to training needed for good-paying jobs in high-demand industries
• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor finds cement manufacturer failed to protect employee who drowned in Mississippi River after falling from barge

Health & Human Services (HHS)

• Advisory: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Travels to India for the G20 Health Ministers' Meeting
• Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Launches SchoolSafety.gov Awareness Campaign to Support Schools with Safety Resources

Housing & Urban Development (HUD)

• Press Release: HUD Awards Nearly $140 Million to Protect Families from Lead and Other Home Health and Safety Hazards

Government Services Administration (GSA)

• Press Release: As part of Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda, GSA and DHS announce nearly $288 million to construct sustainable buildings at St. Elizabeths West Campus

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

• Report: National Nuclear Security Administration | Assessments of Major Projects
• Report: Disaster Recovery | HUD Should Develop Data Collection Guidance to Support Analysis of Block Grant Fraud Risks
• Report: National Transportation Safety Board | Additional Actions Needed to Improve Management and Operations
• Report: Personnel Vetting | DOD Needs a Reliable Schedule and Cost Estimate for the National Background Investigation Services Program

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

• Cost Estimate: H.R. 3848, Housing our Military Veterans Effectively Act of 2023
• Cost Estimate: H.R. 3933, TAP Promotion Act
• Cost Estimate: H.R. 3981, Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act
• Cost Estimate: S. 1203, Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2023

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