U.S. Executive Branch Update – August 17, 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*

10:00 a.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing | The White House

11:25 a.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews

11:45 a.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Avoca, Pennsylvania

12:35 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT arrives in Avoca, Pennsylvania

12:55 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT privately pays respects to former Pennsylvania First Lady Ellen Casey in advance of a viewing | St. Peter's Cathedral, Scranton, Pennsylvania

2:10 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT departs Avoca, Pennsylvania, en route to Hagerstown, Maryland

3:05 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT departs Hagerstown, Maryland, en route to Camp David

3:15 p.m. EDT - THE PRESIDENT arrives at Camp David

VPOTUS' Schedule*

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

*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 Wednesday, August 15, 2023

Note: All colored text denotes hyperlinks.

The White House

• Readout of President Joe Biden's Call with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil
• Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Reception
• Statement by Vice President Harris on 5th Circuit Decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA
• Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA
• Transcript: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, FEMA Administrator Criswell, Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation Podesta, and Domestic Policy Advisor Tanden
• Fact Sheet: One Year In, President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is Driving Historic Climate Action and Investing in America to Create Good Paying Jobs and Reduce Costs
• Blog: The Economics of Public Investment Crowding in Private Investment
• Readout of White House Roundtable on Protecting Americans from Harmful Data Broker Practices
• Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the President and First Lady Traveling to Hawaii

Department of Defense (DOD)

• Article: Military Lends Support in Maui Wildfire Aftermath
• Article: Marines, Sailors Showcase Capabilities During Massive Exercise
• Contracts for August 16, 2023

Department of State

Daily Schedule | Thursday, August 17, 2023

Europe, Russia

• August 16: Statement | Sanctioning Entities Connected to Russia-DPRK Arms Dealer

Asia-Pacific

• August 16: Advisory | Ambassador Fick's Travel to India and Sri Lanka

Middle East

• August 16: Statement | Counter Terrorism Designations of One Hizballah Affiliated Entity and Its Leader

Africa

• August 16: Statement | Threats to Peace and Security in Mali
• August 16: Statement | Designation of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Public Officials for Significant Corruption

Department Press Briefings

• August 16: Transcript | Department Press Briefing
• August 16: Transcript | Special Online Briefing with Major General Matthew?McFarlane, Commander, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Readout: Administrator Samantha Power Visits Nadi, Fiji

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

• UN Security Council Press Statement on the August 13 Terrorist Attack in Shiraz, Iran
• Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at a UN Security Council Briefing on Yemen
• Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at a UN Security Council Briefing on Armenia and Azerbaijan

Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)

• DNI Haines Statement on Welcoming Dr. John Ballard as President of the National Intelligence University

Department of the Treasury

• Sanctions: Treasury Sanctions Entities Tied to Arms Deals Between North Korea and Russia
• Sanctions: Treasury Sanctions Lebanese Entity and Leader for Providing Support to Hizballah
• Sanctions List Updates: Counter Terrorism Designations; North Korea Designations
• Press Release: New U.S. Department of the Treasury Analysis Shows Inflation Reduction Act Achieving Key Goal of Driving Investment to Underserved Communities
• Press Release: Inflation Reduction Act 1-Year Report Card | IRS Delivers Dramatically Improved 2023 Filing Season Service, Modernizes Technology, Pursues High-Income Individuals Evading Taxes
• Settlement Agreement between the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and Construction Specialties Inc.

The Federal Reserve

• Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, July 25-26, 2023

Department of Justice (DOJ)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases

• Press Release: Two Pinterest Directors Resign from Nextdoor Board of Directors in Response to Justice Department's Ongoing Enforcement Efforts Against Interlocking Directorates
• Press Release: Man Sentenced for Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material of Approximately 72 Victims

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

• DHS Statement on Safety and Enforcement in the Aftermath of the Wildfires in Hawaii
• Press Release: Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley to Advise Department of Homeland Security
• CBP Press Release: Memphis CBP, HSI Repatriates Precious Cultural Artifacts to Mexico (Tennessee)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Link to daily press releases

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

• Statement from USTR Spokesperson Sam Michel on Today's WTO Panel Ruling (re: PRC Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs challenge)

Department of Commerce

• Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Investments in Domestic Production of Electronics Equipment used in High-Speed Internet Networks

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC)

• Press Release: USITC Makes Determination in Five-Year (Sunset) Review Concerning Polyester Staple Fiber from China

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

• Press Release: FTC Acts to Prevent Interlocking Directorate Arrangement, Anticompetitive Information Exchange in EQT, Quantum Energy Deal
• Press Release: FTC Sending Refunds to Consumers who Invested in Deceptive Sanctuary Belize Real Estate Development Scheme Operated by Repeat Offender Andris Pukke

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

• Press Release: Hawaii Wildfires Communications Status Report - Aug. 16, 2023

Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

• Press Release: Larry Sacks Named DFC's New Chief Development Officer???

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Fact Sheet: Marking One Year of the Inflation Reduction Act

Department of Energy (DOE)

• Joint Statement on Accelerating Methane Mitigation from the LNG Value Chain

Department of the Interior (DOI)

• Press Release: Secretary Haaland Leads U.S. Delegation for Inauguration of Paraguay President Peña

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Press Release: EPA Marks One Year of Progress Under President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act
• Press Release: EPA Issues Next Test Order Under National Testing Strategy for PFAS Used in Chemical Manufacturing
• Link to other EPA press releases

Department of Transportation (DOT)

• Press Release: MARAD Designates Two New Marine Highway Routes

Department of Labor (DOL)

• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor launches Apprentice Trailblazer initiative to promote, expand Registered Apprenticeships, increase youth employment
• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor investigation into worker's fatal injury finds Arkansas timberland, sawmill operator exposed workers in Bearden to safety hazards
• Press Release: Federal inspectors again find Pennsylvania contractor exposing employees to potentially deadly fall hazards, propose $328K in penalties
• Press Release: Federal judge issues preliminary injunction removing fiduciaries of Chicago-area employee benefit plan alleged to have misappropriated more than $2.8M
• Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor recovers $314K in back wages, damages from nursing care service provider that denied overtime to 91 Mississippi workers

Health & Human Services (HHS)

• Press Release: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Issues Statement on Fifth Circuit Mifepristone Ruling
• Press Release: On the First Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, Millions of Medicare Enrollees See Savings on Health Care Costs

Housing & Urban Development (HUD)

• Press Release: HUD Announces Waiver Package to Help Hawaii Communities Recover from Fires

Government Services Administration (GSA)

• Press Release: GSA releases FY 2024 CONUS per diem rates for federal travelers

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

• Report: Estimates of the Cost of Federal Credit Programs in 2024
• Cost Estimate: S. 1332, Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act
• Cost Estimate: S. 2006, Safeguarding Tunisian Democracy Act of 2023
• Cost Estimate: S. 2219, PUMP Technical Correction Act
• Cost Estimate: S. 2251, Cybersecurity Act of 2023
• Cost Estimate: S. 2293, AI Leadership To Enable Accountable Deployment Act
• Cost Estimate: H.R. 2717, Hershel "Woody" Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act

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