President Biden issues an executive order to revoke the
Keystone XL Pipeline permit and overturn various other Trump administration environmental policies.[7]
President Biden issues an executive order to halt funding for the
border wall along the Mexican border.[7]
President Biden issues a proclamation to repeal the
travel ban from Muslim-majority countries.[10]
President Biden directs the
Department of Education to extend the pause on federal student loans through September 30, 2021.[12]
Press SecretaryJen Psaki holds the first press briefing of the Biden administration,[13] during which she mentions that the administration will hold briefings daily.[14][15]
Thursday, January 21
President Biden signs ten executive orders related to the country's
COVID-19 response and
vaccination efforts.[16] These include activating the
Defense Production Act in order to speed up vaccine distribution.[17]
President Biden delivers remarks regarding his administration's planned COVID-19 response.[19]
The House of Representatives votes 326–78 and the Senate votes 69–27 to pass H.R. 335, a waiver allowing Gen.
Lloyd Austin to waive a law which forces retired
generals to wait seven years before assuming office as
Secretary of Defense.[20]
Vice President Kamala Harris makes her first notable phone call as vice president with WHO Director-General
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.[21]
President Biden signs an executive order to repeal
Department of Defense Instruction 1300.28, which effectively banned transgender individuals from joining the U.S. military under the Trump administration.[34]
The House of Representatives brings the
impeachment charge against former president
Donald Trump to the Senate, with the
trial scheduled to start February 9.[39]
President Biden signs an executive order to increase government buying from U.S. manufacturers. The order will likely take 45 days or more to get approved by the federal government.[40]
President Biden signs executive orders relating to racism (xenophobia against Asian Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic; ending
Department of Justice contracts with private prisons due to the
growing number of incarcerated African Americans; discriminatory housing rules) and for the relationships of
Indian and
Alaska Native Tribal Nations.[45][46] Prior to the signing, domestic policy adviser
Susan Rice held her first White House press conference, discussing the executive actions.[47]
The White House focuses on
climate change, with President Biden signing an executive action to suspend new natural gas and oil development leases on federal lands and waters. Special Climate Envoy
John Kerry and White House National Climate Advisor
Gina McCarthy participated in their first press conference, discussing the administration's climate policies.[53][54]
Vice President Harris swears in Antony Blinken as Secretary of State.
Second Gentleman
Douglas Emhoff had his first solo event, visiting an
urban farm in Washington, D.C. He gave remarks about food insecurity being exacerbated during the pandemic.[58]
President Biden threatens sanctions on
Myanmar in response to a
coup.[61]
Acting Solicitor General
Elizabeth Prelogar asked the Supreme Court to remove two cases related to Trump administration policy: Biden v. Sierra Club and Pekoske v. Innovation Law Lab.[62]
President Biden and Vice President Harris meet with ten Republican senators in the
Oval Office to negotiate a deal on a coronavirus aid package.[63]
Vice President Harris speaks with Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau.[64]
President Biden signs three immigration-related executive orders: creating a task force to reunite children separated from their families as a result of the
Trump administration family separation policy; an order to review legal immigration programs, including
Remain in Mexico and the
Central American Minors Program; and a review of immigration policies for "integration and inclusion" including the naturalization process.[66]
White House COVID-19 coordinator
Jeffrey Zients announced the administration would ship almost 1 million doses to 6,500 pharmacies across the country to increase vaccine availability.[67]
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attend the viewing of remains of slain U.S. Capitol police officer
Brian Sicknick at the U.S. Capitol.[68]
Wednesday,
February 3
Vice President Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff attend the viewing of the remains of U.S. Capitol police officer
Brian Sicknick at the U.S. Capitol.[69]
Vice President Harris swears in Pete Buttigieg as 19th Secretary of Transportation and Alejandro Mayorkas as 7th Secretary of Homeland Security.[70][71]
President Biden and Vice President-Harris meet with ten Democratic senators in the
Oval Office to negotiate a deal on a coronavirus aid package.[72]
President Biden speaks with South Korean President
Moon Jae-in.[73]
President Biden speaks with Australian Prime Minister
Scott Morrison.[74]
Thursday,
February 4
President Biden signs an executive order to increase refugee admissions and allow a safe haven for about 125,000 refugees.[75]
President Biden signs three memoranda; one on LGBTQ rights, one on renewing the
National Security Council (NSC), and one on revitalizing America's foreign worker policy.[76][77][78]
President Biden makes his first visit to the
State Department headquarters as president, delivering remarks to employees.[79]
Friday,
February 5
The Senate passes a budget resolution as a step to approve President Biden's $1.9trillion
stimulus package but rejects the minimum wage package he proposed. Additionally, Vice President
Kamala Harris casts her first tiebreaking vote as vice president.[80]
President Biden and Vice President Harris meet with Democratic House leaders in the
Oval Office to negotiate a deal on a coronavirus aid package.[81]
President Biden visits the
National Institutes of Health and delivers an address to the staff, declaring that there will be enough vaccines for 300 million Americans by the end of July. He also announces that the United States has signed contracts with Pfizer and Moderna for 200 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses.[91]
President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and their granddaughters depart Washington to spend
Presidents Day weekend at
Camp David, in his first visit there as president.[93]
Saturday, February 13
White House Deputy Press SecretaryTJ Ducklo resigns from his position after being suspended the previous day over comments he made towards a female journalist. His departure marks the first resignation of the Biden administration.[94]
President Biden reacts to the Senate acquittal of former President
Donald Trump by saying that "democracy is fragile".[95]
Tribal Nation leaders pressure President Biden and White House to speak on issues the tribal nations are facing such as poverty, poor healthcare and other basic issues they are facing.[103]
President Biden and Vice President Harris congratulate
NASA for landing its rover
Perseverance.[104]
Friday, February 19
President Biden participates in his first
G7 summit as president, hosted virtually by British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson.[105]
President Biden delivers remarks to the
Munich Security Conference in which he affirmed the United States's commitment to the
Transatlantic partnership and stated the "United States is determined to re-engage with Europe."[106]
President Biden pledges $2 billion for the COVAX program under WHO.[107]
Saturday, February 20
President Biden declares a major
disaster in
Texas arising from the severe frost conditions, clearing the way for more federal funds to be spent on relief efforts.[108]
President Biden holds a moment of silence outside the White House to commemorate the 500,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19.[110]
President Biden ends the use of a more difficult version of
the English language and civics test required to acquire
American citizenship which was introduced by the Trump administration in December 2020, reverting the test back to the 2008 version.[111]
President Biden holds a virtual bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, to discuss COVID-19, economic recovery, climate change, and refugees and migration.[114]
President Biden reverses a ban on the issue of permanent residency
green cards to immigrants implemented by former President Donald Trump.[116]
Vice President Harris swears in Linda Thomas-Greenfield as United States Ambassador to the United Nations and Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture.[117][118]
President Biden holds a virtual bilateral meeting with Mexican President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to discuss migration, COVID-19 and economic and security cooperation.[131]
President Biden says that the United States government expects to take delivery of enough
COVID-19 vaccine for all Americans adult by the end of May 2021.[135]
Defense secretary
Lloyd Austin warns foreign enemies and says that the administration will continue to protect American troops and interests following an attack on American troops in Iraq.[147]
Week 8
Date
Events
Photos/Videos
Monday, March 8
President Biden signs two executive orders relating to gender equality; one on creating a Gender Policy Council and another on directing the Department of Education to review
Title IX changes made by previous administration.[148]
President Biden addresses the nation on television marking the first anniversary of the
COVID-19 pandemic. During the address, Biden announces that all American adults will be eligible to receive a
COVID-19 vaccination by May 1, 2021.[157]
Russian President
Vladimir Putin responds negatively to President Biden's claim that he is a "violent killer". Shortly before this, Biden had commented suggesting that he has no interest in repairing relations with Russia.[169]
21 states file lawsuits against President Biden seeking to undo his rescinding of the
Keystone XL Pipeline permit.[170]
President Biden holds his first press conference, during which he confirms his intention to run for re-election in the
2024 presidential election.[182]
President Biden invites forty world leaders including Chinese leader
Xi Jinping and Russian president
Vladimir Putin to a virtual climate summit held on April 22 and April 23.[184]