Austin Confirmed as Secretary of Defense

Posted on January 22, 2021

Earlier today, the Senate confirmed Lloyd Austin as the Secretary of Defense by a vote of 93 -2. The retired four-star general becomes the first African American to assume that position.

Before he could be confirmed, both chambers of Congress had to grant him a waiver to serve in that position. The waiver was needed as military personnel need to be out of uniform for seven years before serving as the Secretary. The Senate approved the waiver 69 – 27 while the House preceded it by a vote of 326 – 78.

Read more about the confirmation here and here.

Education Names Initial Political Appointees

Posted on January 22, 2021

The Education Department has released its initial list of political appointees. The list is available here.

More Executive Actions Taken on First Full Day

Posted on January 22, 2021

President Biden took more executive actions on Thursday, his first full day in office, with these aimed squarely at addressing different aspects of the impact of COVID-19. Among the executive orders issued was one specifically geared towards reopening educational institutions, including colleges and universities.

In total, he issued seven executive orders and a memo, all of which are available here.

Agencies Begin to Fill Leadership Positions

Posted on January 21, 2021January 22, 2021

A number of agencies have started naming individuals for key positions within their ranks.

The Department of Energy released a slate of individuals for senior positions earlier today, which is available here. The Department of Interior also publicly released yesterday a number of names tapped for leadership posts in the agency.

We will continue to post other agency staffing announcements on our site.

Texts of Biden Executive Actions Now Available

Posted on January 21, 2021January 21, 2021

As noted earlier yesterday, President Biden was expected to take a number of executive actions on a host of issues on his first day, including COVID-19, DACA, and student loan repayments, among others. He did take those executive actions after being sworn in and the texts of those executive actions are now available.

The text of the Presidential Memorandum on “Preserving and Fortifying DACA” is available here.
The text of the Presidential Proclamation ending the “Muslim ban” is available here.
The text of the Executive Order on a review of regulations that negatively impact the climate issued during the Trump Administration is available here.
The text of a memo from the White House Chief of Staff to agency heads halting “midnight regulations” is available here.
A statement regarding student loan repayments is available here. The Education Department has already updated its website to reflect an extension on the repayment pause through September 30.

Texts of other executive actions taken by the new President are available here.