Biden’s First 100 Days; Wednesday’s Open Thread

Pardon Our Mess. Photo by Marty Mankins.

It’s Wednesday.

Today marks President Biden’s 21st day in office.

The President and Vice President will travel to the Pentagon to meet with the Secretary of Defense. Live feeds to both the daily presser and their remarks from the Pentagon will be provided at the end of the article.

In It’s about damn time news.

Democrat Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Senator Dick Durbin announced on late Tuesday that Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing has been scheduled.

In Lobbying by the President News…

CNN announced that they will be hosting a “town hall” with President Joe Biden on February 16th, 2021.

Anderson Cooper will host the masked and socially distance invitation-only event from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Pabst Theater is hosting the event scheduled to air at 8:00 p.m. D.C., time, on the 16th, of February.

The President is expected to field questions on a number of issues as his administration, lawmakers and business leaders debate how to defeat the coronavirus, while trying to bring a sense of normalcy back to people’s lives.

The town hall will air on CNN, CNN en Español, CNN International; stream live on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android and simulcast on SiriusXM Channels 116, 454 and 795. The town hall can also be viewed on CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku and Samsung Smart TV). The special will also be available on demand to subscribers via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms and CNN mobile apps.

CNN. 02/10/2021.

As of Tuesday evening The COVID Tracking Project reported that “states reported 1.6 million tests, 93k cases, 79,179 people,” are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and that there were “2,795 deaths,” due to the coronavirus.

But they also reported some good news regarding the pandemic, saying that the death rate has decreased over 7 days by more than 15 percent.

Before we take our way back machine to the President’s Twitter feed a couple of notes on our time traveling.
Because he’s not a nutcase like former Twitter Obsessed Impeached Wonder, nobody has made an archive site for his tweets. So, I’m using “tweets and replies” as for some reason, a Twitter thing, prevents all tweets from showing just in the “tweets” tab.
Note two, his personal @ Joe Biden account, has not tweeted, it’s simply retweeted some of his Presidential tweets, so far, I’m not 24/7 watching either feed, but I’m set-up for alerts from both accounts, if it changes, it will be noted.

With that out of the way we travel this time to January 23rd, 2021.

January 23rd, 2021 (Saturday).

For Saturday he had two whole tweets and no retweets.

11:23 a.m. D.C., time.

1. This time it’s a 12 second lovely propaganda video.

It’s less video and more gif like, there is no cheesy music, no voice over, it’s just simply President Biden, his wife First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, holding hands, at what appears to be the memorial to honor those 400,000 plus people that died due to the coronavirus.

3:05 p.m. D.C., time.

2. Pat’s himself on the back for his first 2 and a half days in office, where he signed several EO’s and EA’s, many regarding the coronavirus pandemic, and revoking failed EO’s of the previous administration.

For information on his EO’s, EA’s, and Memorandums, you can find them here, here, and here.

January 24th, 2021 (Sunday).

For Sunday he sent three tweets and retweeted zero times.

11:45 a.m. D.C., time.

1. Says that Dreamers are Americans.

On January 20th, 2021, President Biden issued a Memorandum for the Attorney General and the Department of Homeland Security to preserve and fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Section 1.  Policy.  In 2012, during the Obama-Biden Administration, the Secretary of Homeland Security issued a memorandum outlining how, in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, the Department of Homeland Security should enforce the Nation’s immigration laws against certain young people.  This memorandum, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) guidance, deferred the removal of certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, have obeyed the law, and stayed in school or enlisted in the military.  DACA and associated regulations permit eligible individuals who pass a background check to request temporary relief from removal and to apply for temporary work permits.  DACA reflects a judgment that these immigrants should not be a priority for removal based on humanitarian concerns and other considerations, and that work authorization will enable them to support themselves and their families, and to contribute to our economy, while they remain.

Sec. 2.  Preserving and Fortifying DACA.  The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall take all actions he deems appropriate, consistent with applicable law, to preserve and fortify DACA. 

White House.gov. 01/20/2021.

4:43 p.m. D.C., time.

2. Shares a visual image of some of the actions he took over his first 2 and half-days in office.

To find the actions taken, you can click on the links above in explanation for the other tweets touting his EO’s, EA’s, and Memorandums, or you can visit WhiteHouse.gov., click on the Briefing tab, then click on the Presidential Actions tab.

8:06 p.m. D.C., time.

3. He confirms a pressing issue among questions asked of his Press Secretary Jen Psaki, via social media.

January 25th, 2021.

We’ve reached Monday, his 5th day in Office, for which he tweeted 7 times and retweeted 2 times.

9:22 a.m. D.C., time.

1. Says he’s taking action to support businesses during the “crises we face”.

As the News Blender explained at the time, the actions he was taking were only bulleted pointed items.

As of today as suspected at the time, there are more details, to the Executive Action to “buy American.”

The order is long and contains 16 sections. Which are as follows:

 Section 1.  Policy. Section 1.  Policy.  It is the policy of my Administration that the United States Government should, consistent with applicable law, use terms and conditions of Federal financial assistance awards and Federal procurements to maximize the use of goods, products, and materials produced in, and services offered in, the United States.  The United States Government should, whenever possible, procure goods, products, materials, and services from sources that will help American businesses compete in strategic industries and help America’s workers thrive.  Additionally, to promote an accountable and transparent procurement policy, each agency should vest waiver issuance authority in senior agency leadership, where appropriate and consistent with applicable law.

Sec. 2.  Definitions. 

[ a) defines Agency, b) defines “made in America Laws”, and c) defines waiver].

 Sec. 3.  Review of Agency Action Inconsistent with Administration Policy.  (a)  The head of each agency shall, as soon as practicable and as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, including the Administrative Procedure Act, consider suspending, revising, or rescinding those agency actions that are inconsistent with the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.
(b)  The head of each agency shall, as soon as practicable and as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, including the Administrative Procedure Act, consider proposing any additional agency actions necessary to enforce the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.

Sec. 4.  Updating and Centralizing the Made in America Waiver Process. 

[section 4 is a heavy lift with several sub-cats, explaining how the OMB will establish the “Made in America Office.”

Sec. 5.  Accounting for Sources of Cost Advantage.  To the extent permitted by law, before granting a waiver in the public interest, the relevant granting agency shall assess whether a significant portion of the cost advantage of a foreign-sourced product is the result of the use of dumped steel, iron, or manufactured goods or the use of injuriously subsidized steel, iron, or manufactured goods.  The granting agency may consult with the International Trade Administration in making this assessment if the granting agency deems such consultation to be helpful.  The granting agency shall integrate any findings from the assessment into its waiver determination as appropriate.

Sec. 6.  Promoting Transparency in Federal Procurement.

[a) orders the Administrator of General Services to develop a public website, that includes info on those seeking waivers, b) Directors OMB to report “promptly” all sought after waivers].

Sec. 7.  Supplier Scouting.  To the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law, agencies shall partner with the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), discussed in the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Improvement Act (title V of Public Law 114-329), to conduct supplier scouting in order to identify American companies, including small- and medium-sized companies, that are able to produce goods, products, and materials in the United States that meet Federal procurement needs.

Sec. 8.  Promoting Enforcement of the Buy American Act of 1933.

[Makes it so the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR), has 180 days to consider “proposing for notice and public comment amendments” where applicable].

Sec. 9.  Updates to the List of Nonavailable Articles.  Before the FAR Council proposes any amendment to the FAR to update the list of domestically nonavailable articles at section 25.104(a) of the FAR, the Director of OMB, through the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), shall review the amendment in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Made in America Director, paying particular attention to economic analyses of relevant markets and available market research, to determine whether there is a reasonable basis to conclude that the article, material, or supply is not mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality.  The Director of OMB, through the Administrator of OFPP, shall make these findings available to the FAR Council for consideration.

Sec. 10.  Report on Information Technology That Is a Commercial Item.  The FAR Council shall promptly review existing constraints on the extension of the requirements in Made in America Laws to information technology that is a commercial item and shall develop recommendations for lifting these constraints to further promote the policy set forth in section 1 of this order, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.

Sec. 11.  Report on Use of Made in America Laws.  Within 180 days of the date of this order, the head of each agency shall submit to the Made in America Director a report on; (a)  the agency’s implementation of, and compliance with, Made in America Laws; (b)  the agency’s ongoing use of any longstanding or nationwide waivers of any Made in America Laws, with a written description of the consistency of such waivers with the policy set forth in section 1 of this order; and (c)  recommendations for how to further effectuate the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.

Sec. 12.  Bi-Annual Report on Made in America Laws.  Bi‑annually following the initial submission described in section 11 of this order, the head of each agency shall submit to the Made in America Director a report on: (a)  the agency’s ongoing implementation of, and compliance with, Made in America Laws; (b)  the agency’s analysis of goods, products, materials, and services not subject to Made in America Laws or where requirements of the Made in America Laws have been waived; (c)  the agency’s analysis of spending as a result of waivers issued pursuant to the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 2511, separated by country of origin; and (d)  recommendations for how to further effectuate the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.

Sec. 13.  Ensuring Implementation of Administration Policy on Federal Government Property.  Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of General Services shall submit to the Made in America Director recommendations for ensuring that products offered to the general public on Federal property are procured in accordance with the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.

Sec. 14.  Revocation of Certain Presidential and Regulatory Actions.  (a)  Executive Order 13788 of April 18, 2017 (Buy American and Hire American), section 5 of Executive Order 13858 of January 31, 2019 (Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects), and Executive Order 13975 of January 14, 2021 (Encouraging Buy American Policies for the United States Postal Service), are hereby revoked. (b)  Executive Order 10582 of December 17, 1954 (Prescribing Uniform Procedures for Certain Determinations Under the Buy-America Act), and Executive Order 13881 of July 15, 2019 (Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods, Products, and Materials), are superseded to the extent that they are inconsistent with this order.

Sec. 15.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its other provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

[Section 16 is just the general provision section that explains what the EO will not impair or otherwise affect].

White House.gov. 01/25/2021.

12:31 p.m. D.C., time.

2. Less heavy a lift than tweet 1.

I spoke too soon, however, IMO, the first section the policy is more important than what follows which is speech making, by President Biden, more than policy.

 Section 1.  Policy.  All Americans who are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States (“Armed Forces”) should be able to serve.  The All-Volunteer Force thrives when it is composed of diverse Americans who can meet the rigorous standards for military service, and an inclusive military strengthens our national security.

Sec. 2.  Revocation.  The Presidential Memorandum of March 23, 2018 (Military Service by Transgender Individuals), is hereby revoked, and the Presidential Memorandum of August 25, 2017 (Military Service by Transgender Individuals), remains revoked.

White House.gov. 01/25/2021.

3:42 p.m. D.C., time.

3. Shares a live stream to his remarks, explaining actions he took, shared under tweet 1.

See tweet 1 or you can check out the News Blender.com, which carried the event live.

5:51 p.m. D.C., time.

4. Again we are talking about Buy American.

See everything above this tweet.

6:32 p.m. D.C., time.

5. Shares a tweet from his Vice President Kamala Harris swearing in Lloyd Austin as the Secretary of Defense.

Austin was confirmed by the Senate on January 22nd, 2021, the vote total was 93-2.

8:36 p.m. D.C., time.

6. Announces that he spoke with German Chancellor Anegla Merkel.

The readout of the call says; President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, conveying his desire to deepen relations between our countries. He expressed his intention to revitalize the transatlantic alliance, including through NATO and with the European Union, as the cornerstone of our collective security and shared democratic values. The leaders agreed to work together on common foreign policy priorities, including Afghanistan, China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and the Western Balkans. The leaders also agreed on the importance of global cooperation, including via renewed American commitment to multilateral organizations, on combating climate change, containing COVID-19 and advancing health security, and pursuing a sustainable global economic recovery.

9:53 p.m. D.C., time.

7. We come full circle, to once again, praise his “Buy American” EO.

And with that, we conclude our trip in the way back machine…until the morrow…


And because I got distracted by EO’s and the Second Day of the Impeachment Trial of former Impeached already twice ass, I present the not live daily press briefing.

PBS NewsHour.

Live President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of Defense Austin’s, remarks from the Pentagon.

PBS NewsHour.

Fox News.

For what it’s worth, I’m unsure what this is, but CBS News and the White House are saying that President Biden will speak to his administration’s response to Myanmar Coup in just a few minutes.

CBS News.

The White House.

This is an Open Thread.

About the opinions in this article…

Any opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website or of the other authors/contributors who write for it.

About Tiff 2521 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.