It’s Tuesday.
I’ve been watching an old season of the Voice and well, people sing this song and it made me want to watch the Queen herself preform it…
When Biden Bits was posted for Monday, President Biden had not tweeted. He added 1 tweet giving him a Monday Tweeting Total of 1 tweet and 0 retweets…
Here’s some background in part on what happened on Monday in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement following Russian President Putin’s speech.
We have anticipated a move like this from Russia and are ready to respond immediately. President Biden will soon issue an Executive Order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine. This E.O. will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine. The Departments of State and Treasury will have additional details shortly. We will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.
To be clear: these measures are separate from and would be in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine.
We are continuing to closely consult with Allies and partners, including Ukraine, on next steps and on Russia’s ongoing escalation along the border with Ukraine.
White House.gov. 02/21/2022.
Following her statement the White House posted a readout of President Biden’s call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. President Biden strongly condemned Russian President Putin’s decision to purportedly recognize the “independence” of the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine. He updated President Zelenskyy on the United States’ response, including our plan to issue sanctions. President Biden reiterated that the United States would respond swiftly and decisively, in lock-step with its Allies and partners, to further Russian aggression against Ukraine.
White House.gov. 02/21/2022.
The White House also posted a readout of President Biden’s call with President Macron of France and the Chancellor Scholz of Germany:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany today about Russia’s ongoing escalation along the borders of Ukraine. The leaders strongly condemned President Putin’s decision to recognize the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine as “independent.” They discussed how they will continue to coordinate their response on next steps.
White House.gov. 02/21/2022..
The Executive Order on: Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect to Continued Russian Efforts to Undermine the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine can be found here.
The fact-sheet on the: Executive Order to Impose Costs for President Putin’s Action to Recognize So-Called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics
Today, President Biden signed an Executive Order (E.O.) to respond to President Putin’s action to purportedly recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR) as “independent” states. President Putin’s action contradicts Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements, refutes Russia’s claimed commitment to diplomacy, and undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This E.O. is distinct from the swift and severe economic measures we are prepared to issue with Allies and partners in response to a further Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are continuing to closely consult with Ukraine and with Allies and partners on next steps and urge Russia to immediately deescalate.
White House.gov. 02/21/2022.
Today’s E.O. prohibits:
- New investment in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine by a United States person, wherever located;
- The importation into the United States, directly or indirectly, of any goods, services, or technology from the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
- The exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United States person, wherever located, of any goods, services, or technology to the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
- And any approval, financing, facilitation, or guarantee by a United States person, wherever located, of a transaction by a foreign person where the transaction by that foreign person would be covered by these prohibitions if performed by a United States person or within the United States.
The E.O. also provides authority to impose sanctions on persons determined:
- To operate or have operated since the date of the order in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
- To be or have been since the date of the order a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of an entity operating in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine;
- To be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;
- Or to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.
The Department of the Treasury is issuing six General Licenses to ensure that humanitarian and other related activity can continue in these regions:
- The purpose of this E.O. is to deny Russia the chance to profit from its blatant violations of international law. These actions are not directed at the people of Ukraine or the Ukrainian government.
- Treasury’s General Licenses are designed to support the innocent people who live in the so-called DNR and LNR regions who did not have a choice in Russia’s destabilizing and illegitimate actions today.
- The licenses allow a short-term wind down of activities, as well as for the export to the regions of food, medicine and medical devices, and ensure personal remittances can continue to flow.
- The licenses also allow telecommunications and internet services to remain operational, and mail services to continue.
- The licenses allow international organizations to be able to provide aid to the people in these two regions.
The United States will not hesitate to use its authorities to target those supporting efforts to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This authority provides the United States with the flexibility to impose similar restrictions on any other regions of Ukraine as appropriate.
White House.gov. 02/21/2022.
In between publishing the EO and the EO’s fact-sheet the White House published a letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate:
Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Madam President:)
Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the “order”) that expands the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 of March 6, 2014, and expanded by Executive Order 13661 of March 16, 2014, and Executive Order 13662 of March 20, 2014, and relied on for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13685 of December 19, 2014, and Executive Order 13849 of September 20, 2018, by finding that the Russian Federation’s purported recognition of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) or Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) regions of Ukraine constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
In order to deal with this threat, I am prohibiting new investment in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine or such other regions of Ukraine as may be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State (“Covered Regions”), by a United States person, wherever located; the importation into the United States, directly or indirectly, of any goods, services, or technology from the Covered Regions; the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United States person, wherever located, of any goods, services, or technology to the Covered Regions; and any approval, financing, facilitation, or guarantee by a United States person, wherever located, of a transaction by a foreign person where the transaction by that foreign person would be prohibited by the order if performed by a United States person or within the United States.
I am also creating the authority to impose sanctions on persons determined to operate or have operated since the date of the order in the Covered Regions; to be or have been since the date of the order a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of an entity operating in the Covered Region; to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order; or to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order.
I am enclosing a copy of the order I have issued.
White House.gov. 02/21/2022.
Following the EO the White House published a background press call by a Senior Admin Official on Russia and Ukraine:
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great, thanks. And thanks, everybody.
I want to start out by discussing Russia’s recognition of the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine today. We have long anticipated that Russia might take this action, and as you saw, we were ready to respond immediately.
President Biden has issued, today, an executive order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions. This EO will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine.
We will take further measures tomorrow to hold Russia accountable for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as of Russia’s own international commitments.
To be clear: These measures respond to Russia’s recognition gambit; they are not the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine. We are pleased with the historic coordination we have had with our Allies and partners on developing these measures and will continue to stay closely coordinated in the days ahead.
But I also want to address the speech President Putin made today, because we believe it made clear his true designs. This wasn’t a speech just about Russia’s security, it was an attack on the very idea of a sovereign and independent Ukraine.
He made clear that he views Ukraine historically as part of Russia, and he made a number of false claims about Ukraine’s intentions that seemed designed to excuse possible military action. This was a speech to the Russian people to justify a war. In fact, he once again explicitly threatened one.
Unfortunately, the sequence of events that Secretary Blinken laid out at the U.N. Security Council appears to be proceeding exactly as we predicted.
Russia has increased the number of false-flag events and provocations over the past few days. Today, it called a dramatic Security Council meeting. That was followed by the recognition of sovereign Ukrainian territory as independent republics, with whom Russia immediately signed so-called friendship and mutual aid agreements.
No one should mistake these theatrics as legitimate statecraft. This is Potemkin politics — President Putin accelerating the very conflict he has created.Today’s speech from President Putin follows several days of heightened tensions and escalations by Russia in and around Ukraine. Russian troops have continued to move closer to the border in what looks like plans for an invasion at any moment, most likely in response to attacks Russia falsely claims are occurring in the Donbas.
Indeed, just in the last hour, we’ve seen Russia order troops to deploy into the DPR and LPR for so-called peacekeeping functions. We have seen a number of actions that are clear Russian-backed pretexts for further invasion, like explosions at eastern — at eastern Ukraine that just happen to have Russian state media covering them in the middle of the night, or videos of alleged emergency evacuation calls or so-called saboteurs whose metadata show clearly that they were created days before their release. These attempts at disinformation aren’t fooling anyone.
But the human costs of these actions are already accruing. Russian-backed forces are forcing civilians in eastern Ukraine to leave their homes and conscripting men and boys in those regions against their will. The human costs of a further Russian invasion and occupation will be devastating.
Today after President Putin’s speech, President Biden both spoke with President Zelenskyy and held a joint call with President Macron and Chancellor Scholz. In all these calls, the President strongly condemned President Putin’s decision to recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. We will continue to consult with our Allies and partners about both diplomatic solutions and the consequences we will impose on Russia should it further invade Ukraine.
Russia continues to escalate this crisis that it created in the first place. We’ll continue to pursue diplomacy until the tanks roll, but we are under no illusions about what is likely to come next. And we are prepared to respond decisively when it does.
White House.gov. 02/21/2022.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted:
Secretary Blinken’s offered a statement:
We strongly condemn President Putin’s decision to recognize the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics” as “independent.” As we said when the Duma first made its request: this decision represents a complete rejection of Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements, directly contradicts Russia’s claimed commitment to diplomacy, and is a clear attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
States have an obligation not to recognize a new “state” created through the threat or use of force, as well as an obligation not to disrupt another state’s borders. Russia’s decision is yet another example of President Putin’s flagrant disrespect for international law and norms.
President Biden will sign an Executive Order that will prohibit all new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics” regions of Ukraine. We will continue to coordinate with Ukraine and our Allies and partners to take appropriate steps in response to this unprovoked and unacceptable action by Russia. The E.O. is designed to prevent Russia from profiting off of this blatant violation of international law. It is not directed at the people of Ukraine or the Ukrainian government and will allow humanitarian and other related activity to continue in these regions.Our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as for the government and people of Ukraine is unwavering. We stand with our Ukrainian partners in strongly condemning President Putin’s announcement.
State.gov. 02/21/2022.
He announced late Monday night:
Today the Department of State is again taking action for the safety and security of U.S. citizens, including our personnel. For security reasons, Department of State personnel currently in Lviv will spend the night in Poland. Our personnel will regularly return to continue their diplomatic work in Ukraine and provide emergency consular services. They will continue to support the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government, coordinating on diplomatic efforts. The United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s aggression is unwavering. The fact that we are taking prudent precautions for the sake of the safety of U.S. government personnel and U.S. citizens, as we do regularly worldwide, in no way undermines our support for, or our commitment to, Ukraine. Our commitment to Ukraine transcends any one location.
We strongly reiterate our recommendation to U.S. citizens to depart Ukraine immediately. The security situation in Ukraine continues to be unpredictable throughout the country and may deteriorate with little notice. There is a strong likelihood that any Russian military operations would severely restrict commercial air travel. Russian troops have continued to move closer to the border in what looks like plans for an invasion at any moment. There have been reports of increased ceasefire violations in Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk in recent days. And Russia has ordered troops to deploy into the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine. U.S. citizens who choose to remain in these areas despite our advice to depart Ukraine immediately should remain vigilant and alert to their surroundings. In the event of an attack, U.S. citizens should seek shelter in a hardened structure and monitor major news outlets for guidance on when it is safe to move.
U.S. citizens seeking to depart Ukraine needing further information should communicate with the Department of State via our online assistance request form or call 1-833-741-2777 (in the United States) or 1-606-260-4379 (from overseas) for immediate assistance. U.S. citizens planning to depart Ukraine should consult our guidance on how to cross land borders when departing Ukraine. We have stationed support teams near the Ukrainian border in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova to provide assistance to U.S. citizens, and have opened a Welcome Center for U.S. citizens in Poland.
U.S. citizens can seek consular services at Embassies and Consulates in the region listed below, or any U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Visit our United with Ukraine website for more information about U.S. government actions to support the Ukrainian government and people.
U.S. Embassy Poland: https://pl.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
State.gov. 02/21/2022.
U.S. Embassy Hungary: https://hu.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Embassy Romania: https://ro.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Embassy Moldova: https://md.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Embassy Czech Republic: https://cz.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Embassy Slovakia: https://sk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Mission to Germany: https://de.usembassy.gov/services/
U.S. Embassy Lithuania: https://lt.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Mission to the United Kingdom: https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Mission to Turkey: https://tr.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Embassy Bulgaria: https://bg.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield offered a statement supporting Ukraine’s call for an emergency UN meeting:
Today, Russia announced that it will recognize as “independent states” parts of the sovereign territory of Ukraine in its Donbas region, which is currently controlled by Russia’s proxies. This is an unprovoked violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We support Ukraine’s call for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. The Security Council must demand that Russia respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a UN Member State. The Kremlin’s actions today are a wholesale rejection of the Minsk agreements and a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2202 (2015). Russia’s announcement is nothing more than theater, apparently designed to create a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine.
Every UN Member State has a stake in what comes next. Russia’s actions threaten the international order that, since World War II, has stood for the principle that one country cannot unilaterally redraw another country’s borders. This principle is enshrined in the UN Charter which all Member States pledge to uphold.
We must all stand with Ukraine in the face of this brazen attempt to usurp Ukraine’s sovereign territory. There can be no fence-sitters in this crisis.
USUN.USmission.gov. 02/21/2022.
UN Secretary General António Guterres also issued a statement…
According to Stefan Barriga who says he is the; Guardian of the #EEA Agreement at @eftasurv, frmr Liechtenstein diplo at EU/UN, int law enthusiast, amateur DJ looking for gigs. #RuleOfLaw. Personal views.
The statement is rare or it’s rare for the UN Secretary-General to call out a P-5 member for violating the UN Charter…
The Secretary-General is greatly concerned by the decision by the Russian Federation related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. He calls for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in accordance with the Minsk Agreements, as endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 2202 (2015).
UNGeneva.org. 02/21/2022.
The Secretary-General considers the decision of the Russian Federation to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principlesof the Charter of the United Nations.
The United Nations, in line with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, remains fully supportive of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders.
The Secretary-General urges all relevant actors to focus their efforts on ensuring an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, preventing any actions and statements that may further escalate the dangerous situation in and around Ukraine and prioritizing diplomacy to address all issues peacefully.
Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General
Steve Herman with W7VOA news was at the time of writing this “live” tweeting the emergency meeting…
It’s a very long thread so I will not be posting it in full…
Some highlights so far at 10:11 p.m. D.C., time…
This morning, Germany announced it’s intent to halt the certification process on Nordstream 2 at least temporarily.
The translation is provided by Google…
For Tuesday 02/22/2022 (yeah, I totally had to do the numbers today) President Biden has received his daily brief. This afternoon he will offer remarks (added later to his schedule) on Russia and Ukraine. Later if it’s not cancelled as of right now it is not; President Biden will host a Roundtable on Securing Critical Minerals for a Future Made in America.
Fact-sheet on: Securing a Made in America Supply Chain for Critical Minerals
Biden-Harris Administration, Companies Announce Major Investments to Expand Domestic Critical Minerals Supply Chain, Breaking Dependence on China and Boosting Sustainable Practices
Critical minerals provide the building blocks for many modern technologies and are essential to our national security and economic prosperity. These minerals—such as rare earth elements, lithium, and cobalt—can be found in products from computers to household appliances. They are also key inputs in clean energy technologies like batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels. As the world transitions to a clean energy economy, global demand for these critical minerals is set to skyrocket by 400-600 percent over the next several decades, and, for minerals such as lithium and graphite used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, demand will increase by even more—as much as 4,000 percent. The U.S. is increasingly dependent on foreign sources for many of the processed versions of these minerals. Globally, China controls most of the market for processing and refining for cobalt, lithium, rare earths and other critical minerals.
Executive Order 14017 (E.O.), America’s Supply Chains, signed one year ago this week, ordered a review of vulnerabilities in our critical mineral and material supply chains within 100 days. In June, the Biden-Harris Administration released a first-of-its-kind supply chain assessment that found our over-reliance on foreign sources and adversarial nations for critical minerals and materials posed national and economic security threats.
In addition to working with partners and allies to diversify sustainable sources, the reports recommended expanding domestic mining, production, processing, and recycling of critical minerals and materials—all with a laser focus on boosting strong labor, environmental and environmental justice, community engagement, and Tribal consultation standards.
Today, President Biden will meet with Administration and state partners, industry executives, community representatives, labor leaders, and California Governor Gavin Newsom to announce major investments in domestic production of key critical minerals and materials, ensuring these resources benefit the community, and creating good-paying, union jobs in sustainable production.
White House.gov. 02/22/2022.
- President Biden will announce that the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program has awarded MP Materials $35 million to separate and process heavy rare earth elements at its facility in Mountain Pass, California, establishing a full end-to-end domestic permanent magnet supply chain. Paired with this catalytic public funding announcement, MP Materials will announce it will invest another $700 million and create more than 350 jobs in the magnet supply chain by 2024. Currently, China controls 87 percent of the global permanent magnet market, which are used in EV motors, defense systems, electronics, and wind turbines.
- Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables (BHE Renewables) will announce that this spring, they will break ground on a new demonstration facility in Imperial County, California, to test the commercial viability of their sustainable lithium extraction process from geothermal brine as part of a multibillion-dollar investment in sustainable lithium production over the next five years. If successful, this sets the company a path towards commercial scale production of battery grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate by 2026. Imperial Valley contains some of the largest deposits of lithium in the world. Once at scale, BHE Renewables facilities could produce 90,000 metric tons of lithium per year.
- Redwood Materials will discuss a pilot, in partnership with Ford and Volvo, for collection and recycling of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries at its Nevada based facilities to extract lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. This builds upon Redwood’s recent announcements including a joint venture with Ford to build a recycling facility in Tennessee and its intention to begin construction on a new cathode manufacturing facility in Nevada in 2022.
- Secretary Granholm will discuss DOE’s first-of-its-kind $140 million demonstration project funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to recover rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal ash and other mine waste, reducing the need for new mining. This project will deliver on the work of the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization by creating good-paying manufacturing jobs in legacy coal communities.
- She will also discuss $3 billion in BIL funding to invest in refining battery materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite, and battery recycling facilities, creating good-paying clean energy manufacturing jobs.
These are only the latest in announcements by major companies committing to domestic sourcing of critical minerals and materials:
White House.gov. 02/22/2022.
- MP Materials recently announced construction of a rare earth metal, alloy and magnet manufacturing facility in Texas and a long-term supply agreement with General Motors to power the motors in more than a dozen of GM’s EV models. Production will begin next year, with capacity to produce enough magnets to power 500,000 EV motors annually.
- In addition to BHE Renewables, Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) and EnergySource Minerals have established operations in Imperial County to extract lithium from geothermal brine. GM will source lithium for EV batteries from CTR. The companies are also working with the state-authorized Lithium Valley Commission to develop a royalty structure that would invest profits from their operations in infrastructure, health, and educational investments for the residents of the surrounding region.
- Tesla intends to source high-grade nickel for EV batteries from Talon Metals’ Tamarack nickel project under development in Minnesota. Talon Metals and the United Steelworkers (USW) have established a workforce development partnership for the project to train workers on next-generation technologies in the local community and from mining regions in the U.S. facing declining demand. As part of this partnership, Talon has agreed to remain neutral in any union organizing efforts by USW.
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of E.O. 14017 this Thursday, the Administration has taken action across the Federal government to secure reliable and sustainable supplies of critical minerals and materials, while also upholding the Administration’s labor, environmental and environmental justice, and equity priorities:
White House.gov. 02/22/2022.
- Updating outdated mining laws and regulations. This year, the Mining Law of 1872 turns 150. This law still governs mining of most critical minerals on federal public lands. Today, the Department of Interior (DOI) announced it has established an Interagency Working Group (IWG) that will lead an Administration effort on legislative and regulatory reform of mine permitting and oversight. The IWG released a list of Biden-Harris Administration fundamental principles for mining reform to promote responsible mining under strong social, environmental, and labor standards that avoids the historic injustice that too many mining operations have left behind. The IWG will deliver recommendations to Congress by November. They will also host extensive public input and comment sessions to ensure an inclusive process, and will work with the relevant agencies to initiate updates to mining regulations by the end of the calendar year.
- Updating and prioritizing the Federal list of critical minerals. Today, pursuant to the Energy Act of 2020, DOI will update its Federal list of critical minerals, listing minerals essential to economic or national security and vulnerable to disruption. To focus the work of Federal agencies on sourcing critical minerals, the Administration will direct agencies to prioritize the production and processing of minerals necessary to produce key products like batteries, semiconductors, and permanent magnets, consistent with our strong environmental, social and labor principles.
- Strengthening critical mineral stockpiling. DOE, DOD, and the Department of State signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to better coordinate stockpiling activities to support the U.S. transition to clean energy and national security needs. In October, President Biden streamlined the National Defense Stockpile by signing E.O. 14051 to delegate authority release of strategic and critical materials to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
My bad guys, forgot to say President Biden has not tweeted so far for Tuesday…
President Biden’s remarks on Russia and Ukraine are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. D.C., time.
President Biden’s virtual event is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. D.C., time.
The daily press briefing is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. D.C., time.
This is an open thread
