white house

White House Seeks Continuing Resolution With $6.4B For Afghan Refugees

Moon over U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2016. NASA Photo

The Biden administration is calling on Congress to pass a stopgap spending measure for the upcoming fiscal year as lawmakers continue the appropriations process.

“[W]ith the end of the fiscal year rapidly approaching, it’s clear that Congress will need to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to provide more time for the FY 2022 process to unfold,” Shalanda Young, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/09/07/white-house-seeks-continuing-resolution-with-6-4b-for-afghan-refugees

Biden picks former DOT deputy secretary as port czar

John Porcari testifying before Senate.

President Joe Biden has appointed former Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari as port envoy to assist the administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force and industry stakeholders address structural inefficiencies that are bottling up ocean shipments.

The task force, led by the secretaries of agriculture, commerce and transportation, was established in early June, to diagnose supply/demand problems and alleviate bottlenecks in the transportation, construction, semiconductor and food...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/biden-picks-former-dot-secretary-as-port-czar

Fauci Hopeful on COVID Vaccine Distribution Target After Snowstorm Delay

  • The White House said that it expects to catch up this week on coronavirus vaccine distribution.
  • The distribution got delayed due to winter snowstorms in the US
  • Despite the storms, 2 million of the 6 million delayed vaccines have been delivered.
  • Fauci has said that they can catch up quite well despite the setback

According to a CNBC report, the White House press secretary said that they will deliver the vaccines this week after being derailed by winter snowstorms.

“We expect to rapidly catch up...

https://mfame.guru/fauci-hopeful-on-covid-vaccine-distribution-target-after-snowstorm-delay/

Transmission: Chip shortage threatens post-pandemic recovery

Happy Friday! Here’s what’s cookin’ today in Transmission:

  • Semiconductor shortage threatens post-pandemic economic recovery
  • Infrastructure projects in Mexico and USMCA open up the door for investment in US-Mexico border region
  • Industry news

Semiconductor shortage threatens post-pandemic economic recovery

The global chip shortage has been running rampant for more than three months now. Automakers have been trimming production in recent weeks in hopes that supply catches up with demand relatively...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/transmission-chip-shortage-threatens-post-pandemic-recovery

U.S. Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific

The following is the recently released and declassified U.S. Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific and a statement from National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien.

From the statement

The United States is and always has been an Indo-Pacific nation. From our first trading ships that departed for China just eight years after the American Revolution, to establishing our first diplomatic presence in India in 1794, U.S. engagement in the region has been built on trade, cooperation, and shared...

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/15/u-s-strategic-framework-for-the-indo-pacific

Schultz: Nuclear Icebreakers Are Not An Option for Coast Guard

A starboard view of the anchored US Coast Guard icebreaker POLAR STAR (WAGB 10). Coast Guard Photo

The Coast Guard will not pursue nuclear-powered icebreakers, despite previous White House requests that the service assess the possibility, its top officer said Wednesday.

Speaking at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium, Coast Guard commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said the service and the Navy discuss what kind of icebreaking capability the sea services require, but that a nuclear-powered...

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/13/schultz-nuclear-icebreakers-are-not-an-option-for-coast-guard

Marine Commandant Berger Tested Negative for COVID-19 Multiple Times in Last Week

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger and President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 27, 2020 for a Gold Star families event. White House Photo.

The Marine Corps’s top uniformed officer has tested negative for coronavirus multiple times in the last week, according to a spokesman.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger appeared at the White House on Sunday for a Gold Star event, the commandant’s spokesman told USNI News. President Trump, who was also at the event, has since tested...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/02/marine-commandant-berger-tested-negative-for-covid-19-multiple-times-in-last-week

Rail industry groups eye pandemic relief/capital investment funding

A photograph of a train hauling tank cars across a field.

As the rail industry gears up to seek federal engagement in transportation infrastructure issues such as grant funding for capital projects, a new factor – the manufacturing downturn brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic – is influencing discussions between the industry and lawmakers.

In particular, rail equipment producers are vulnerable because the severe drop in railcar traffic has dried up demand for railcar manufacturing, according to the Railway Supply Institute (RSI).

“The COVID-19...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rail-industry-groups-eye-pandemic-relief-capital-investment-funding

COVID-19 and China: A Chronology of Events

The following is the May 12, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, COVID-19 and China: A Chronology of Events (December 2019-January 2020).

From the report

In Congress, multiple bills and resolutions have been introduced related to China’s handling of a novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, that expanded to become the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. This report provides a timeline of key developments in the early weeks of the pandemic, based on available public...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/13/covid-19-and-china-a-chronology-of-events

Sailor on White House Staff Tests Positive for COVID-19

U.S. Navy ceremonial guard march off the South Lawn of the White House in 2011. US Navy Photo

One sailor on the White House Military Office staff tested positive for COVID-19 this week, calling into question the possible exposure of the first family, West Wing staff and others to the military unit that tends to many of the daily needs of the White House.

CNN first reported today that a male sailor on the staff began showing symptoms on Wednesday and tested positive for COVID-19 through a rapid...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/07/sailor-on-white-house-staff-tests-positive-for-covid-19

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