Timeline of the Joe Biden presidency (2021 Q1)

The following is a timeline of the presidency of Joe Biden during the first quarter of 2021, beginning from his inauguration as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021, to March 31, 2021. To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Joe Biden presidency. For the Q2 timeline see timeline of the Joe Biden presidency (2021 Q2).

Timeline

January 2021

Week 1

Date Events Photos/Videos
Wednesday, January 20
Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States
Thursday, January 21
  • President Biden signs ten executive orders related to the country's COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts. These include activating the Defense Production Act in order to speed up vaccine distribution.
  • Sources confirm that FBI Director Christopher Wray will remain in his position.
  • President Biden delivers remarks regarding his administration's planned COVID-19 response.
  • 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.
  • Vice President Kamala Harris makes her first notable phone call as vice president with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
  • President Biden fires National Labor Relations Board general counselor Peter B. Robb.
  • President Biden proposes to extend the New START nuclear treaty with Russia by 5 years. The treaty would have expired in February 2021.
  • President Biden announces a suspension on distribution of new oil and gas drilling permits, effective for 60 days.
President Biden signs the executive orders for COVID-19 testing
Friday, January 22
  • The Senate confirms Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense in a vote of 93–2.
  • President Biden signs an executive order to ask agencies to boost food aid and improve the delivery of stimulus checks.
  • President Biden signs an executive order to restore collective bargaining power for federal workers.
  • President Biden signs an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal employees to $15 per hour.
  • President Biden discusses plans with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
  • President Biden discusses plans with Mexican President Andrés López.
President Biden signs H.R. 335 into law, thus allowing Lloyd Austin to become Secretary of Defense.
President Biden signs the executive orders for Economic Relief of the COVID-19 pandemic
Saturday, January 23
  • President Biden speaks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
President Biden talks with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the phone
Sunday, January 24

Week 2

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday, January 25
  • 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.
  • President Biden imposes travel restrictions on South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Brazil to mitigate the spread of newly identified COVID-19 strains.
  • The Senate confirms Janet Yellen as Secretary of the Treasury in a vote of 84–15.
  • The House of Representatives brings the impeachment charge against former president Donald Trump to the Senate, with the trial scheduled to start February 9.
  • 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.
  • President Biden speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
President Biden signs the executive order named "Made in America"
Tuesday, January 26
President Biden signs the executive orders related to racial equity
President Biden speaks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Vice President Harris receives her second COVID-19 vaccination at the NIH
Wednesday, January 27
President Biden signs the executive orders related to climate change
Vice President Harris swears in Antony Blinken
Thursday, January 28
  • President Biden signs executive orders expanding the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, revoking an abortion policy by the Trump administration, and revoking the Mexico City policy.
  • 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.
President Biden signs the executive orders related to health care
Friday, January 29
President Biden visits Walter Reed
Saturday, January 30
Sunday, January 31

February 2021

Week 3

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday,

February 1

  • President Biden threatens sanctions on Myanmar in response to a coup.
  • 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.
  • President Biden and Vice President Harris meet with ten Republican senators in the Oval Office to negotiate a deal on a coronavirus aid package.
  • Vice President Harris speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
President Biden meets with Republican senators to discuss COVID-19 relief measures
Tuesday,

February 2

President Biden signs executive orders related to immigration
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attend the memorial for Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick
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.
  • Vice President Harris swears in Pete Buttigieg as 19th Secretary of Transportation and Alejandro Mayorkas as 7th Secretary of Homeland Security.
  • President Biden and Vice President-Harris meet with ten Democratic senators in the Oval Office to negotiate a deal on a coronavirus aid package.
  • President Biden speaks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
  • President Biden speaks with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Vice President Harris swears in Alejandro Mayorkas
President Biden meets with Democratic senators to discuss COVID-19 relief measures
Thursday,

February 4

  • President Biden signs an executive order to increase refugee admissions and allow a safe haven for about 125,000 refugees.
  • 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.
  • President Biden makes his first visit to the State Department headquarters as president, delivering remarks to employees.
President Biden delivers remarks to State Department employees
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.
  • President Biden and Vice President Harris meet with Democratic House leaders in the Oval Office to negotiate a deal on a coronavirus aid package.
President Biden meets with Democratic House leaders to discuss COVID-19 relief measures
Saturday,

February 6

Sunday,

February 7

First Lady Jill Biden and Biden family dog Major prepare to record a Super Bowl LV video message

Week 4

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday, February 8
President Biden and Vice President Harris virtually tour the State Farm Stadium vaccination center
Tuesday, February 9
  • Vice President Kamala Harris swears in Denis McDonough as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Vice President Harris swears in Denis McDonough
Wednesday, February 10
President Biden delivers remarks in the response to the Myanmar coup d'état
Thursday, February 11
  • 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.
President Biden delivers remarks to the staff at the National Institutes of Health
Friday, February 12
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden deliver a Lunar New Year message from the Red Room
Saturday, February 13
  • White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ 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.
  • President Biden reacts to the Senate acquittal of former President Donald Trump by saying that "democracy is fragile".
Sunday, February 14

Week 5

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday, February 15
  • President Biden and his family return to Washington from Camp David.
  • Vice President Harris speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
President Biden delivers a Presidents Day message
Tuesday, February 16
President Biden and Anderson Cooper at the CNN Town Hall while Biden is talking to Americans
Wednesday, February 17
President Biden discusses his proposed American Rescue Plan with labor leaders in the Oval Office
Thursday, February 18
  • President Biden's immigration reform bill is introduced in the House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, increase funding for immigration courts and enhance border security, among smaller changes.
  • 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.
  • President Biden and Vice President Harris congratulate NASA for landing its rover Perseverance.
President Biden watches Perseverance land on Mars
Friday, February 19
  • President Biden participates in his first G7 summit as president, hosted virtually by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
  • 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."
  • President Biden pledges $2 billion for the COVAX program under WHO.
President Biden participates in a virtual G7 summit from the White House Situation Room
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.
  • President Biden visits his friend and former Kansas senator Bob Dole, following Dole's recent stage four lung cancer diagnosis.
Sunday, February 21

Week 6

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday, February 22
  • President Biden holds a moment of silence outside the White House to commemorate the 500,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19.
  • 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.
President Biden speaks and holds a moment of silence to commemorate American deaths from COVID-19
Tuesday, February 23
A virtual joint press conference between President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Wednesday, February 24
  • President Biden reverses a ban on the issue of permanent residency green cards to immigrants implemented by former President Donald Trump.
  • Vice President Harris swears in Linda Thomas-Greenfield as United States Ambassador to the United Nations and Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture.
Vice President Harris virtually swears in Tom Vilsack
Thursday, February 25
Vice President Harris swears in Jennifer Granholm
President Biden takes part in an event commemorating the 50 millionth COVID-19 vaccine shot
Friday, February 26
The White House Black History Month celebration (note: a copyrighted performance by Anthony Hamilton has been edited out)
Saturday, February 27
  • After debating it through Friday night, the House passes the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act by a vote of 220–211, in the early morning.
President Biden gives remarks on the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act through the House (transcript)
Sunday, February 28
President Biden discusses workers and unionization

March 2021

Week 7

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday, March 1
A virtual bilateral meeting between President Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Tuesday, March 2
President Biden delivers remarks on the COVID-19 pandemic (transcript)
Wednesday, March 3
  • Vice President Harris swears in Gina Raimondo as Secretary of Commerce.
  • President Biden criticizes "Neanderthal thinking" in reference to the lifting of mask mandates by the governors of Texas and Mississippi.
  • President Biden pledges deeper cooperation and ties with Indo-Pacific nations and to stand against Chinese influence in the region.
  • Biden's official presidential portrait is taken on this day.
President Biden participates in a virtual House Democratic Caucus event
Thursday, March 4
Vice President Harris speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on the telephone
Friday, March 5
President Biden takes part in a roundtable meeting about the American Rescue Plan Act
Saturday, March 6
  • After debating it through Friday night, the Senate passes the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act by a vote of 50–49, in the early morning.
President Biden gives remarks on the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act through the Senate (transcript)
Sunday, March 7
  • President Biden signs an executive order promoting voting rights.
  • 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.
President Biden signs an executive order promoting voting rights

Week 8

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday, March 8
President Biden delivers remarks on International Women's Day
Biden and Harris pose with female generals of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Tuesday, March 9
President Biden visits a store which has received a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program
Wednesday, March 10
Vice President Harris virtually swears in Marcia Fudge
Thursday, March 11
President Biden signs the American Rescue plan
President Biden addresses the nation on the first anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic (transcript)
Friday, March 12
A quadrilateral meeting between President Biden with Prime Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan
President Biden and Vice President Harris delivers remarks on the American Rescue Plan
Saturday, March 13
Sunday, March 14

Week 9

Date Events Photos/Videos
Monday, March 15
President Biden delivers remarks on the American Rescue Plan (transcript)
Tuesday, March 16
Vice President Harris delivers remarks to the 65th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
Wednesday, March 17
A virtual bilateral meeting between President Biden and Taoiseach Micheál Martin
Thursday, March 18
President Biden delivers remarks on the COVID-19 vaccination program (transcript)
Friday, March 19
President Biden delivers remarks in Atlanta, Georgia on the recent spa shootings there and the American Rescue Plan (transcript)
Saturday, March 20
Sunday, March 21

Week 10

Monday, March 22
Vice President Harris swears in Isabel Guzman
Tuesday, March 23
President Biden delivers remarks on the Boulder shooting (transcript)
Wednesday, March 24
Margaret Purce takes a selfie with Megan Rapinoe, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden
Thursday, March 25
  • President Biden holds his first press conference, during which he confirms his intention to run for re-election in the 2024 presidential election.
President Biden holding his first press conference (transcript)
Friday, March 26
Vice President Harris swears in Xavier Becerra
Saturday, March 27
Sunday, March 28

Week 11

Monday, March 29
President Biden delivers remarks on COVID-19 and vaccinations (transcript)
Tuesday, March 30
  • President Biden signs the PPP Extension Act of 2021, a bill that would extend the Paycheck Protection Program deadline from March 31 to May 31.
President Biden signs the Paycheck Protection Program into law
Wednesday, March 31
President Biden delivers remarks on his economic plans in Pittsburgh

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-11-30 04:21 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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