Post on 20-Dec-2020
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
White House Weekly Recap
for State, local, Tribal officials
On behalf of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA), we are
providing you this top-line update of this week's resources, news, and guidance from
your Federal partners to help you serve your fellow citizens including:
Recap of COVID-19 National Briefing Call
Details of Another Month of Historic Job Growth
Designation of Wilmington, NC as First American WWII Heritage City
How the Trump Administration Is Committed to the Rule of Law and Keeping
Communities Safe
Update on Operation Warp Speed to Deliver Safe and Effective COVID-19
Vaccines and Therapeutics
Expanded Healthcare Access to Rural America
USDA Extension of Free Meals for Kids Program
The Vice President’s Briefing with Higher Education Leaders and State and Local
Officials on Campus COVID-19 Considerations
The First Lady's National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month Event
Airport Improvement Grants Announcement
We appreciate your partnership and will continue to share pertinent updates as they
become available. As a reminder, IGA is the primary liaison between the White House
and America's State and local elected officials and Tribal governments. Please do not
hesitate to reach out if we can ever be of assistance.
Sincerely,
The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
William F. Crozer
Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director
O: 202-456-8491 | C: 202-881-8545 | E: William.F.Crozer@who.eop.gov
@WilliamCrozer45
Nick Barbknecht
Associate Director
Cell 202-881-9124
Nicolas.Barbknecht2@who.eop.gov
Gabby Uli
Deputy Associate Director
Cell 202-881-8552
Gabriella.M.Uli2@who.eop.gov
COVID-19 National Briefing Call Recap
Ambassador Deborah Birx (White House Coronavirus Task Force
Coordinator): Dr. Birx highlighted her recent travel in Iowa, North Dakota, Illinois,
and Minnesota where she met with State, local, and Tribal leaders on COVID-19
response and recovery. Dr. Birx noted that we are seeing positive trends nationwide,
including a 35 percent decline in hospitalizations and cases since the peak 4-5 weeks
ago. We are also seeing declines in mortalities, which is an important lagging indicator.
Dr. Birx noted that the majority of cases we are seeing is through community/family
gatherings and she emphasized the importance of colleges and universities having
robust testing and contact tracing plans in place given the recent spikes in case positivity
rates we are seeing in college and university towns across the country.
Admiral Brett Giroir (Assistant Secretary of Health, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services): ADM Giroir provided an update on the Federal
government's efforts to scale testing and support States, Tribes, and Localities across the
country. This includes the recent surge of Federal testing support and personnel to
Phoenix, Arizona (Pima County) and Honolulu, Hawaii. ADM Giroir highlighted the
Trump Administration's recent announcement regarding the purchase and
production of 150 million rapid tests to be distributed across the country. He also gave
an overview of the Administration's recent actions to protect our nation's seniors by
strengthening COVID-19 surveillance with new testing requirements for nursing
homes and other providers. The Administration continues to surge resources to our
Nation's nursing homes - including having already shipped over 2 million point-of-care
tests and over 5,600 point-of-care machines to the highest risk nursing homes (read
more here). The Administration is also distributing $5 billion more in Provider Relief
Funds for nursing homes - the first $2.5 billion of these funds will be distributed to help
nursing homes cover testing, PPE, and staffing expenses.
Ted McKinney (Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture):
Undersecretary McKinney detailed the USDA's work to care for all Americans from the
food supply chain to feeding America's children with the latest programs while
supporting America's farmers.
Jim Carroll (Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy -
ONDCP): Monday, August 31st marked International Overdose Awareness Day. To
mark the occasion, ONDCP joined our Federal partners at the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to unveil an
infographic explaining to first responders how they can safely administer
naloxone during the COVID-19 pandemic. As naloxone is frequently administered
nasally, concerns about possible COVID-19 transmission while employing the life-saving
drug caused understandable unease among some police, EMTs, and others. The
infographic explains in straightforward fashion how reasonable precautions can ensure
naloxone can be administered without fear of contracting COVID-19 in the critical
moments immediately following an overdose. Please share this naloxone guidance
during the COVID-19 pandemic with all of your first responders.
Keith Turi (Assistant Administrator for Recovery, Federal Emergency
Management Agency): Turi discussed new interim guidance from FEMA that
clarifies eligible work under the Public Assistance program as part of the response to
COVID-19. The interim policy defines the framework, details and requirements for
eligibility of work and costs under the Public Assistance Program to ensure consistent
and appropriate implementation across all COVID-19 emergency and major disaster
declarations. Only work associated with the performance of emergency protective
measures specifically listed in this policy is eligible for Public Assistance in COVID-19-
declared events. The interim policy is applicable to eligible applicants only and is
exclusive to emergency and major disaster declarations for the COVID-19 pandemic. The
guidance applies to work performed on or after September 15, 2020.
READ MORE: Americans are anxious to get back to work and to send their
children to school. The science backs them up. - Dr. Scott Atlas, Advisor to
the President
August Delivers Another Month of Historic Job Growth
Nominal average hourly earnings jumped up 0.4% in August
The amount of jobs added to the U.S. economy over the past 4 months, has surpassed
expectations by a combined 12.2 million jobs.
A record 10.6 million jobs have been gained since April, bringing back about 50% of the jobs
lost from the lockdowns.
249,000 retail, 174,000 leisure and hospitality, and 45,000 manufacturing and constructions
jobs were added in August.
American economy gained nearly 1.4 million jobs in August, making it the fourth month in a
row of over 1 million jobs added.
The Great American Comeback is underway all across our Nation!
Unlike the previous administration, which led a historically slow recovery, President Trumps’
pro-growth policies are unleashing a great American comeback and the recovery continues to
trounce the Obama administration’s sluggish recovery. Under Obama, it took nearly 9 years for
the unemployment rate to drop 6.3 percentage points, something achieved in just 4 months
under President Trump.
@realDonaldTrump: Great Jobs Numbers! 1.37 Million Jobs Added In August.
Unemployment Rate Falls To 8.4% (Wow, much better than expected!). Broke the
10% level faster and deeper than thought possible.
The unemployment rate has fallen to a level that forecasters didn’t expect to reach even by the
end of the year.
The CBO projected in July that we would end the year with a 10.5 percent
unemployment rate.
The Federal Reserve predicted the unemployment rate would be 9.3 percent by the end
of 2020.
The unemployment rate dropped by 1.8 percentage points to 8.4%, beating expectations
which only predicted a 0.4 percentage point decrease.
The August unemployment rate drop is the second largest decrease on record.
The unemployment rate fell for African Americans (-1.6 percentage points), Hispanic
Americans (-2.4 percentage points), and Asian Americans (-1.3 percentage points).
In addition, those without a high schools diplomas saw a 2.8 percentage point decrease
in unemployment, while the rate for adult women fell by 2.1 percentage points – the
second largest drop ever.
Trump Administration Designates Wilmington, North Carolina
as First American World War II Heritage City
On Wednesday, September 2, President Trump and U.S. Secretary of the Interior David
Bernhardt traveled to and designated the city of Wilmington, North Carolina as the
first American World War II Heritage City. The designation recognizes the countless
contributions of the women and men who stepped into the workforce to support
America's successful campaign during World War II.
� Watch the President's Remarks
� Read More from North Carolina Lt. Governor Dan Forest: Wilmington
and North Carolina's Battleship Have Earned Their National Praise
The City of Wilmington, known as the "Defense Capital of the State," was home to
several strategic defense industries, including the North Carolina
Shipbuilding Company. The city more than doubled in population during the war as
workers built 243 ships in five years and supported other rapidly expanding industries.
Wilmington, NC also served as a critical training hub for each branch of the military, and
it is now also home to the U.S.S. North Carolina, a battleship that took part in every
major naval offensive in the Pacific.
The Trump Administration is Committed to Keeping
Communities Safe; Operation Legend Update
On Tuesday, September 1, President Trump traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin (population
~100,000) to view the impact of recent violence and rioting. The President met with
impacted small business owners and discussed response and recovery needs with
Federal, State, and local leaders, including law enforcement personnel. President Trump
underscored the Administration's full support for law enforcement and commitment to
restoring law and order to communities across the country.
� Watch the full Kenosha Roundtable with President Trump
READ MORE: President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General William
Barr Announce $41 Million in Emergency Funding to Address the Public
Safety Crisis in Wisconsin
“Law enforcement has just done such a great job working with the National Guard and working
with a lot of people . . . we’re here to show our support for Kenosha.” - President Trump
Across the Nation, Federal law enforcement is coordinating with State and local law
enforcement to bring justice to rioters, looters, arsonists, and other criminals preying on
our communities. Operation Legend—a Department of Justice-led initiative to
fight violent crime in America’s cities—has resulted in more than 2,000
arrests in less than 2 months. 147 arrests have been made for homicide; more than
544 firearms have been taken off the streets; and more than seven kilos of fentanyl, 14
kilos of heroin, 12 kilos of cocaine, and 50 kilos of methamphetamine have been seized.
In Kansas City, where the operation launched, the murder rate has been cut by 33
percent. In Chicago, the murder rate has been cut in half over the last month. Read
more here.
@Mike_Pence: I’m proud to report that since we launched Operation
LeGend, local & federal law enforcement have made more than 2,000
arrests, including suspects 90 homicides. The operation in LeGend's name
is going to continue to bring peace & security to cities across America, so
help us God.
Local News Roundup
� KRQE (Albuquerque): Operation Legend makes 2,000 arrests since July,
35 in Albuquerque
� Fox 32 (Chicago): Operation Legend responsible for 100 arrests so far in
Chicago
� 19 News (Cleveland): 54 people charged with federal crimes in Cleveland
since Operation Legend started
� Local 4 (Detroit): Operation Legend in Detroit - More than 40 people
charged with federal offenses
� KMBC (Kansas City): Prosecutors say 355 arrests made so far under
Operation LeGend
� KSDK (St. Louis): Here's how many violent offenders have been charged
since Operation Legend launched in St. Louis
Update on Trump Administration's Operation Warp Speed
On August 31, President Trump provided an update on Operation Warp Speed
announcing that a Phase III clinical testing of AstraZeneca's Coronavirus vaccine
candidate has begun. The trial will enroll approximately 30,000 adult volunteers at 80
sites in the United States to evaluate if the candidate vaccine can prevent symptomatic
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In total, three Operation Warp Speed-supported candidates are in Phase 3 trials in the
United States, and more are expected to enter United States Phase 3 trials by the end of
September.
Secretary Alex Azar: How We're Developing a COVID-19 Vaccine at 'Warp
Speed'
About Operation Warp Speed: On May 15, President Trump announced the
launch of Operation Warp Speed (OWS) to deliver safe and effective coronavirus
treatments and vaccines as quickly as possible. OWS aims to begin delivery of 300
million doses of an FDA authorized, safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 by the end
of the year as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing,
and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. OWS is a
partnership among components of the Department of Health and Human Services and
the Department of Defense, engaging with private firms and other federal agencies, and
coordinating among existing HHS-wide efforts, including the NIH’s Accelerating
COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) partnership, NIH’s Rapid
Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, and work by the Biomedical Advanced
Research and Development Authority within the HHS Office of the SAssistant Secretary
for Preparedness and Response. Find a helpful Fact Sheet here.
The Trump Administration Delivers on its Promise to Expand
Healthcare Access in Rural America; Releases Rural Action Plan
On Tuesday, August 2, the Trump Administration delivered on the promise to expand
healthcare access in and improve outcomes for rural America. Following President
Trump's August 3rd Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access,
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a
memorandum of understanding to work together on the Rural Telehealth Initiative.
@SecretarySonny: Increasing access to quality telehealth services is
critical especially now . . .
@FCC: Today, @FCC, @HHSgov, & @USDA announced the Rural
Telehealth Initiative, a joint effort to collabroate & share info . . .
On Thursday, September 3, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
released a Rural Action Plan evaluating existing and upcoming efforts to improve rural
healthcare. The plan is the first HHS-wide assessment of rural healthcare efforts in more
than 18 years and the product of HHS’s Rural Task Force, a group of experts and leaders
across the department first put together by Secretary Azar in 2019.
@SecAzarL: @HHSGov, @USDA, and @FCC just teamed up on the Rural
Telehealth Initiative to help ensure rural America has access to broadband
and #telehealth . . .
The plan lays out a four-point strategy to transform rural health and human services,
with a number of actions that can be launched within weeks or months. The four points
of the strategy are:
Building a sustainable health and human services model for rural communities,
including actions such as:
Leveraging technology and innovation, including:
Focusing on preventing disease and mortality, including:
Increasing rural access to care, including:
READ MORE: HHS Releases Rural Action Plan
More Rural Health Resources
Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access
President Donald J. Trump Is Expanding Access to Telehealth
Services and Ensuring Continued Access to Healthcare for Rural
Americans
Trump administration aims to keep telehealth revolution here to stay
Deregulation Sparks Dramatic Telehealth Increase During the
COVID-19 Response
President Trump and Secretary Shulkin Announce Veteran Telehealth
Initiatives
The Trump Administration Extends Free Meals for Kids
Program Through December
On August 31, the Trump Administration - through the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) - announced it will extend the free meals for kids program through December
21, 2020. The flexibility allows summer meal program operators to continue serving free
meals to all children into the fall months. This unprecedented move will help ensure - no
matter what the situation is on-the-ground - children have access to nutritious food as
the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
@SecretarySonny: Today at Bonaire Elementary School in Georgia I
announced USDA will extend free school meals for kids through December
31st
Since the start of the public health emergency, USDA's Food and Nutrition Service has
been maximizing existing program services and flexibilities to ensure those in need have
access to food through our 15 federal nutrition assistance programs. To date, USDA has
provided more than 3,000 flexibilities across these programs. USDA has also leveraged
new and innovative approaches to feeding kids, including a public-private
partnership that provided nearly 40 million meals directly to the doorsteps of low-
income rural children. For more information on FNS’ response to COVID-19,
visit fns.usda.gov/coronavirus.
READ MORE: USDA Extends Free Meals for Kids Through December 31,
2020
The Vice President’s Briefing with Higher Education Leaders
and State and Local Officials on Campus COVID-19
Considerations
On Friday, August 4, Vice President Mike Pence led a discussion with college presidents,
State and local leaders, the Secretary of Education, and members of the White House
Coronavirus Task Force to brief them on the principles contained in the recently
released “Recommendations for College Students.” These principles are intended
to keep schools open while mitigating community spread.
The Vice President highlighted a number of states and institutions that have taken
innovative and collaborative approaches to return students to their campuses. For
example: Colorado State University is using surveillance testing to monitor the potential
spread of COVID-19 and the University of Notre Dame quickly and efficiently dealt with
an outbreak on campus. The Vice President also emphasized the importance of keeping
our schools open and students on or near campus, and praised the efforts of all essential
workers who have made school reopening possible, including teachers.
READ MORE: Readout from the Vice President’s Briefing with Higher
Education Leaders and State and Local Officials on Campus COVID-19
Considerations
CDC Guidance for Schools & Higher Education Institutions Reopening
The CDC has released science-based resources and tools for school administrators,
teachers, parents, guardians, and caregivers when schools open this fall. The CDC
discusses the importance of reopening America’s schools this fall here noting that “as
families and policymakers make decisions about their children returning to school, it is
important to consider the full spectrum of benefits and risks of both in-person and
virtual learning options.” As noted previously by CDC Director Redfield, the
CDC is able to provide technical assistance to any State, school district, or
school. Please let us know if you have any interest.
K-12 Schools Guidance & Considerations here.
Higher Education Institutions Guidance & Considerations here.
White House Coronavirus Task Force Recommendations for College Students
here.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) COVID-19 Planning Considerations – Guidance
for School Re-entry: Full Guidance here.
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month Event
On Thursday, August 3, First Lady Melania Trump and the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) partnered together to host “Recovery Works:
Celebrating Connections” in recognition of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Recovery Month. The White House officially commemorated Recovery Month with
a Proclamation Issued by President Trump on August 31, 2020.
The First Lady was joined by ONDCP Director Jim Carroll, Surgeon General
Jerome Adams, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, First Lady of North
Dakota Kathryn Burgum, and recovery-friendly employers and their employees.
The First Lady opened the roundtable by thanking ONDCP, and those in attendance, for
recognizing all Americans in recovery and the incredible organizations that support
them. Mrs. Trump emphasized that “today, we are here to highlight two important
things in recovery: the power of recovery tools and resources in the workplace, and the
role personal connection to others plays in achieving sobriety.” The First Lady’s Be Best
initiative expands upon these themes by promoting healthy relationships and strong
families, and by supporting the people and programs in communities that give children
their best chance to succeed.
READ MORE: Readout from The White House National Alcohol and Drug
Addiction Recovery Month Event
Trump Administration Announces $1.2 Billion in Infrastructure
Grants to America's Airports
On Tuesday, September 1, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced
that the Trump Administration will award more than $1.2 billion in airport safety and
infrastructure grants through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 405
airports in 50 states and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, the
Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
@SecElaineChao: Good news for America’s airports! Announcing today
$1.2 billion in federal funds to 405 airports in 50 states and 6 territories.
These dollars will improve our nation’s airport infrastructure and enhance
safety. Congratulations!
A complete listing of grants (PDF) and an interactive map of airports receiving
funding is available on the FAA's website. The total includes over $1 billion from the
Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and $152 million in Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act grants to equal a 100 percent federal
share.