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. For his time as president-elect, see the presidential transition of Joe Biden; for a detailed account of his first months in office, see First 100 days of the Biden presidency; for a complete itinerary of his travels, see List of presidential trips made by Joe Biden (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
Date Events Photos/videos Wednesday, January 20 Joe Biden takes the oath of office as the 46th president of the United States and Kamala Harris takes the oath of office as the 49th vice president. Outgoing president Trump does not attend the ceremony, though outgoing vice president Pence does attend. President Biden proclaims a National Day of Unity. President Biden rejoins the Paris Climate Agreement, from which the United States formally withdrew on November 4, 2020. The action took effect in 30 days. In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President Biden rescinds the United States' July 2020 intended withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Biden also names Anthony Fauci as the head of the United States' WHO delegation. President Biden issues an executive order to revoke the Keystone XL Pipeline permit and overturn various other Trump administration environmental policies. President Biden issues an executive order to halt funding for the Mexico–United States border wall. President Biden issues a proclamation to repeal the travel ban from Muslim-majority countries. The Senate confirms Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence in a vote of 84–10. President Biden directs the Department of Education to extend the pause on federal student loans through September 30, 2021. Press Secretary Jen Psaki holds the first press briefing of the Biden administration, during which she mentions that the administration will hold briefings daily. 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. 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. Saturday, January 23 President Biden speaks with British prime minister Boris Johnson. Sunday, January 24 President Biden speaks with French president Emmanuel Macron. 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. Tuesday, January 26 The Senate confirms Antony Blinken as secretary of state in a vote of 78–22. President Biden speaks with Russian president Vladimir Putin. President Biden signs executive orders relating to racism (xenophobia against Asian Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic; ending Department of Justice contracts with private prisons due to the growing number of incarcerated African Americans; discriminatory housing rules) and for the relationships of Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations. Prior to the signing, domestic policy adviser Susan Rice held her first White House press conference, discussing the executive actions. Acting United States Attorney General Monty Wilkinson announces that Biden has rescinded the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, which led to the separation of over 3,000 migrant families on the Mexico–United States border. President Biden orders 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed by the end of August. President Biden speaks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Vice President Harris receives her second shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. She gave remarks about the efficacy of the vaccine. Wednesday, January 27 The White House COVID-19 Response Team holds its first weekly public briefing featuring Anthony Fauci, Marcella Nunez-Smith, Jeff Zients, Andy Slavitt and Rochelle Walensky. The White House focuses on climate change, with President Biden signing an executive action to suspend new natural gas and oil development leases on federal lands and waters. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry and White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy participated in their first press conference, discussing the administration's climate policies. Vice President Harris swears in Antony Blinken as secretary of state. President Biden speaks with Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga. 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. Friday, January 29 President Biden meets with two wounded soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Saturday, January 30 Sunday, January 31 President Biden writes a letter to Nancy Pelosi and Patrick Leahy proposing the withdrawals of 73 proposed rescissions by Congress.
February 2021
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. Tuesday, February 2 The Senate confirms Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation in a vote of 86–13. The Senate confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security in a vote of 56–43. President Biden signs three immigration-related executive orders: creating a task force to reunite children separated from their families as a result of the Trump administration family separation policy; an order to review legal immigration programs, including Remain in Mexico and the Central American Minors Program; and a review of immigration policies for "integration and inclusion" including the naturalization process. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeffrey Zients announced the administration would ship almost 1 million doses to 6,500 pharmacies across the country to increase vaccine availability. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attend the viewing of remains of slain U.S. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick at the U.S. Capitol. 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. 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. 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. Saturday, February 6 Sunday, February 7 President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden deliver a video message during Super Bowl LV to thank frontline health workers and offer a moment of silence to the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. President Biden releases a statement on the death of former secretary of state George Shultz. Monday, February 8 President Biden speaks with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces that the administration will reengage with the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Senate confirms Denis McDonough as secretary of veterans affairs in a vote of 87–7. Tuesday, February 9 Vice President Kamala Harris swears in Denis McDonough as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Wednesday, February 10 President Biden announces sanctions on the military leaders who directed the coup in Myanmar. President Biden makes his first visit to the Defense Department headquarters as president, delivering remarks to employees. President Biden speaks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. 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. Friday, February 12 President Biden announces a review of closing of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba by the end of his term.