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Presidency of Barack Obama

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See also: Timeline of the Presidency of Barack Obama

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Presidency of Barack Obama
44th President of the United States
In office
January 20, 2009 – boobies
Vice PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byGeorge W. Bush
Personal details
Born
Barack Hussein Obama II[1]

(1961-08-04) August 4, 1961 (age 62)
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States[1]
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMichelle Obama (m. 1992)
ChildrenMalia Ann (b. 1998)
Sasha (b. 2001)
Residence(s)Chicago, Illinois (Private)
White House, Washington, D.C (Official)
Alma materOccidental College
Columbia University (B.A.)
Harvard Law School (J.D.)
ProfessionCommunity organizer
Attorney
Author
Professor
Politician
Signature
WebsiteOfficial White House Website
This article is part of a series about
Barack Obama
Background  · Illinois Senate  · U.S. Senate
Political positions · Public image · Family
2008 primaries · Obama–Biden campaign
Transition · Inauguration · Electoral history
Presidency (Timeline, First 100 days)

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Barack Obama being sworn in as President of the United States.

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The Presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20 2009. He is the 44th President of the United States. Obama, formerly a United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, becoming the first African American to be elected President.

Transition period

Main article: Presidential transition of Barack Obama

The presidential transition period began following Obama's election to the presidency on November 4, 2008. The Obama-Biden Transition Project was co-chaired by John Podesta, Valerie Jarrett, and Pete Rouse. During the transition period, Obama announced his nominations for his Cabinet and administration. Shortly after the election on November 4, Obama chose Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois as his Chief of Staff.[4]

Cabinet nominations included former Democratic primary opponents Hillary Rodham Clinton for Secretary of State and Bill Richardson for Secretary of Commerce (although the latter withdrew on January 4, 2009). Obama also nominated Timothy F. Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury.[5] On December 1, Obama announced that he had asked Robert Gates to remain as Secretary of Defense, making Gates the first Defense head to carry over from a president of a different party.[6] He nominated former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Susan Rice to the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, which he restored to a Cabinet-level position.[7]

During his transition, he maintained a website Change.gov, on which he wrote blogs to readers and uploaded video addresses by many of the members of his new cabinet.[8] He announced strict rules for federal lobbyists, restricting them from financially contributing to his administration and forcing them to stop lobbying while working for him.[9] The website also allowed individuals to share stories and visions with each other and the transition team in what was called the Citizen's Briefing Book, which was given to Obama shortly after his inauguration.[10] Most of the information from Change.gov was transferred to the official White House website Whitehouse.gov just after Obama's inauguration.[11]

Inauguration

Main article: Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration

Barack Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009. He officially assumed the presidency at 12:00 noon, EST,[12] and completed the oath of office at 12:05 PM, EST. He delivered his inaugural address immediately following his oath. After his speech, he went to the President's Room in the House Wing of the Capitol and signed three documents: a commemorative proclamation, a list of Cabinet appointments, and a list of sub-Cabinet appointments, before attending luncheon with congressional and administration leaders and invited guests.[13] To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of former President Abraham Lincoln, the same Bible that was used for Lincoln's inauguration was used in Obama's inauguration.[14]

In administering the oath, Chief Justice John G. Roberts misplaced the word "faithfully" and erroneously replaced the phrase "President of the United States" with "President to the United States" before restating the phrase correctly; since Obama initially repeated the incorrect form, some scholars argued the President should take the oath again.[15] On January 21, Roberts readministered the oath to Obama in a private ceremony in the White House Map Room, making him the seventh U.S. president to retake the oath; White House Counsel Greg Craig said Obama took the oath from Roberts a second time out of an "abundance of caution."[16] This second oath was not performed with his hand on a Bible, which is an entirely ceremonious custom.[17] Several previous U.S. presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, have also taken the oath without a bible.[18]

First 100 days

Main article: First 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency

Expectations

Since President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term, the first 100 days of a new administration have been a benchmark for measuring the intentions and efficiency of an incoming president.[19] Obama's 100th day in office will be April 29. In his first post-election interview with 60 Minutes, Obama said that he has been studying Roosevelt's first 100 days.[20] But he also said, "The first hundred days is going to be important, but it's probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference."[21]

Nevertheless, Obama's first 100 days have been highly anticipated ever since he became the presumptive nominee.[22] Several news outlets have created pages dedicated to covering the subject.[23] Commentators have weighed in on challenges and priorities within domestic, foreign, economic, and environmental policy.[24][25][26][27] CNN lists a number of economic issues that "Obama and his team will have to tackle in their first 100 days", foremost among which is passing and implementing a recovery package to deal with the financial crisis.[26] Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer, expressed hopes that the new president will close Guantanamo Bay detention camp in his first 100 days in office, which he did.[25] After aides of the president announced his intention to give a major foreign policy speech in the capital of an Islamic country, there were speculations in Jakarta that he might return to his former home city within the first 100 days.[28]

The New York Times devoted a five-part series, which was spread out over two weeks, to anticipatory analysis of Obama's first hundred days. Each day, the analysis of a political expert was followed by freely edited blog postings from readers. The writers compared Obama's prospects with the situations of Franklin D. Roosevelt (January 16, Jean Edward Smith),[29] John F. Kennedy (January 19, Richard Reeves),[30] Lyndon B. Johnson (January 23, Robert Dallek),[31] Ronald Reagan (January 27, Lou Cannon),[32] and Richard Nixon.

Legislation and executive orders

Within minutes of taking the Oath of Office on January 20, Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, issued an order suspending last-minute federal regulations pushed through by outgoing President George Bush, planning to review everything still pending.[33] Due to the economic crisis, the President enacted a pay freeze for Senior White House Staff making more than $100,000 per year,[34] as well as announcing stricter guidelines regarding lobbyists in an effort to raise the ethical standards of the White House.[35] He asked for a waiver to his own new rules, however, for the appointments of William Lynn to the position of Deputy Defense Secretary, Jocelyn Frye to the position of director of policy and projects in the Office of the First Lady, and Cecilia Muñoz to the position of director of intergovernmental affairs in the executive office of the president, leading to some criticism of hypocrisy and violation of his pledge for governmental openness.[36][37]

In his first week in office, Obama signed an executive order suspending all the ongoing proceedings of Guantanamo military commission and ordering the detention facility to be shut down within the year.[38][39][40] He also signed an order requiring the Army Field Manual to be used as guide for terror interrogations, banning torture and other coercive techniques, such as waterboarding.[41] Obama also issued an executive order entitled "Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel," setting stricter limitations on incoming executive branch employees and placing tighter restrictions on lobbying in the White House.[42] Obama signed two Presidential Memoranda concerning energy independence, ordering the Department of Transportation to establish higher fuel efficiency standards before 2011 models are released and allowing states to raise their emissions standards above the national standard.[43] He also ended the Mexico City Policy, which banned funds to international groups that provide abortion services or counseling.[44][45]

In his first week he also established a policy of producing a weekly Saturday morning video address available on Whitehouse.gov and YouTube,[46][47][48] much like those released during his transition period.[49][50] The first address had been viewed by 600,000 YouTube viewers by the next afternoon.[51]

The first piece of legislation Obama signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on January 29, which revised the statute of limitations for filing pay discrimination lawsuits. Lilly Ledbetter joined Obama and his wife, Michelle, as he signed the bill, fulfilling his campaign pledge to nullify Ledbetter v. Goodyear.[52] On February 3, he signed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIP), expanding health care from 7 million children under the plan to 11 million.[53]

President Obama signs the ARRA into law on February 17, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Vice President Joe Biden stands behind him.

After much debate, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was passed by both House and Senate on February 13, 2009. Originally intended to be a bipartisan bill, the passage of the bill was largely along party lines. No Republicans voted for it in the House, and three moderate Republicans voted for it in the Senate (Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania).[54] The bill will combine tax breaks with spending on infrastructure projects, extension of welfare benefits, and education.[55] The final cost of the bill was $787 billion, and almost $1.2 trillion with debt service included.[56] Obama signed the Act into law on February 17, 2009 in Denver, Colorado.[57]

On March 9, Obama nullified President Bush's order that federal funds be restricted to work involving only pre-existing stem cell lines, with no later lines allowed.[58]

Approval ratings

After his transition, Obama's approval rating was at 82%.[59] Following his first week as President, 68% of respondents in a Gallup poll approved of how Obama was handling his job, matching the early approval ratings of Dwight D. Eisenhower and trailing only John F. Kennedy in post-World War II Presidents.[60] In early February polls had his approval ratings between 62% (CBS News),[61] 64% (USA Today/Gallup), 66% (Gallup), all the way up to 76% in an outlier poll (CNN/Opinion Research).[62][63] Most common elements of Obama's positive image were "Good communicator", "Warm & friendly", and "Well organized".[63] Rasmussen reports that in mid-February, 55% of voters gave Obama good or excellent marks on his handling of the economy.[64] Gallup reports his congressional address in late February boosted his approval from 59% to 67%.[65]

By early March, a gap appeared between approval of Obama and approval of his policies. Polls placed the president's personal approval rating at 56% (Zogby)[66], 72% (Newsweek)[67] and 68% (NBC News/Wall Street Journal)[68], while job approval placed at 52%, 58%, 60% in respective polls, and 65% in a McClatchy-Ipsos poll.[69]

Administration and Cabinet

The Obama cabinet
OfficeNameTerm
PresidentBarack Obama2009–2017
Vice PresidentJoe Biden2009–2017
Secretary of StateHillary Clinton2009–2013
John Kerry2013–2017
Secretary of the TreasuryTimothy Geithner2009–2013
Jack Lew2013–2017
Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates*2006–2011
Leon Panetta2011–2013
Chuck Hagel2013–2015
Ash Carter2015–2017
Attorney GeneralEric Holder2009–2015
Loretta Lynch2015–2017
Secretary of the InteriorKen Salazar2009–2013
Sally Jewell2013–2017
Secretary of AgricultureTom Vilsack2009–2017
Secretary of CommerceGary Locke2009–2011
John Bryson2011–2012
Penny Pritzker2013–2017
Secretary of LaborHilda Solis2009–2013
Tom Perez2013–2017
Secretary of Health and
Human Services		Kathleen Sebelius2009–2014
Sylvia Mathews Burwell2014–2017
Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development		Shaun Donovan2009–2014
Julian Castro2014–2017
Secretary of TransportationRay LaHood2009–2013
Anthony Foxx2013–2017
Secretary of EnergySteven Chu2009–2013
Ernest Moniz2013–2017
Secretary of EducationArne Duncan2009–2016
John King Jr.2016–2017
Secretary of Veterans AffairsEric Shinseki2009–2014
Bob McDonald2014–2017
Secretary of Homeland SecurityJanet Napolitano2009–2013
Jeh Johnson2013–2017
Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency		Lisa Jackson2009–2013
Gina McCarthy2013–2017
Director of the Office of
Management and Budget		Peter Orszag2009–2010
Jack Lew2010–2012
Sylvia Mathews Burwell2013–2014
Shaun Donovan2014–2017
United States Trade RepresentativeRon Kirk2009–2013
Michael Froman2013–2017
Ambassador to the United NationsSusan Rice2009–2013
Samantha Power2013–2017
Chair of the
Council of Economic Advisers		Christina Romer2009–2010
Austan Goolsbee2010–2011
Alan Krueger2011–2013
Jason Furman2013–2017
Administrator of the
Small Business Administration		Karen Mills**2009–2013
Maria Contreras-Sweet2014–2017
Chief of StaffRahm Emanuel2009–2010
William M. Daley2011–2012
Jack Lew2012–2013
Denis McDonough2013–2017
*Retained from previous administration
**Elevated to cabinet-level in January 2012
See also: Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates
See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet

Twenty-two members of the Obama administration are either in the United States Cabinet (15) or are in positions considered to be Cabinet-level (7). The members of the Cabinet are the heads of the fifteen major departments (State, Defense, Justice, etc.), and the seven cabinet-level positions are the Vice President, White House Chief of Staff, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador to the United Nations, and Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.[70] Since Robert Gates was a member of the previous administration, his letter of resignation (a formality at the end of a President's term) was simply not accepted, and he did not need confirmation.[71] On January 19, 2009, Senate Democratic leaders requested fifteen of the twenty positions to be ratified by unanimous consent,[72] and seven gained unanimous confirmation by voice vote the next day: Ken Salazar, Steven Chu, Arne Duncan, Peter Orszag, Eric Shinseki, Tom Vilsack, and Janet Napolitano.[71][73] On January 21, Obama presided over the swearing in of the seven unanimous nominees.[74] Later that day, the Senate confirmed Hillary Clinton by a 94–2 vote.[71][75] On January 22, several more confirmations were approved unanimously: Susan E. Rice, Ray LaHood, Lisa P. Jackson, and Shaun Donovan.[71][76] On January 26, the Senate confirmed Geithner by a 60–34 margin.[77][78]

At the conclusion of Obama's first week as President, Hilda Solis, Tom Daschle, Ron Kirk, and Eric Holder had yet to be confirmed, and there had been no second appointment for Secretary of Commerce.[78] Republicans were also delaying Solis's confirmation due to a perceived lack of transparency.[78] Holder was later confirmed by a vote of 75–21 on February 2,[79] and on February 3, Obama announced Senator Judd Gregg as his second nomination for Secretary of Commerce, since Bill Richardson had withdrawn amid a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.[80] Daschle withdrew later that day amid controversy over his failure to pay income taxes and potential conflicts of interest related to the speaking fees he accepted from health care interests.[81]

The Seattle Times reported on February 11, 2009, that Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske had accepted an offer from the White House to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy, though he has yet to be formally nominated.[82] On February 12, Judd Gregg withdrew his nomination as Secretary of Commerce, citing "irresolvable conflicts" with President Obama and his staff over how to conduct the 2010 census and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[83] Former Washington governor Gary Locke was nominated on February 26 as Obama's third choice for Commerce Secretary.[84] On March 2, Obama introduced Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius as his second choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services. He also introduced Nancy-Ann DeParle as head of the new White House Office of Health Reform, which he suggested would work closely with the Department of Health and Human Services.[85]

Tax concerns

Several high-ranking cabinet nominees in the Obama administration have had their confirmations delayed among reports that they did not pay all of their taxes, including Tom Daschle, Obama's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.[86] Though Geithner was confirmed, and Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, thought Daschle would have been confirmed, Daschle withdrew his nomination on February 3.[81] Obama had nominated Nancy Killefer for the position of Chief Performance Officer, but Killefer also withdrew on February 3 after it was revealed that she had failed to pay the unemployment compensation tax for a household employee for a period of 18 months.[87] Hilda Solis, Obama's nominee for Secretary of Labor, faced delayed confirmation hearings due to tax lien concerns pertaining to her husband's auto repair business,[88] but she was later confirmed by a vote of 80-17 on February 24, 2009.[89] While pundits puzzled over U.S. Trade Representative-designate Ron Kirk's failure to be confirmed by March 2009, it was reported on March 2 that Kirk owes over $10,000 in back taxes. Kirk has reportedly agreed to pay them in exchange for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus's aid in speeding up the confirmation process.[90]

According to the Associated Press, the controversies have "undercut Obama's promise to run a more ethical, responsible and special interest-free administration," while White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs supported the withdrawals and defended the administration, reiterating that Obama believes in transparency and "has confidence in the vetting process".[91]

History of Cabinet confirmations

By comparison, Bill Clinton only had one outstanding Cabinet confirmation at the end of his first day in office and George W. Bush had all but one approved before February 1, 2001. Ronald Reagan had twelve of thirteen Cabinet members confirmed before February 1, and Jimmy Carter had all eleven of his confirmed. George H. W. Bush only had seven of thirteen confirmed by this time.[78] Whereas his predecessors had to tap into political capital for contentious approvals such as Zoe Baird (Clinton), John Tower (G.H.W. Bush), or John Ashcroft (G.W. Bush), Obama has not done so.[78]

Notable non-Cabinet positions

Appointees serve at the pleasure of the President and were nominated by Barack Obama except as noted.

1Appointed by George W. Bush in 2006 to a five-year term
2Appointed by George W. Bush in 2001 to a ten-year term

Policies

Economy

As he entered office, Obama planned to center his attention on handling the dire global financial crisis.[92] Since before his inauguration, he lobbied Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill,[93] which became the top priority during his first month in office.[94] As President, Obama made a high profile trip to Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. to dialog with Congressional Republicans and advocate for the bill.[95] On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law a $787 billion stimulus plan which included spending for unemployment, food stamps, health care, infrastructure, energy spending, education, aid to states, and a number of tax cuts and credits. [96]

The Obama Administration has proposed additional measures to stabilize the economy, including a $2-3 trillion measure to stabilize the financial system and free up credit. The program includes up to $1 trillion to buy toxic bank assets, an additional $1 trillion to expand a federal consumer loan program, and the $350 billion left in the Troubled Assets Relief Program. The plan also includes $50 billion to slow the wave of mortgage foreclosures.[97]

Ethics

Guantánamo Bay detention camp

On his first day in office, Obama ordered a 120-day suspension of all trials for alleged terrorists held at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp, so the new administration could "review the military commissions process, generally, and the cases currently pending before military commissions, specifically."[98] Another order established a task force to lead a review of detention policies, procedures and individual cases. Obama addressed the State Department that "the United States will not torture" and drafted an executive order to close Guantánamo within a year.[99] On January 22, he signed an executive order ensuring safe, lawful, and humane treatment of individuals detained in armed conflicts. This order restricts interrogators to methods listed and authorized by the Army Field Manual.[100]

Lobbying reform

On January 21, 2009 Obama issued an executive order for all future appointees to his administration, which stated that if the appointee was a registered lobbyist within the two years before the date of his/her appointment, he or she will not participate in any particular matter on which he or she lobbied for a period of two years after the date of his/her appointment.[42] Out of approximately 800 appointments, three formal waivers for this order have been issued.[101][102] On January 22 Obama issued a waiver for William J. Lynn III, a lobbyist for Raytheon, to hold the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense.[36] Jocelyn Frye, former general counsel at the National Partnership for Women and Families, and Cecilia Muñoz, former senior vice president for the National Council of La Raza, also received waivers.[101] Frye now serves as the Director of Policy and Projects in the Office of the First Lady, and Muñoz serves as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Executive Office of the President.[102]

All lobbyists in the administration do not require waivers; the White House requires those without waivers to write letters of recusal, stating issues from which they must refrain because of their previous jobs.[101] USA Today reported that 21 members of the Obama administration have at some time been registered as federal lobbyists, although most have not within the previous two years.[103] Lobbyists in the administration include William Corr, an anti-tobacco lobbyist, as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services[104] and Tom Vilsack, who lobbied in 2007 for a national teachers union, as Secretary of Agriculture.[103] Also, the Secretary of Labor nominee, Hilda Solis, formerly served as a board member of American Rights at Work, which lobbied Congress on two bills Solis co-sponsored,[105] and Mark Patterson, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's chief of staff, is a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs.[103]

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have criticized the administration, claiming that Obama is retreating from his own ethics rules barring lobbyists from working on the issues about which they lobbied during the previous two years by issuing waivers. According to Melanie Sloan, the group's executive director, "It makes it appear that they are saying one thing and doing another."[103]

Foreign policy

Main article: Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration

In his inaugural address, President Obama suggested that he plans to continue the process begun by former President George W. Bush of withdrawing from Iraq and continuing to focus on the war in Afghanistan. He also mentioned lessening the nuclear threat through "working tirelessly with old friends and former foes." He spoke about America's determination to combat terrorism, proclaiming America's spirit is "stronger and cannot be broken—you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." To the Muslim world, Obama extended an invite to "a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." He also said we would "extend a hand" to those "who cling to power through corruption and deceit" if they "are willing to unclench" their fists.[106] Shortly after his inauguration President Obama first called President Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Calls were also made to President Mubarak of Egypt, Prime Minister Olmert of Israel and King Abdullah of Jordan.[107] Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Middle East peace and Richard Holbrooke as special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan on January 23, 2009.[108] At the same time, Obama called on Israel to open the borders of Gaza, detailing early plans on his administration's peace plans for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[109]

On February 18, 2009, Obama announced that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan would be bolstered by 17,000 new troops by summer.[110] The announcement followed the recommendation of several experts including Defense Secretary Robert Gates that additional troops be deployed to the strife-torn South Asian country.[111][112]

President Obama declared his plan for ending the Iraq War on February 27, 2009, in a speech at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, before an audience of Marines stationed there. According to the president, combat troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by August 2010, leaving a contingent of up to 50,000 servicemen and servicewomen to continue training, advisory, and counterterrorism operations until as late as the end of 2011.[113]

Other characteristics of the Obama administration on foreign policy include a tough stance on tax havens,[114] continuing military operation in Pakistan,[115] and avowed focus on diplomacy to prevent nuclear proliferation in Iran[116] and North Korea.[117]

Gun control

After being elected as President, Obama announced that he favors measures that respect Second Amendment rights, while at the same time keeping guns away from children and criminals. On February 25, 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Obama administration will seek a new assault weapons ban across the United States, claiming that it would have a positive impact on the drug-related violence in Mexico.[118]

Science

Environment

On January 27, 2009, Obama issued two presidential memoranda concerning energy independence. One directed the Department of Transportation to raise fuel efficiency standards incrementally to 35 miles per US gallon (15 km/L) by 2020, and the other directed the Environmental Protection Agency to allow individual states to set stricter tailpipe emissions regulations than the federal standard.[119][43]

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides $54 billion in funds to double domestic renewable energy production, renovate federal buildings making them more energy-efficient, improve the nation's electricity grid, repair public housing, and weatherize modest-income homes.[120]

On February 10, 2009, Obama overturned a Bush administration policy that had opened up a five-year period of offshore drilling for oil and gas near both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has been quoted as saying, "To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise decisions based on sound information, we need to set aside" the plan "and create our own timeline."[121]

Stem cell research

On March 9, 2009, Obama repealed a Bush-era policy that prevented federal tax dollars from being used to fund research on new lines of embryonic stem cells. Such research has been a matter of debate between those who emphasize the therapeutic potential of such research and those who suggest that elements of this research breach ethical limitations. Obama, however, believes that this debate hinges on a false dichotomy that has only impeded the amelioration of human suffering. "In recent years", he said, "when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values...In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research—and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly".[122]

Transparency

File:Weekly Address (2009-01-24).ogv
Obama presents his first weekly address as President of the United States, discussing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Obama administration has said that all executive orders, proclamations, and all non-emergency legislation will be posted to the official White House website Whitehouse.gov, allowing the public to review and comment for five days before the President signs the legislation.[123] Obama broke this pledge twice in his first month in office, signing SCHIP legislation and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act with less than the full five days of "sunlight before signing." The administration has said that they are still "working through implementation procedures and some initial issues with the congressional calendar." [124][125]

Obama will also use the website to post a weekly video address, a tool which will be used to inform the public of government actions each week.[46] The videos will also be available on YouTube.[47] During his speech at the Democratic National Convention, Obama stated, "I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy."[126]

On January 21, by executive order President Obama revoked Executive Order 13233, which had limited access to the records of former United States Presidents.[127] Obama issued instructions to all agencies and departments in his administration to "adopt a presumption in favor" of Freedom of Information Act requests.[128]

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires all recipients of the funds provided by the act to publish a plan for using the funds, along with purpose, cost, rationale, net job creation, and contact information about the plan to a website Recovery.gov so that the public can review and comment. Inspectors General from each department or executive agency will then review, as appropriate, any concerns raised by the public. Any findings of an Inspector General must be relayed immediately to the head of each department and published on Recovery.gov.[129]

References

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  79. ^ Senate confirms Holder as first black AG
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  81. ^ a b Daschle withdraws as nominee for HHS secretary
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  83. ^ Gregg withdraws nomination to become commerce secy
  84. ^ Former Gov. Gary Locke nominated for Commerce secretary
  85. ^ CQ Transcript: President Obama Announces Nomination of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to Head HHS
  86. ^ Obama's promise of ethics reform faces early test, International Herald Tribune, February 3, 2009
  87. ^ Official: Performance czar withdraws candidacy, Associated Press, February 3, 2009
  88. ^ Tax problems delay vote on Hilda Solis, UPI Online, February 5, 2009
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  90. ^ Trade nominee Ron Kirk agrees to pay back taxes
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  120. ^ Committee on Appropriations Press Release of H.R. 1
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  122. ^ Obama overturns Bush policy on stem cells
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  124. ^ Obama breaks five-day pledge, The Politico, February 5, 2009
  125. ^ Barack Obama Campaign Promise No. 234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills, PolitiFact.com, February 4, 2009
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  129. ^ Full Text of H.R. 1 - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Information cited is found under Subtitle B on pages 15-18.

External links

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