Sen. Russ Feingold has had it with controversies over the Senate appointments to replace Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: he plans to introduce a Constitutional amendment this week requiring Senate vacancies to be filled by special elections instead of gubernatorial appointments. In a statement released Sunday, Feingold said, In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution gave the citizens of this country the power to finally elect their senators. They should have the same power in the case of unexpected mid-term vacancies, so that the Senate is as responsive as possible to the will of the people.” Feingold, D-Wis., is…
A busy week ahead here at Federal Times, and around Washington: The House votes on the stimulus package, new Cabinet secretaries get to work, and President Obama starts his first full week in office. First, though, we go a couple hundred miles north to New York, where Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar says he wants to reopen the Statue of Liberty’s crown to visitors. The whole statue, you’ll remember, was closed for security reasons after 9/11; the base was reopened in 2004, but the crown has remained closed. Not for security reasons, though; the narrow, 168-step staircase leading to…
President Obama has appointed Stuart Ishimaru to be acting chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the commission said today. Ishimaru replaces Naomi Earp as chairman. In the statement announcing the appointment, the EEOC said Ishimaru’s more than five-year tenure has been marked by a focus on “large, systemic cases and in reinvigorating the agency’s work on race discrimination issues. He also played an instrumental role in the EEOC’s adoption of groundbreaking guidance on gender discrimination against workers with caregiving responsibilities.” Ishimaru called the appointment “a high honor and quite humbling:” The Obama administration brings new promise and possibilities to…
In a memo sent to all Environmental Protection Agency employees today, newly minted administrator Lisa Jackson promised to “make respect for the EPA work force a bedrock principle of my tenure.†She said: I will look to you every day for ideas, advice and expertise. EPA should once again be the workplace of choice for veteran public servants and also talented young people beginning careers in environmental protection – just as it was for me when I first joined EPA shortly after graduate school. She also reiterated promises she made to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to make…
Barack Obama’s Cabinet is filling up. Last night the Senate confirmed: Shaun Donovan to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Ray LaHood to be Secretary of Transportation. In other confirmation news: Susan Rice, Obama’s choice for U.N. ambassador, was approved. Nancy Sutley was confirmed as chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. And finally, Lisa Jackson was given the green light to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, after Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., lifted his objection to a vote by unanimous consent.
President Obama just named Kathie Ann Whipple to be acting director of the Office of Personnel Management. Whipple, who had been deputy general counsel, will immediately replace Michael Hager, who served as acting OPM director since last August. Whipple thanked Obama for the appointment in a statement issued this morning: I am humbled to have been designated by President Obama to serve as the acting director of OPM, an agency it has been my pleasure to serve for the past eight years. I look forward to leading OPM until the president appoints and the United States Senate confirms the next director.
Update: Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., has lifted his objection to allowing a vote on Lisa Jackson’s nomination for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator by unanimous consent, Greg Keeley, Barrasso’s spokesman said. This means the vote could come as soon as this evening. Barrasso’s change of heart came after he spoke with Carol Browner, Obama’s energy and environment czar. The pair will meet next week to discuss Barrasso’s concerns about her new role and how it may affect the  independence of EPA.  Original Post: EPA Confirmation Delayed The Environmental Protection Agency may have to wait a while to see the changes Lisa Jackson, Obama’s…
General Services Administration officials have confirmed that acting Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator Paul Prouty, is now the new acting chief of the entire agency. Prouty, a Public Building Service career official, replaced Jim Williams in the role of acting GSA administrator on Jan. 20, according to GSA. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the appointment. Williams has returned to his former job as commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service. He was nominated by former President Bush to run the agency last summer, but was never confirmed by the Senate. Williams had been running the agency on an acting basis ever since.
Lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would provide four weeks of paid leave for federal employees who give birth to or adopt a child. Similar bills have failed in the past, however. And though Democrats have a stronger position in this Congress than they did last year, it still remains to be seen whether this bill will become law. What do you think? Has the lack of paid parental leave hurt you when your family grew? We’d like to hear from you. Send an e-mail to Stephen Losey at slosey@federaltimes.com.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was greeted like a rock star today when she made her first appearance at the department’s D.C. headquarters. Clinton arrived this morning to thunderous applause outside the C Street entrance and, once inside, waded through a camera-toting crowd numbering well into the hundreds, taking time to shake hands with employees eager to get their first look at the new boss.  The applause didn’t die down for more than three minutes, at which point the brief lull gave way to another round of hoots and hollars. “We love you Madam Secretary!” one female employee shouted. “Thank you,” a…