What’s the first thing on the new president’s to-do list today? Barack Obama told ABC News’ Robin Roberts at the Neighborhood Ball last night: We’ll be making a series of announcements both on domestic and on foreign policy that I think will be critical for us to act swiftly on. We’re not going to be able to delay — there have been a lot of things that have been pressing. Fortunately, we’ve seen Congress immediately start working on the economic recovery package — getting that passed and putting people back to work, that’s going to be the thing that we’re…
Browsing: Barack Obama
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the inauguration: an atmosphere like that of Election Night, perhaps, a night that felt like a moment of national catharsis – thousands of people flooding the streets, cheering, crying, honking horns. But Inauguration Day wasn’t like that. There certainly were emotions: tears after Obama took the oath of office; smiles after the Rev. Joseph Lowery’s benediction. Overall, though, the mood was more celebratory. The Foggy Bottom Metro stop looked like a street fair: Dozens of vendors sold everything from Obama t-shirts to commemorative copies of the Washington Post. They said business was slow…
Those who are claustrophobic or merely uncomfortable with being pressed up against dozens of other people likely hated today’s inauguration. Drawing near-record crowds, depending on whom you ask, the event taxed people’s patience, tolerance for cold and even their needs for personal space bubbles. A lot had been made of the difficulties guests would have getting to the inauguration, what with practically all of northern Virginia being declared a no-driving zone for personal vehicles. So I was surprised to find the District-bound Blue line Metro at Crystal City nearly empty at 6:30 a.m. and thought I was in for an…
President Barack Obama’s Cabinet now has eight official members. The Senate voted by voice vote just before 4 p.m. today to confirm the following seven nominees: Steven Chu for Energy, Arne Duncan for Education, Janet Napolitano for Homeland Security, Peter Orszag for director of the Office of Management and Budget, Ken Salazar for Interior, Eric Shinseki for Veterans Affairs and Tom Vilsak for Agriculture. His Cabinet already included Robert Gates, whom Obama asked to stay on as Defense secretary. But things aren’t moving so quickly for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s secretary of state nomination. After her smooth hearing before the Senate…
In remarks prepared for delivery, Barack Obama had this to say about federal government: The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light…
President Barack Obama’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery, after the jump.
.tweetacc { margin-bottom: 0.25em; } .tweets { margin: 0 0 0.5em 0; padding: 0; font-size: 1.0em; } .tweets li { padding: 0.5em; list-style: none; } .flwtime { color: #666666; margin-left: 1em; } At noon today, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. We’ll be providing live updates via Twitter from our three reporters at the inauguration. Rebecca is in the official press section; Steve has tickets to the swearing-in ceremony; Gregg is roaming around on the National Mall. (The last 5 updates from each reporter will display here.) Stephen Losey I’m signing off now–getting anywhere the…
There are 8,600 facilities with at least one set of the official portraits of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and at noon eastern tomorrow the portraits will have to be “removed and respectfully disposed†of, according to a GSA spokeswoman. The spokeswoman didn’t expand on what “respectfully dispose†means, so your guess is as good as ours. The portraits will be replaced by the official photos of President Obama and Vice President Biden as soon as prints become available, which probably means most offices won’t see these smiling faces until March, according to GSA.
In case you haven’t heard, Barack Obama will be sworn in Tuesday. With as many as 2 million people expected to descend on Washington and temperatures topping out at a balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit, the event will likely be a frozen madhouse. If you’ve decided to stay away from Capitol Hill that day, then well, you’ve got more common sense than us at Federal Times. We’ll have three reporters on the scene. Congressional reporter Rebecca Neal nabbed the official press pass allotted for Fed Times and will be right up front as Obama takes the oath of office. My girlfriend pulled…
President-elect Barack Obama today named William Corr as the nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Corr, currently the executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, served as chief of staff to former Secretary Donna Shalala during her tenure at HHS. He also served as the deputy assistant secretary for health and counselor to the secretary. He also has a solid working relationship with HHS Secretary-designate Tom Daschle, having served as chief counsel and policy director for former Senate Minority Leader Daschle for two years. In a statement, Obama praised Corr’s experience and said…