The Obama Record (January 20, 2009 - December 31, 2009)

Robert P. Watson, Ph.D.
Lynn University

There is a lot of misinformation circulating on talk radio, at town hall meetings, in the blogosphere, and around office water coolers about President Obama not accomplishing anything in his first year in office. It is time to set the record straight with a list of Obama’s initiatives for 2009.

Ethics
• Ordered the White House and all federal agencies to respect the Freedom of Information Act; Bush era limits on accessibility of federal documents have been overturned
• Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
• Placed limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House
• Placed limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
• Signed a measure strengthening registration and reporting requirements for lobbyists
• Ordered that lobbyists must be removed from and are no longer permitted to serve on federal and White House advisory panels

Governance
• Held many more press conferences and provided the media with far more access than his predecessor
• Held more “town hall” events to inform and engage the public than previous administrations
• The White House website now provides information on all economic stimulus projects and spending, along with an unprecedented amount of information on our government
• Ended the Bush era practice of circumventing established FDA rules for political reasons
• Ended the Bush era practice of having White House staff rewrite the findings of scientific and environmental regulations and reports when they disagreed with the results
• The Obamas did not use the $100,000 authorized (to all First Families) for the refurbishment and redecoration of the White House’s private living quarters; they paid for it out of their own pockets
• The Obamas reused Christmas ornaments from previous White House trees rather than buy new ones
• Limited the salaries of senior White House aides (salaries cut to $100,000)
• Urging Congress to return to the pre-Bush practice of “Pay-Go” (whereby each dollar of spending is offset by a dollar in cuts or in revenues)

National Security
• Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane (which wasn’t even used in Iraq/Afghanistan) and other outdated weapons systems
• Closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay
• Attempting to house terrorists at a new federal “super max” facility in the US
• Cut the expensive missile defense program, saving $1.4 billion in 2010
• Cancelled plans to station anti-ballistic missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic
• Replacing long-range, expensive missile systems with more efficient smaller systems
• Increased US Navy patrols off the Somali coast in response to pirating
• Established a new cyber security office and appointed a cyber security czar
• Ordered the first nation-wide comprehensive cyber threat assessment

Iraq & Afghanistan
• Began the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
• Authorized the use of more unmanned warplanes/drones (Predator, Reaper, etc.) in Iraq/Afghanistan
• Authorized the deployment of 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, which had been pending for months during the previous administration [March 2009]
• Changed the US military command in the Afghan conflict
• Tasked the Pentagon to reorganized US policy in Afghanistan; 30,000 additional troops are being deployed, the US is prioritizing the training of Afghan forces and civil government while developing agriculture and infrastructure, aerial bombing has been limited, etc.
• Ordered the Pentagon to send additional helicopters to assist marines and special forces in Afghanistan
• Increased special forces searches for, and unmanned drone strikes on, Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan
• Ended the Bush era “stop-loss” policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date

Military & Veterans
• Ordered that families of fallen soldiers can have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives back in the US
• Ended the Bush era “blackout” imposed on media coverage of the return of fallen US soldiers; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier’s family
• Ended the Bush era “black out” policy on media coverage of war casualties – full information is now released
• Ordered better body armor to be procured for US troops
• Funding new Mine Resistant Ambush Vehicles (needed because of susceptibility of hummers to roadside explosives)
• Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
• Improving housing for military personnel
• Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
• Ordered that conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other neglected military hospitals be improved
• Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military (initiated by Bush but abandoned after the war in Iraq began) 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force… this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
• Ended the Bush era practice of awarding no-bid defense contracts
• Improving benefits for veterans as well as VA staffing, information systems, etc.
• Authorized construction for additional health centers to care for veterans
• Suspended the Bush-era decision to purchase an expensive fleet of Marine One (helicopters) from foreign sources
• Ordered a review of the existing “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military

Foreign Policy & International Relations
• Closed the Bush era “secret detention” facilities in Eastern Europe
• Ended the Bush era policy allowing “enhanced interrogation” (torture) and the US is in compliance with Geneva Convention standards
• Restarted international nuclear non-proliferation talks (Bush withdrew from them) and reestablished international nuclear inspection protocols
• Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
• Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions suspended under Bush
• Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
• Banned the export of cluster bombs
• Overturned Bush era plans to increase the US nuclear arsenal
• Authorized the Navy SEALS operation that freed by force the US shipping captain held by Somali pirates
• Restored the US commitment to the UN population fund for family planning that was suspended during the Bush era
• Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return “home” to visit loved ones
• Extended an offer of engagement (free from sanctions and penalties) to Iran through December 31, 2009 (Iran did not accept the offer)
• Sent envoys to the Middle East and other parts of the world, reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
• Authorized discussions with North Korea and the private mission by former president, Bill Clinton, to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
• Authorized discussions with Myanmar and the mission by Senator Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
• Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
• Signed the USIFTA trade agreement with/for Israel
• Authorized a $550m advance for Israel (six months prior to the scheduled date) in order to accommodate Israeli’s economic and financial needs
• Continued agreements with Israel for cultural exchanges, immigration, etc.
• Spoke on Arab television, spoke at an Egyptian university, and met with Arab leaders in an effort to change the tone of US-Arab relations
• Ordered the US to finally pay its dues to the United Nations

Economy
• Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants…) years of neglect during the Bush era
• Authorized the US Auto industry rescue plan and two GMAC rescue packages
• Authorized the housing rescue plan and new FHA residential housing guarantees
• Authorized a $789 billion economic stimulus plan
• Instituted a new rule allowing the public to meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (in as quickly as one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
• Authorized a continuation of the US financial and banking rescue plans initiated at the end of the Bush administration and authorized TARP funds to buy “toxic assets” from failing financial institutions
• Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provides small tax cuts for 95% of “working families”
• Authorized the “Cash for Clunkers” program that helped stimulate auto sales (with the related environmental/energy benefit of getting old, inefficient, polluting cars off the road)
• Ordered the closing of offshore tax safe havens (for individual and business tax evaders)
• Convened a “jobs summit” to bring experts together to develop ideas for creating jobs
• Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks to permit the US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
• Ordered the FDIC to beef up deposit insurance
• Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy uses the savings to promote in-sourcing investments to bring jobs back to the US
• Convened an advisory board that is looking into simplifying the tax code
• Ended the Bush era policy of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from the credit card industry’s predatory practices
• Authorized the federal government to make more loans available to small businesses and ordered lower rates for federal loans to small businesses
• After former presidents of both parties refused such action (George W. Bush refused four times), Obama placed a 35% tariff on Chinese tires and a few other products such as pipes after China was found to be illegally “dumping” exports below cost
• In November 2009, Obama extended unemployment benefits for one million workers
• In November 2009, Obama extended the Home Buyers Credit for first-time home buyers and expanded coverage for some existing homeowners who are buying again
• Reduced taxes for some small businesses to stimulate the economic recovery

Budgeting
• Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut federal spending
• Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify wasteful spending and practices
• Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient (the NPO reports to the director of the Office of Management & Budget)
• Overturned the Bush-era practice of not listing certain federal programs in the federal budget (in an effort to hide programs and make the budget look smaller); such “off budget” items are now included in the annual budget
• This includes appropriations for war
• This includes emergency appropriations

Healthcare
• Removed Bush era restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
• Offering federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
• Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
• Established an independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
• Reversed the Bush era restrictions that prevented Medicare from negotiating with pharmaceuticals for cheaper drugs; now the government can again competitively bid
• Expanding vaccination programs
• Issued new disease prevention guidelines and priorities for the CDC
• Authorized the FDA to finally begin regulating tobacco
• Tasked federal labs to prioritize research on and deployment of H1N1 vaccines
• Asked multiple congressional committees to bring forward a healthcare reform bill that attempts to increase coverage and affordability; he supported holding many hearings and town halls on the issue

Energy & Environment
• Removed a ruling that now allows individual states to enact automotive fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
• Offered attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
• Overturned Bush-era rule to weaken the Endangered Species Act
• Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
• Ended the Bush era policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
• Signed a measure requiring energy producing plants to begin producing 15% of their energy from renewable sources
• The Obamas used LED energy-saving lights on White House Christmas tree
• Announced that the federal government would reengage in the long-delayed effort to clean up “Superfund” toxic waste sites
• Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
• Proposed a new refuge for Wild mustangs
• Cancelled several Bush-era mountain-top removal and mining permits
• Reengaged in international treaties and agreements to protect the Antarctic
• Asked Congress for energy reform and “cap and trade”
• Developing plan to lease US coastal waters for wind and water current energy production
• Overturned Bush-era policies that allowed uranium mining near national parks such as the Grand Canyon
• Expanded the Petrified Forest National Park
• Signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act that protects millions of acres of scenic, historic, and recreational lands and trails
• Requiring that government buildings and facilities be retrofitted to save energy costs
• Authorized studies in several western states to determine how to support large-scale solar installations
• Attended the Copenhagen talks and, after the talks were stalled, negotiated an international (voluntary) agreement on reducing carbon emissions and raising funds to assist developing nations in offsetting carbon emissions

Rights
• Instituted enforcements for equal pay for women (Lilly Ledbetter Bill)
• Appointed the first Latina to the Supreme Court
• Held the first Seder in White House
• Appointed a diverse Cabinet and diverse White House staff
• Spoke at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization
• Signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation that includes acts of violence against gays under the list of federal hate crimes
• Reversed the Bush era practice of politicizing Justice Department investigations and prosecutions against political opponents
• Allowing some of the 9/11 perpetrators to be tried in federal court
• Signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Bill to provide federal research and support for treating the disease
• Allowed the State Department of offer same-sex benefits for employees

Education Policy
• Authorized construction funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access in K-12 public schools
• Authorized new funds for school construction
• Increased student loans
• Expanded the national youth service program
• Streamlined the federal student loan process to save $87 billion over the next 10 years
• Changed the rule to allow students struggling to make college loan payments to refinance their loans
• Beginning discussions with Congress for education reform
• Initiated a “Race to the Top” competitive federal grant program for states who develop innovative policies
• Instituted a “judgment review” allowing families with student loans to petition to have their current financial status determine the loan rather than the previous year’s finances
• Launched “Educate to Innovate,” a public/private partnership making $236 million available for science, mathematics, and technology education programs

Other Domestic Policies & Initiatives
• New federal funding for science and research labs
• Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
• Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
• Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
• Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
• Beginning discussions for comprehensive immigration reform
• Ordered that funds be released and red tape be streamlined for the ongoing Hurricane Katrina recovery effort in the Gulf Coast
• Demonstrated an immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
• Ordered the DEA to stop raids on medical marijuana usage
• Ordered a review of existing “mandatory minimum” prison sentencing
• Signed an order to limit airport tarmac delays and the time passengers had to sit in the plane/on the tarmac during delays
• Restored the EPA to “Cabinet level” status (this was the case under Clinton but not Bush)
• FEMA once again reports directly to the president (this was the case under Clinton but not Bush)

P.S. A swing set was installed for the Obama girls outside the Oval Office and a garden was planted for the White House’s vegetables and flowers