President Barack Obama on Wednesday ordered a pay freeze for top aides making $100,000 or more and signed a series of orders aimed at creating the open government he promised on the campaign trail.
Obama said the moves were aimed at helping to “restore that faith in government without which we cannot deliver the changes we were sent here to make,” drawing a barely veiled contrast between himself and a predecessor who was accused by critics of excessive secrecy and abuses of the law.
In the executive orders and memoranda he signed Wednesday afternoon in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Obama announced that no lobbyist will be allowed to take a job in an area where they lobbied. Nor would former lobbyists who come to work for him be allowed to lobby the administration after leaving government service.
He banned gifts from lobbyists to administration officials. And he said he’d require all those who serve him to commit in writing to refrain from influencing colleagues for two years. The moves represent “a clean break from business as usual,” Obama said.
Obama’s announcement fulfills a campaign pledge – but one that he watered down significantly over the course of his presidential campaign.
Initially, the new president pledged that lobbyists would not be allowed to work in his administration.
"They have not funded my campaign, they will not get a job in my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president,” Obama told Iowa Democrats in November of 2007.
He eventually tweaked his stump speech to promise that lobbyists wouldn’t “run” his White House.
The White House has yet to release the text of the rules, making it difficult to gauge their strictness.
But they don’t seem to bar former consultants, who often function in ways similar to lobbyists, from working on their pre-White House portfolios, nor do they limit officials from working on issues on which their spouses lobby.
Also, in a nod toward the difficult economic times many in the country are facing, Obama said his senior White House staff would be subject to a pay freeze. Aides said the freeze would kick in for senior staff making $100,000 or more.
The new president also said Freedom of Information act requests would be more routinely approved by his administration.
“For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city,” Obama said. “The old rules said that if there was a defensible argument for not disclosing something to the American people, then it should not be disclosed. That era is now over.”
Hinting more directly at Vice President Dick Cheney, who sought to keep information about White House meetings concealed, Obama added: “The mere fact that you have the legal power to keep something secret does not mean that you should always use it,”
In a statement sent out following Obama’s announcement, the White House said that senior aides would be tasked with producing an “Open Government Directive” within 120 days directing specific actions to implement the principles in the memorandum. The memorandum on FOIA instructs gives the Attorney General the same time frame to issue new guidelines on government transparency.
Before deciding to bar information from public view, Obama said he would consult with his Attorney General and White House counsel – a move aimed at curbing the Bush administration’s penchant for making information classified. President George W. Bush argued that as president, he had the right to classify – or declassify – information as he saw fit.
Further, and in a move that will greatly please historians and students of the presidency, Obama issued an order aimed at offering more access to White House documents.
Bush angered scholars and open-government advocates with an executive order in 2001 giving ex-presidents and presidents the authority to block release of White House records.
What signal does this send to the public?
Do you think these orders are a good idea?
11 comments:
This denunciation of secrecy gives the public a sense of confidence. They are more likely to trust a government that does not try to hide things. It sends a massage that the the government is on the side of the people and is not allowing parasites to thrive.
I think that there are both positive and negative aspects of this policy. Secrecy is sometimes needed to protect our nation. Important logistical decisions should not be revealed to the public. As for the pay freeze, it is a wise decision in most cases, but when a family has many children, 100,000 dollars might still not be enough.
The idea of freezing the salaries of White House senior staff is a good move by Obama simply because it is a demonstration that there really is change coming.
As for the White House documents issue, I'm not too certain if Obama should have taken a stand so quickly. Although I am, and apparently "angered scholars and open-government advocates" are too, not sure what kind of documents these might be, I am sure that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of issues a president and his staff consult about that the public, and especially the media, never know about because they simply shouldn't know about. If you think that Bush was criticized during his presidency, can you imagine how much he would have been criticized had White House documents been available?
I believe thay are trying to say they have things to cover up if they don't think or want things to be seen they shouldn't have done it.Whatever it is. I do think that this is a bad idea i can defiantly see why some people are angry. But then i see the othe side of the situation. I don't want to kow any possible leathal information.
It is a step in the right direction for President Obama to freeze White House wages. It is obvious that the U.S. is in an economic crunch and it is going to take money to do just about anything in or for the country. There is no better place to start for cutting budgets and putting money to better use than at the top. By freezing top White House paychecks- including his own- Obama is setting an example for the rest of the country that in order to change the country, everyone is going to have to step up and make their own changes, including monitary sacrifices by those who are in secure and profitable situations.
That's a really cool picture...just felt I needed to share my thoughts.
People feel safer knowing that their government doesnt hide things, it guves them a sense of trust. Although i can understand why the people re upset about the freezing salaries, I would be too.
I think it's great that Obama is freezing the white house salaries. It's awesome that Obama is already trying to do something about our mess of an economy. I agree with what Johanna said, the public is more likely to trust a government that does not hide things from them. I think he's making a pretty good decision by freezing his salary,as well as other white house employee salaries.
also, kudos on that sweet lolcats picture in the other post!
Okay, so far I am pleased with what Obama is doing. The fact that he is not making anything private is a great decision to kick off his term as president. The only thing I don't like about the Freedom of Information Act is that he said his team are going to approve such requests for info more frequently :/ I think we should have some secrecy but don't hide all the important matters like Bush did his entire four years as president. Barack Obama, you are starting off to be a very promising president, Don't let us down.
~Isaac
This sends an extremely positive signal to the public. This shows that Obama is genuinely to make a change. It is a great public relations move and place the administration in a good position in the public eye.
Good for Obama. I love the decisions he is currently making. He is definately trying to form a new look of the white house, which is well needed. Personally, and I fell like I speak for a large percentage of my generation, the government hasn't been something I have looked too proudly upon. Obama is definately trying to show the "Bush" generation that the government is on our side, and is something we can trust.
The order to freeze the payment of those in the senior staff who make over $100,000 was a good move. It sends a positive message to the public. The people like to hear that instead of spending money increasing the income of those already wealthy the government can put that money to better use.
The idea of establishing an open government also sends a positive message to the public. An open-government is a great move in order to earn people's trust. People like to be aware about the decisions being made, but I'm not sure that having all the documents out in the open is a great idea. Sure it would be nice to know what the government is doing most of the time, however, there are somethings that need to be concealed for the protection of the people.
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