Transition Tracker
Indian Country Hopeful Through Transition
Despite a long history of unfulfilled promises of change, American Indians see possibility of greater recognition and reform starting with the transition team.
Daschle Gets HHS Post, Will Head Health Care Reform Effort
Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle will become the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, President-elect Barack Obama announced Thursday. He also said Daschle will head a new White House office dealing with health care reform.
Daschle, who rose to be Senate Majority Leader before losing a 2004 election, was an early backer of Obama's candidacy.
VA Chief Named; Obama Cabinet Nearly Half Done
Retired General Eric Shinseki will be the new Veterans Affairs secretary, President-elect Barack Obama announced Sunday, the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Shinseki, himself wounded in Vietnam, was the first Asian-American to rise to the rank of four-star general. He also served as Army Chief of Staff, the highest ranking Army officer, but ran into trouble when he raised doubts about strategy in Iraq, including saying that many more troops would be needed, a position many now consider prophetic.
Obama Backs Major Infrastructure Program
Facing an economy that continues to deteriorate, President-elect Obama pledged Saturday to support one of the largest public works programs in history. “We need action — and action now,” he said.
The program, with no specified price tag, would include money to rebuild roads and bridges and to pursue "green" energy alternatives.
Obama made the announcement in his weekly broadcast. Watch it on YouTube.
More money and more clarity needed in higher education, experts say
As Obama takes office, the economic crisis will undoubtedly land at the top of the Democrat’s agenda. But as those priorities push education out of the public eye, higher education is becoming increasingly unaffordable, federal financial aid is weakening in proportion to the cost of college and still-frozen credit markets are limiting loan options for students.
As Chief of Staff, Emanuel Must Find Balance
Like his predecessors, Rahm Emanuel must learn to balance policy plans, partisan realities and demands for his boss’ time and energy.
Obama Fills Key Posts at State, Defense, Justice, Homeland Security
President-elect Barack Obama said Monday he will nominate New York Sen. Hillary Clinton to be his secretary of state. Obama defeated Clinton in a long and bitter Democratic primary before winning election in November.
He also said that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will stay on in the new cabinet, despite their previous differences over strategy in Iraq.
The president-elect also confirmed earlier reports that he has selected Eric Holder to be attorney general and Arizona's Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano to be secretary of homeland security.
Volcker Joins Obama Economic Team
Former Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker has signed on to head a new entity, the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, President-elect Barack Obama announced Wednesday.
Volcker,81, was a strong advocate of deregulating much of the financial industry during his service as Fed chief from 1979 to 1987. He is widely credited with instituting policies that contained inflation in the early 1980s, which sparked a deep recession in 1981-82.
OMB Chief Named
President-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday he has named Peter Orzag to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget in the new administration.
Orzag, currently head of the Congressional Budget Office, must be confirmed by the Senate. He had previously served in the Clinton White House as an adviser on economic policy.
OMB coordinates the construction of the federal budget and plays a key role in determining the shape of federal regulations.
Environmental Reform Will Be Tied to Economic Growth
EPA watchers predict the agency will get tougher under Obama, but in order to push through environmental reforms, the changes will need to be pegged to economic stimulus.
Geithner Tapped for Treasury; Obama Gives Bleak Economic Assessment
President-elect Barack Obama told a news conference Monday that he will nominate New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy F. Geithner as Treasury Secretary.
Geithner is the first Cabinet member to be named by Obama.
The president-elect also called on Congress to pass a strong stimulus bill, as well as help for the automobile industry.
"The economy is likely to get worse before it gets better," Obama told the news conference.
Gibbs Named Press Secretary; Obama Sets News Conference
President-elect Barack Obama as expected has named Robert Gibbs to be White House press secretary. Gibbs had worked as Obama's senate communication director and was a senior adviser in the presidential campaign.
The president-elect is holding his second news conference since the election Monday afternoon. He is expected to name New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary, along with other members of his economic team, The Washington Post reported.
Gibbs Named Press Secretary; Obama Sets News Conference
President-elect Barack Obama as expected has named Robert Gibbs to be White House press secretary. Gibbs had worked as Obama's senate communication director and was a senior adviser in the presidential campaign.
The president-elect is holding his second news conference since the election Monday afternoon. He is expected to name New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary, along with other members of his economic team, The Washington Post reported.
Names, Names and More Names
A brief recap of who supposedly is on first, etc., in the forthcoming Obama cabinet:
- Secretary of State -- Hillary Clinton
- Attorney General -- Eric Holder
- Health and Human Services -- former Sen. Tom Daschle
- Homeland Security -- Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano
- Commerce -- Hyatt Hotels heiress (and chief Obama fundraiser) Penny Pritzker
Note: None of these has yet been nominated.
Congress and the New President: A Program for Journalists on the Transition into Power
Good morning. I am at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars this morning for an event discussing President-elect Barack Obama's transition and giving advice for journalists on covering this dynamic time.
The panel features speakers such as longtime political journalist David Broder, Lee Hamilton, the president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Jeanne Cummings of the Politico. They'll talk about how much Democrats will be able to get done in the Obama administration and how well the Obama team has conducted its transition, just over two weeks after Election Day.
Stay tuned to Transition Tracker for more updates throughout the day.
A Day's Pay for a Day's Work? Workers and Allies Hope So, Under New Administration
As the Labor Department prepares for new leadership, worker advocates pointed to one case as an example of what needs to change:
Workers at two Saigon Grill restaurants in New York City routinely worked six days per week, for 12 hours each day. The 36 men, all immigrants from China, were paid as little as $2 per hour.
This month, after years of litigation, a judge found the restaurant owners had violated state and federal labor laws, and awarded the workers a $4.6 million settlement.
Be "President-elect for a Day": Build Your Own Cabinet
Try your hand at creating a cabinet, using tools built by Congressional Quarterly and The New York Times.
Then post a comment telling us what you think.
Podesta: Lobbyists Not Welcome in Transition
John Podesta
Presidential Transition Co-Chairman John Podesta told reporters at a briefing today that the same ethics rules from the Obama campaign will stay in effect during the transition process.
He described the rules as being the toughest of any transition yet, and said they are designed to exclude federal lobbyists from fundraising and planning.
"Barack Obama has pledged to change the way Washington works and curb the way lobbyists operate," Podesta said.
Fixing Nation's Broken Roads and Replacing Gas Tax Will Be Double Challenge
The collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis in August 2007 revealed an ugly truth about America’s infrastructure. The wreckage strewn across the Mississippi River gave urgency to a problem that was created through years of neglect, that allowed the slow and steady, creeping deterioration of the nation’s roads, highways, bridges and tunnels.
Transition Headlines
President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, made their first visit to the White House since Obama was elected last Tuesday.
