What You Need to Know: 03.11.09
Obama Signs Spending Bill as He Criticizes Earmarks
"President Obama on Wednesday signed an “imperfect” spending bill packed with special projects in order to keep government running, but he vowed that it will be the last one and proposed ways to curb lawmakers from abusing the process in the future.
Mr. Obama, trying to regain the high ground after withering criticism that he was betraying campaign promises by signing the $410 billion package, said that from now on he would seek to eliminate projects with “no legitimate public purpose.” He proposed that all projects be open to scrutiny at public hearings and those aimed at for-profit firms be subject to competitive bidding."
Impartiality Questioned, Intelligence Pick Pulls Out
"Charles W. Freeman Jr. withdrew yesterday from his appointment as chairman of the National Intelligence Council after questions about his impartiality were raised among members of Congress and with White House officials.
Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair said he accepted Freeman's decision "with great regret." The withdrawal came hours after Blair had given a spirited defense on Capitol Hill of the outspoken former ambassador."
Congress mulls elections to fill Senate vacancies
"Following tumultuous turnovers in Illinois and New York, lawmakers on Wednesday asked whether it was time to change the Constitution so that voters, and not state governors, fill Senate vacancies.
Appointments by governors, said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., "are an unfortunate relic" of the first century of the nation's history when senators were picked by state legislatures. Feingold, a chief sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment requiring elections to fill vacancies, spoke at a joint House-Senate hearing on the proposal."
Obama creates White House women's panel
"President Barack Obama invoked his grandmother, his single mother and his two young daughters on Wednesday in creating a White House panel to advise him on issues facing women and girls.
Obama, standing with prominent members of his administration and with his wife sitting nearby, signed an executive order creating an across-the-government council designed to help Cabinet agencies and departments collaborate on ways to make sure women were provided opportunities offered to men."
"President Obama on Wednesday signed an “imperfect” spending bill packed with special projects in order to keep government running, but he vowed that it will be the last one and proposed ways to curb lawmakers from abusing the process in the future.
Mr. Obama, trying to regain the high ground after withering criticism that he was betraying campaign promises by signing the $410 billion package, said that from now on he would seek to eliminate projects with “no legitimate public purpose.” He proposed that all projects be open to scrutiny at public hearings and those aimed at for-profit firms be subject to competitive bidding."
Impartiality Questioned, Intelligence Pick Pulls Out
"Charles W. Freeman Jr. withdrew yesterday from his appointment as chairman of the National Intelligence Council after questions about his impartiality were raised among members of Congress and with White House officials.
Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair said he accepted Freeman's decision "with great regret." The withdrawal came hours after Blair had given a spirited defense on Capitol Hill of the outspoken former ambassador."
Congress mulls elections to fill Senate vacancies
"Following tumultuous turnovers in Illinois and New York, lawmakers on Wednesday asked whether it was time to change the Constitution so that voters, and not state governors, fill Senate vacancies.
Appointments by governors, said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., "are an unfortunate relic" of the first century of the nation's history when senators were picked by state legislatures. Feingold, a chief sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment requiring elections to fill vacancies, spoke at a joint House-Senate hearing on the proposal."
Obama creates White House women's panel
"President Barack Obama invoked his grandmother, his single mother and his two young daughters on Wednesday in creating a White House panel to advise him on issues facing women and girls.
Obama, standing with prominent members of his administration and with his wife sitting nearby, signed an executive order creating an across-the-government council designed to help Cabinet agencies and departments collaborate on ways to make sure women were provided opportunities offered to men."
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