In his first week in office, Barack Obama did the following:
- Froze the salaries for top White House staff members. This is a largely symbolic act, but might be an important one.
- Set a deadline for the closing of Guantanamo Bay. Some of his supporters would say this is a great thing because they believe it operates as something from the Dark Ages. Others believe this characterization to not be true, and that no plan will be put place to determine what to do with the prisoners. Time will tell.
- Fast-tracked the process to apply new fuel standards to 2011 car models AND initiated steps to allow California to set its own standards for auto emissions that are stricter than that of the Federal government. Again, this is a measure that some of his supporters hail as a grand step forward, while his detractors (or flamers) point out that it could provide an additional severe drag on the economy, especially in car manufacturing areas.
- Signed a detailed executive order to ban torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners.
- Asked the military leadership to engage in additional planning necessary to execute a responsible military draw down from Iraq.
- Released the interrogation memos without consulting the Bush staff and/or Bush about it. And they were only partially released some of the information in the memos were not made public.
- Signed an executive order that restored a 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records before they are released. It also eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews.
- Signed an executive order that requires that appointees sign forms saying that they were not hired because of political affiliations or contributions. This is far from an unbeatable measure, but is an important early step towards cleaning up governmental hiring policies. It is easier to prove someone lied when their signature is right next to the statement in question.
- Signed an order banning gifts from lobbyists and banning anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years. Promptly made the order toothless by immediately granting a waiver to a former defense lobbyist.
- Lifted a ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information.
- Granted his first TV interview as president to Al-Arabiya, a channel described as a "voice of moderation" to the Middle East. His supporters call this a very smart move to help angered nations and groups feel a bit less cast aside, and let them know that they need not resort to violence to be made a part of the world discussion. Detractors point out that this is the type of thing Neville Chamberlain would have done, though a TV interview and "the Munch Agreement" are leagues apart.
In his first 7 months in office
- He's done quite a lot actually.
- He has so far passed an economic recovery bill which has met mixed criticism but is slowly progressing. He has passed the AMD Stabilization and Support bill which was tailored to help stabilize and strengthen the United States Military, and has shown improvement within the standard. President Obama has also been working on other proposals, bills, and acts to be passed on topics such as Health Care reform, Education, the Mortgage crisis, the war on Al-Qaeda, and Domestic policy.
- Promised to send additional troops to Afghanistan in March and began the pullout of troops in Iraq.
- Passed the bailout of the auto industry and pressured their management to tow the party line.
- Waffled on sending troops and allowed those serving no suffer from lack of support. (If you had to send 30,000 Americans to a war zone I bet you would hesitate unless I realized lives were at stake and I was in charge)
- Refused to allow open meetings regarding health care reform as promised.
- Passed more tax increases on middle America than any other President.
- Encouraged Cap and trade passage to increase demand of foreign oil and raise the cost of our supply. (How does cap and trade increase demand? (See discussion))
- Promised to make tough decisions regarding the ability to continue paying medicare payments. Cutting $400 billion from their budget.
- Insulted police doing their jobs making the office look foolish. (How? (See discussion)
First Year:
- Sent troops to Afghanistan but pulled troops out of Iraq (What planet? He has NT pulled out of Iraq!) we are now at 115,000 troops as of 2/11/2010! Zero actual draw down.
- Made a more transparent form of Government (almost daily daily Facebook Q&A's with his staff) Has had more closed door meetings then any previous administration. Even his open door committee only has closed door meetings!
- Tried several times to get the Republicans to join him and get bi-partizanship on the destruction of democracy. Republicans did not wish to contribute!
- Passed a stimulus package that is creating no jobs across the country. This bill has given more to the rich then every previous President combined!
- Well on his way to passing the HC bill which will ration health care to most Americans and help less then 12 million. The cost will destroy our children's and grand children's future.
- Managed to have the two worst months for deficit spending ever. (The two Februarys he has been President)
He became President of the United States. President Obama is also the first black President of the United States.
He also:
- Saved the collapse of the American automotive industry by making GM restructure before bailing them out, and putting incentive money to help the industry
- Shifted the focus of the war from Iraq to Afghanistan, and put the emphasis on reducing terrorism (where it should have been all along)
- Relaxed Anti-American tensions throughout the world
- Signed order to close the prisoner "torture camp" at Guantanamo Bay
- Has made the environment a national priority, and a primary source for job creation
- Has made education a national priority by putting emphasis and money behind new ideas like charter schools, but speaking directly to school children in telling them they have to do their part
- Won the Nobel Peace Prize
- Created a $789 billion economic stimulus plan
- Made the appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
- Pushed for attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
- Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
- Renewed dialogue with NATO and other allies and partners on strategic issues
- Began the process of reforming and restructuring the military 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.
- Provided better body armor to our troops
- Created the "Cash for clunkers" program that offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars to help stimulate auto sales, save energy, and help the environment
- Changed the failing status quo military command in Afghanistan
- Closed offshore tax safe havens
- Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
- Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
- Ended media blackout on war casualties and the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB
- Ended the previous practice of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
- Ended previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
- Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
- Enabled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that has created 2.1 million jobs (as of 12/31/09)
- Ended previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
- Ended previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
- Ended previous policy on torture; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
- Launched website Recovery.gov to track spending from the Recovery Act, an unprecedented step to provide transparency and accountability through technology
- Ended previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices
- Ended previous "stop-loss" policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
- Enabled law that energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
- Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
- Established a new cyber security office
- Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
- Expanded vaccination programs
- Allows families of fallen soldiers to have expenses
- Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America's Veterans
- Encouraged Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
- Budgeted funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
- Responded with compassion and leadership to the earthquake in Haiti
- Responded immediately and efficiently to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
- Launched Business.gov - enabling conversation and online collaboration between small business owners, government representatives and industry experts in discussion forums relevant to starting and managing a business - Great for the economy
- Improved housing for military personnel
- Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
- Changed failing war strategy in Afghanistan
- Improved benefits for veterans
- Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants…) after years of neglect
- Donated his $1.4 million Nobel Prize to nonprofit organizations
- Increased opportunities in AmeriCorps program
- Provided tax credits to first-time home buyers through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 to revitalize the U.S. housing market
- Increased pay and benefits for military personnel
- Increased student loans
- Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return "home" to visit loved ones
- Cracked down on companies that deny sick pay, vacation and health insurance to workers by abusing the employee classification of independent contractor. Such companies also avoided paying Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes for those workers
- Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
- Placed limits on lobbyists' access to the White House
- Protected 300,000 education jobs that would have otherwise been lost, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors through the Recovery Act
- Placed limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
- Pushed for the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act on February 4, 2009, which provides quality health care to 11 million kids - 4 million who were previously uninsured
- Lowered drug costs for seniors
- Made more loans available to small businesses
- Held many more press conferences and town halls and provides much more media access than previous administration
- Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis
- Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
- Promoted a new Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
- Announced creation of a Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record for medical records of members of the U.S. Armed Forces to improve quality of medical care
- Encouraged new federal funding for science and research labs
- Created new funds for school construction
- Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
- Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
- Began the phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq and Afghanistan
- Reengaged in the talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
- Provided tax credit to workers thus cutting taxes for 95% of America's working families
- Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
- Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
- Helped reverse a downward spiral of the stock market. On January 19, 2009, the last day of President Bush's presidency, the Dow closed at 8,218.22. In February 2010, the Dow closed at 10,309.24
- Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
- Restarted the nuclear non-proliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure and protocol
- Returned to the government the money authorized for his family's refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
- Sent envoys to the Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
- Unveiled a program on Earth Day 2009 to develop the renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. These regulations will enable, for the first time ever, the nation to tap into our ocean's vast sustainable resources to generate clean energy in an environmentally sound and safe manner
- Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
- Permitted states to enact fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
- Arranged for students struggling to make college loan payments to have their loans refinanced
- Commanded and authorized the SEALS team to gain the successful release of a US captain held by Somali pirates
- Pushed for the FDA to now regulate tobacco
- Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
- Cut the missile defense program by $1.4 billion in 2010
- Provided for the public to meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
- Arranged for the closing of the "secret detention" facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere
- Implemented the US financial and banking rescue plan
- Commanded the US Navy to increase patrols off the Somali coast
- Signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop fraud and wasteful spending in the defense procurement and contracting system
- Visited more countries and met with more world leaders in his first six months in office than any prior President
- Improved relations with Iran
- Improved U.S. policy on climate change
- Set timetable for exiting Iraq and brought troops home
- Improved relations with Russia
- Improved relations with the Islamic World
- Made progress towards greater cooperation on limiting nuclear proliferation
- Created jobs with his economic stimulus plan causing the unemployment rate to decrease
- Drastically slowed down the recession
- Saved Wall Street
- Passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act (equal work for equal pay)
- Signed the healthcare reform laws
In no particular order: Federal funding of stem cell research; ratification of the nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia; rescue of the US automobile industry; health insurance reform; timetables for bringing our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan; extension of unemployment compensation; an end to discrimination against homosexuals in the military.Note: There are comments associated with this question.
I am more than willing to research more but it would be alot better if you watched the news
