[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
Ron Paul See other Ron Paul Articles Title: Obama is rushing to Trump-proof the White House WASHINGTON Since Election Day, President Barack Obama has appointed 56 people to boards, commissions and offices in the hopes that they remain in those posts for years to come. He has reduced the prison sentences of 79 federal inmates. He has handed out the nation’s highest civilian honor to 21 people who he said personally made an impact on his life. 21 recipients honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom President Obama honored 21 recipients during his last Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House Tuesday. "Everybody on this stage has touched me in a very powerful, very personal way," Obama said. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elouise Cobell, Ellen AP And he has churned out rules, regulations and policies several times a week. Obama is trying to put the people and policies in place that he wants to outlast his presidency in the final weeks before Donald Trump takes over. And his supporters want more, way more. Every president tries to push through last-minute policies before their time in office comes to a close. But this year has a more frantic feel as special interest groups push Obama to do more, not just because the president-elect is of a different party but because few people know what he will do. “People are, as you can imagine, they are getting quite desperate,” said Rena Steinzor, a member of the Center for Progressive Reform, a liberal advocacy group, who is pressing Obama to act. “Filling boards and doing whatever he can to establish protections that Trump would have to unwind is a good strategy.” With six weeks remaining, their to-do list for Obama is long: They want him to issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose their political donations. They want him to pardon immigrants in the country illegally and direct federal employees to quickly process applications for immigrants who came into the United States illegally as children. And they want him to make good on his campaign pledge to close the prison for suspected terrorists at Guantánamo Bay. Time is running out for President Obama to fulfill his promise to close Guantánamo. He now has less than 50 days to finish the job and close the door or he risks opening the floodgates for President-elect Trump. Amnesty International USA’s Security & Human Rights Program Senior Campaigner Elizabeth Beavers No one disputes that Obama has the authority to do what he is doing, but Trump supporters don’t think he should be doing them anyway. “There’s a few weeks left. The voters have spoken,” said Diane Katz, a senior research fellow in regulatory policy at the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. “Someone who is more humble or respectful might say they made a choice a different than me and allow the new administration to do it.” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest pushed back on that notion, saying Obama is president until Jan. 20 and that the administration is engaged in “a continuous and persistent effort to complete the work that’s already been started.” I think their general approach seems to be that probably two days after my reelection, I should stop until the next election. I don’t think that that’s what the Constitution calls for. President Barack Obama on Republicans In the last month since Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, Obama has: ▪ Appointed people to a slew of boards and commissions, including the American Battle Monuments Commission, United States Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, the Pacific Salmon Commission and National Council on Disability. Some are new appointments, some are renewals. ▪ Granted a record number of commutations to federal inmates as part of an initiative announced in 2014 to reduce the sentences of non-violent drug dealers to a sentence they likely would have gotten under today’s more lenient sentencing guidelines. ▪ Awarded the Presidential Medals of Freedom to 21 more recipients, which pushed him to a record number for his tenure, to “folks who have helped make me who I am.” ▪ Finalized rules to determine whether schools were succeeding or failing under the sweeping the Every Student Succeeds Act; released the next five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing, which blocks drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic; and denied a permit for a pipeline to run through North Dakota, a victory for local Native Americans. “It’s his job,” said Carmel Martin, a former Obama appointee who is now executive vice president of policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. “I think it’s ... not just appropriate but necessary for the current president to keep moving forward. President Obama is trying to leave the house in good working order.” Trump won’t be able to reverse Obama’s actions easily. Sure he can change Obama’s executive actions with a quick stroke of the pen. But rule changes require justification following a Reagan-era court case mandating that regulation changes aren’t done on a whim. Many of the appointments could outlast Obama and Trump because the terms are five to seven years and require Senate confirmation. “When the new president gets in there and sees what it takes to change – or has to pay the price to change it – it may take longer,” said George Edwards, a presidential scholar at Texas A&M University who wrote the book “Overreach” analyzing presidential leadership during the Obama presidency. Still, Obama needs to be careful he doesn’t push out last-minute actions subject to a rarely used law, Congressional Review Act, designed to prevent so-called midnight regulations. House Republicans recently sent a letter to Obama administration officials – similar to a request in 2008 – asking that they not try to push new regulations before leaving office. There is a tradition of bipartisan opposition to regulations imposed at the end of an outgoing administration. ...The last thing that we need to see today or in the next weeks is unelected bureaucrats pushing through regulations at the 11th hour. House Speaker Paul Ryan Some of the special interest groups pushing Obama know that whatever he does could end up in court but they don’t mind because at least that provides a chance at maintaining the action. “If you don’t even try, you don’t get there,” Steinzor said. “People are saying ‘see you court.’” Anita Kumar: 202-383-6017, @anitakumar01 facebook twitter email Share Trump's White House President-elect Donald Trump is shaping his White House staff. Here's a look at the individuals he's offered positions to. Alexa Ard and Natalie Fertig / McClatchy Republican FCC Commissioners Want Quick Reversal Of Obama Rules Inform White House by Taboola Sponsored Links You May Like Why Rifleman Really Went Off The AirTrend Chaser Check Out 25 Disturbing Ads From The PastFrank151 They Found It Swimming in a RiverWeather.com These Biden memes are making everyone laugh post-electionPoliticsChatter Comments An Elegant Work Wardrobe in 3 Simple Steps Sponsored Content An Elegant Work Wardrobe in 3 Simple Steps At MM.LaFleur, our philosophy is “less shopping, more doing.” Your brain space is valuable; let’s not clutter its precious real estate with... By MM.LaFleur Videos Raul Castro delivers message about the death of Fidel Castro Raul Castro delivers message about the death of Fidel Castro 1:24 Raul Castro delivers message about the death of Fidel Castro Biden on Pence transition meeting: 2:28 Biden on Pence transition meeting: "No administration is ready on day one" Obama: Concerns about Trump presidency, but the people have spoken 3:14 Obama: Concerns about Trump presidency, but the people have spoken View more video White House Rep. McMorris Rodgers is in running for Interior secretary, but Trump still interviewing Trump team confirms Putin defender Rohrabacher under consideration for secretary of state Americans to Trump: You must ditch businesses for presidency A former Texas Rangers manager could get a job with Donald Trump How to pay off your mortgage Sponsored FetchaRate Ethics experts have advice for President-elect Trump as he prepares his business future Politics & Government Videos U.S. to "remain committed" to Afghanistan: Carter Reuters Trump, Ryan meet to discuss policy Reuters Emanuel flips the bird when asked about 2020 U.S. to "remain committed" to Afghanistan: Carter Reuters Trump, Ryan meet to discuss policy Reuters More videos: Trump, Ryan meet to discuss policy Emanuel flips the bird when asked about 2020 U.S. to "remain committed" to Afghanistan: Carter Trump, Ryan meet to discuss policy Emanuel flips the bird when asked about 2020 U.S. to "remain committed" to Afghanistan: Carter Trump, Ryan meet to discuss policy Emanuel flips the bird when asked about 2020 U.S. to "remain committed" to Afghanistan: Carter Read more here: www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article119647358.html#storylink=cpy Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
|
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||