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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Executive Round-Up

WASHINGTON (CN) - The week President Obama took office, he stopped the presses on federal regulations and instructed agency heads to determine if already published regulations should be reconsidered.

In a memorandum dated Jan. 21, Obama ordered that the regulations be reviewed by an agency head appointed or designated by President Obama.

Before leaving 1900 Pennsylvania Avenue, President Bush signed several executive and administrative orders including Executive Order 13487 which requires the State Department to establish a temporary organization to facilitate government support for Afghanistan, to be called the Afghanistan Support Office (ASO). The ASO will be charged with coordinating U.S. efforts to expand the civilian capabilities of the government of Afghanistan.

President Bush also extended national emergency proclamations that authorize the Homeland Security Department to ban U.S. registered vessels and aircraft from entering Cuba's water and airspace. He also charged U.S. security agencies with developing actionable intelligence to prevent disruption of the Middle East peace process by specific individuals, including Osama bin Laden.

Shortly after being sworn into office, President Obama issued Executive Order 13490 requiring every appointed federal official to sign an ethics pledge upon confirmation, that bans them from accepting gifts from any registered lobbyist or lobbying organization, and to refrain, for two years after appointment, from participating in any matter substantially related to work they performed before their appointment. The ethics pledge also bans former appointees from lobbying the White House for the duration of the Obama administration.

President Obama also revoked former President Bush's Executive Order 13233, which allowed former presidents and their heirs to assert executive privilege to prevent disclosure of records from their administrations. Obama, by signing Executive Order 13489, created a procedure allowing former presidents to request non-disclosure, which requests will be vetted by the Attorney General, the Chief White House Counsel and the U.S. Archivist before being passed to the incumbent president for a final decision.

Click the document icon on the front page for details and links to these and other recent presidential documents. The document icon under the "White House Pay Freeze, Trade with Peru & More" heading leads to other new regulations.

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