With state budget deficits looming, President-elect Barack Obama promised the nation's governors on Tuesday federal aid for state public works projects like repairing roads and schools (New York Times).
With Obama already signaling a commitment to shepherding the federal government into the Internet age, a coalition of groups ranging from Google to the New America Foundation is calling on the president-elect to adopt a national broadband strategy (CongressDaily).
Agency review teams for Obama have poured into dozens of government offices, from the Pentagon to the National Council on Disability, examinging budgets and investigating what works and what doesn't -- and creating plenty of anxiety among some President Bush appointees in the process (Washington Post).
More than three in four Americans -- including a majority of Republicans -- approve of Obama's transition efforts and Cabinet picks, according to a new poll released Tuesday (USA Today).
The D.C. City Council approved legislation Tuesday that will let bars to stay open until 5 a.m. for the four days surrounding the Jan. 20 inauguration (Washington Post).
Nomination Speculation
Obama will tap New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, for secretary of Commerce today, making him the first Latino in his Cabinet (Wall Street Journal).
Richardson may have some problematic business ties from his brief foray into the corporate world in between the Clinton administration and his election as New Mexico governor (Politico).
Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., who has said he regrets voting for NAFTA, has been offered the top trade position in the new administration, sources say (Bloomberg News).
Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber says it's "extremely doubtful" Obama will tap him to be Interior secretary (AP).
Maneuvering Defense Disputes
After Obama blasted controversial C.I.A. counter-terrorism programs during the election, overhauling the agency could prove to be "one of the more treacherous patches of his transition" (New York Times).
The president-elect must tap old hands to guide the spy agencies, intelligence community sources say, but finding veterans "untainted" by the controversial counterterrorism tactics of the Bush years might be challenging (Washington Post).
Obama plans to appoint a new White House official to coordinate efforts to prevent nuclear or biological weapons from falling into the wrong hands (Boston Globe).
Obama's centrist national security picks have won effusive praise from Republican lawmakers, who have sometimes offered more plaudits than even their Democratic colleagues (Politico).
In his first press conference since Obama announced that he would remain at his post, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said closing Guantanamo Bay prison remains a "high priority" and assured reporters that he has "no intention of being a caretaker secretary" (Wall Street Journal).
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England announced Tuesday that he will step down in January, saying: "It is time for me to leave" (Army Times).
Hillary Watch
Hillary Rodham Clinton may be constitutionally ineligible to move from the Senate to the State Department, it was revealed Tuesday, but Senate Democrats are working on legislation that would let the former first lady bypass the rules (New York Times).
Fresh off the news of her promotion, Clinton e-mailed supporters asking them to help her retire nearly $7.5 million in campaign debt from her failed bid for the White House (USA Today).
Former President Bill Clinton said he is open to a job with the Obama administration, but will otherwise "just try to be a helpful sounding board" for his wife as she begins her new role in the Cabinet (Politico).
Share via
Comments