EXECUTIVE WATCH

Wednesday, June 24

• The White House announced that President Obama intends to send an ambassador to Syria. The post has been vacant since 2005 when President Bush withdrew the ambassador in response to the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the decision to send an ambassador was the result of the President’s broader policy of engagement with the Middle East, and not in response to any positive developments within Syria.
• Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced plans to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. More than sixteen million students use the form to apply for government-backed education loans. The changes would reduce the number of screens necessary to complete the online form and allow a new web application to automatically complete parts of the form based on information individuals had already submitted to the IRS. The administration also plans to ask Congress to pass legislation that would remove more than half of the financial questions from the form.
• President Obama extended economic sanctions on North Korea. The President used his powers under § 1622(d) of the National Emergencies Act to extend the restrictions on property dealings, which would have expired on June 26. In a letter to Congress, President Obama cited the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation and the continuing national security threat posed by North Korea as justification for his action.

Thursday, June 25

• Senator Charles Grassley suggested that the Obama administration may be attempting to interfere with the independence of the inspectors general of several federal agencies. Senator Grassley has requested clarification of five separate incidents, including the firing of Gerald Walpin, the inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• President Obama announced the nominees for several ambassadorships and foreign affairs posts. The President will nominate three career foreign service diplomats for ambassadorships to Latvia, Benin and Zimbabwe; however, the President continues the practice of rewarding supporters with ambassadorships by nominating three major campaign fundraisers for posts in Austria, Italy and Finland.
• The President and Vice President met with a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders to discuss immigration reform. President Obama said he is committed to immediate action on this issue, and has directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to begin discussing options with Congress. He also announced an update of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website that will make it easier for visa applicants and their families to receive updates on their application status.

Friday, June 26

• President Obama signed a $106 billion supplementary bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill encountered opposition in Congress over the possible release of detainee abuse photos and the relocation of detainees to the United States. The White House has promised that this will be the last supplementary war funding bill; in the future, the administration intends to include war funding in the normal budget. In a signing statement, the President indicated that he would not comply with certain sections of the bill that he believed unconstitutionally restrained the president’s authority to conduct foreign relations.
• The President met with German chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House. In a press conference following the meeting, President Obama said that he would not apologize for his comments about the turmoil that followed the recent election in Iran. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had demanded that President Obama “express [his] regret” for interfering in Iranian affairs.
• John Porcari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, defended the allocation of Recovery Act funds in a post on the White House blog. The post was in response to an article in USA Today, which claimed that  the Department of Transportation (DOT) has distributed only one percent of funds intended for construction. Deputy Secretary Porcari said the amount of money distributed is not an accurate measure of stimulus spending because the DOT can only reimburse states once construction is underway and contractors begin submitting bills.

Saturday, June 27

• In his weekly address, President Obama praised the House of Representatives for passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The President characterized the Act as a jobs bill that will create new employment opportunities in the clean energy sector of the economy. If passed by the Senate, the Act would impose a cap-and-trade system designed to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses.
• The Washington Post reports that President Obama may use an executive order to authorize the indefinite detention of some individuals captured during the War on Terror. The administration plans to complete its review of detainee status by July 21, and early reports indicate that this review will conclude that as many as ninety individuals cannot be charged or released. An executive order could bypass possible Congressional resistance to the administration’s plans for the detainees, but may also be vulnerable to challenges in court.

Sunday, June 28

• Senior Presidential Advisor David Axelrod said the Obama administration continues to consider the possibility of taxing private heath benefits to pay for health care reform. President Obama opposed the idea when it was proposed by John McCain during the 2008 presidential election. Under consideration is a plan that would tax benefits in excess of $17,204 for families or $6,800 for individuals.
• The White House announced that the President will hold a town hall meeting on health care on Wednesday. In addition to taking questions from a live audience in Annandale, Virginia, President Obama will also respond to questions submitted via social networking websites. The White House is asking for twenty to thirty second video responses to this statement recorded by the President on Saturday.
• President Obama issued a statement on the coup in Honduras. The Honduran military deported President Manuel Zelaya to Costa Rica on Sunday to prevent a referendum on constitutional change that would have allowed the President to serve an additional term. In his statement, President Obama asked all parties to respect democratic norms and the rule of law.

Monday, June 29

• The White House has asked for public input as it reviews the government’s classified records policy. The ninety-day review, begun by President Obama on May 27, could lead to a revision of the current declassification policy. Members of the public can comment on four separate topics through the Declassification Policy Forum page of the OSTP blog. Commenting on the first topic, Declassification Policy, will conclude on July 1.
• The Supreme Court took no action in the case of Kiyemba v. Obama on Monday. The case would decide whether federal judges have the authority to order the release of those detainees who successfully challenge their detention through habeas corpus petitions. The Court’s next opportunity to act will be at the first private conference of the next Term on September 29.
• Julius Genachowski was sworn in as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Senators reached an agreement last week on the final Republican member of the commission (Meredith Attwell Baker), which allowed for the confirmation of Mr. Genachowski, who was nominated in March. Mr. Genachowski was the technology coordinator for the Obama presidential campaign.
• Two Republican senators have called for a hearing on the firing of Gerlad Walpin, former inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service. In a letter to Senator Edward Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, Senators Michael Enzi and Orrin Hatch claim that the White House has not adequately answered questions they submitted on June 18.

Tuesday, June 30

• The Environmental Protection Agency has granted California’s request for a waiver of the preemption clause of the Clean Air Act. The waiver will allow the state to implement its own greenhouse gas emissions standards. The Bush administration had denied the waiver request in 2008; the reversal of that decision is the result of a review ordered by President Obama in January. The EPA has more information about the waiver on its website.
• United States forces completed their withdraw from Iraqi cities. This withdraw is the first step of the Obama administration’s plan for the removal of United States forces from Iraq. Despite the withdraw, the number of troops in Iraq will remain consistent at around 130,000 until the scheduled end of combat operations in September 2010.