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The Obama Administration: December 17-31, 2009

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This article is the twenty-third in a continuing series chronicling the unfolding history of the Obama Administration. The writer's opinions are not offered, leaving the readers to arrive at their own conclusions.

"Had this critical information been shared it could have been compiled with other intelligence and a fuller, clearer picture of the suspect would have emerged. The warning signs would have triggered red flags and the suspect would have never been allowed to board that plane for America." __Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, December 29, 2009

Day328/Dec17th/Thursday: On orders from the President, the United States military launched cruise missiles against two suspected al-Qaeda sites in Yemen. Source

The President sent these nominations to the United States Senate:

Gary Blumenthal, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2010

Gwendolyn E. Boyd, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring August 11, 2014

Chester Alonzo Finn, of New York, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2012

Sara A. Gelser, of Oregon, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2011

Peggy Goldwater-Clay, of California, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring June 5, 2012. (Reappointment)

Marie Collins Johns, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration

David T. Matsuda, of the District of Columbia, to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration

Ari Ne'eman, of Maryland, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2012

Dongwoo Joseph Pak, of California, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2012

Carol Jean Reynolds, of Colorado, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2010

Fernando Torres-Gill, of California, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2011

Jonathan M. Young, of Maryland, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2012 Source

The President traveled, in the evening, to Copenhagen, Denmark to attend the Climate Summit.

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the United States will contribute to a $100 billion fund to aid poorer nations manage the effects of global warming. Source: CBS Nightly News, December 17, 2009

Vice President Joe Biden, at an event at Impulse Manufacturing in Dawsonville, Georgia with Governor Sonny Perdue (R-GA), announced an initial $183 million investment in eighteen broadband projects benefiting seventeen states, already matched by over $46 million in public and private sector capital. The projects are the first funded froma $7.2 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) broadband grant and loan programs, of which $2 billion would be made available on a rolling basis over the next 75 days to bring high-speed Internet to communities that currently have little or no access to the technology. They are part of an over $100 billion investment in science, technology and innovation the Obama Administration allocated through the Recovery Act to lay a new foundation for economic growth. Source

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke traveled to Bangor, Maine, where he announced $25.4 million in grants to build broadband infrastructure throughout rural and disadvantaged portions of parts of the state. Source

The United States Justice Department filed papers in federal court arguing for a reversal ofFederal District Judge Nina Gershon's preliminary injunction on the ban of federal funding for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Gershon had agreed with a claim by ACORN that the bill was unconstitutional because it singled out a specific entity for punishment. Source

David Axelrod and Nancy-Ann DeParle, via an evening conference call, fielded questions from bloggers on the healthcare reform bill. Source

Day329/Dec18th/Friday: The President arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark at the Bella Center and, afterward, attended the morning plenary session (transcript) of the United Nations Climate Change Conference where he delivered brief remarks. Video


The President held a bilateral meeting with China's Premier Wen Jiabao, but Jiabao
didn't show up for a scheduled second meeting with President Obama and other leaders, replaced, instead by vice foreign minister He Yafei. President Obama and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called another meeting with China, but were snubbed again when only three low-level Chinese delegates arrived.

The President held a bilateral meeting with President Lula da Silva of Brazil.

The President participated in the afternoon plenary session.

The President held a bilateral meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia. "Our main focus today was the START treaty, the new START treaty that we had been negotiating," President Obama said."We've been making excellent progress. We are quite close to an agreement."

Remarks: President Obama and President Medvedev after Meeting & Video

The President announced a climate accord, crafted with several major developing countries at the Copenhagen summit, which included pledges of steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions and verification. Remarks of President Obama During Press Availability Video

The President declared a major disaster existeds in the State of Alaska and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, flooding, mudslides, and rockslides during the period of October 6-11, 2009. Federal funding was made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, mudslides, and rockslides in Kodiak Island Borough. Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

The President's returned to Washington, DC.

The subcommittee on tax reform for the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB) held a public meeting, streamed live at www.whitehouse.gov/live. The speakers included:

The IRS Taxpayer Advocacy Panel

Eric Toder, Urban Institute Fellow

Allen R. Taylor, small business owner Source

Ideas to the subcommittee on tax reform may be submitted through: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/perab/comment

The Obama Administration's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) refused to follow the order of Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Alex Kozinski to provide insurance benefits to the wife of a lesbian court employee in San Francisco and said its hands were tied by a discriminatory law. "This issue shows exactly why Congress needs to repeal" the law, which prohibits federal benefits to same-sex couples, OPM General Counsel Elaine Kaplan said in a message to attorneys for court employee Karen Golinski. The law Kaplan referred to is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Source

Day330/Dec19th/Saturday: In his Weekly Address, the President called on the United States Senate to allow an up-or-down vote on the Health Reform Bill, and for those opposing reform to stop using parliamentary maneuvers to drag it out. Transcript Audio Video

The President delivered remarks on Health Care and Climate Change in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. Transcript Video

Day331/Dec20th/Sunday: Nothing substantial to report.

Day332/Dec21st/Monday: The President met with SAVE Award winner Nancy Fichtner of Colorado in the Oval Office of the White House, then presented Fichtner in the Diplomatic Reception Room where he, also, delivered remarks on making government more efficient and effective. Transcript Video

The President met with United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office.

The President traveled to the Richard England Clubhouse and Community Center Boys and Girls Club in Washington, D.C., where he delivered remarks. Transcript Video

The President sent these nominations to the United States Senate:

Sharon L. Browne, of California, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation for a term expiring July 13, 2010 Bio

Charles Norman Wiltse Keckler, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation for a term expiring July 13, 2010 Bio

Victor B. Maddox, of Kentucky, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation for a term expiring July 13, 2010 Bio

Timothy McGee, of Louisiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce Bio

Theodore W. Tozer, of Ohio, to be President, Government National Mortgage Association Bio

Kevin Wolf, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce Source Bio

The President signed into law S. 1422, the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act which amended the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to make sure that flight attendants and pilots are able to qualify for FMLA benefits, just like other American workers. Source

The President signed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. Source

Vice President Joe Biden hosted a conference call with mayors from across the country to discuss implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The following mayors participated:

Mayor of St. Paul, MN, Chris Coleman

Mayor of Fort Worth, TX, Michael J. Moncrief

Mayor of Charleston, SC, Joseph P. Riley, Jr.

Mayor of Memphis, TN, A C Wharton, Jr. Source

Day333/Dec22nd/Tuesday: The President met with CEOs of twelve small and community banks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House to discuss ways to work together to continue on a path to economic recovery. Attending bankers were:

Deborah Chequeta Wright, Chairman and CEO, Carver Federal Savings Bank
Mark Schroeder, President, German American Bancorp
James MacPhee, President, Kalamzaoo County State Bank
Paul Mello, President and CEO, Solvay Bank
Rebecca Romero Rainey, Chairman and CEO, Centinel Bank of Taos
Mathew Gambs, CEO, Diamond Bancorp
Larry Bauer, President, Planters & Merchants
Deloris Sims, Chairman and CEO, Legacy Bank
Dorothy Bridges, President and CEO, City First Bank

Bill Bynum, President, HOPE Community Credit Union
Cecil Gene Kirby, President, New Alliance Bank
William Pierce, President and CEO, Monadnock Community Bank Source

After the meeting, the President summarized his discussions with the bankers in an address in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Transcript Video

The President met with members of the National Economic Council in the Oval Office of the White House.

The President announced Howard Schmidt, a former Bush administration adviser and Microsoft executive, as the President's new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator. Source

The President declared a major disaster existed in the State of Alabama and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by Tropical Storm Ida during the period of November 9-10, 2009.Federal funding was made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Ida in Baldwin and Mobile Counties. Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Source

The President declared a major disaster existed in the State of New Jersey and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding associated with Tropical Depression Ida and a nor'easter during the period of November 11-15, 2009.Federal funding was made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Atlantic, Cape May, and Ocean. Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Source

The President announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Beatrice Hanson, Director, Office of Victims of Crime, Department of Justice

Daniel Becker, Member, Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute

James Hannah, Member, Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute

Gayle A. Nachtigal, Member, Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute Source&Bios

John Nalbandian as a member of the Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute. Source&Bio

The President also sent these nominations to the United States Senate:

Judge J. Michelle Childs and Richard Mark Gergel to the District Court bench for the District of South Carolina. Childs currently sits on the South Carolina Circuit Court and Gergel is a principal and senior partner with the firm Gergel, Nickles and Solomon, P.A in Columbia, South Carolina. Source Bios

William N. Nettles to be US Attorney for the District of South Carolina. Nettles is currently an attorney at Sanders & Nettles LLC in Columbia, South Carolina. Source Bio

Kelvin Washington for U.S. Marshal for the District of South Carolina. Washington currently serves as Sheriff of Williamsburg County, South Carolina. Source Bio

The President signed into law:

H.J.Res. 62, which provides that the second regular session of the 111th Congress will begin at noon on Tuesday, January 5, 2010

H.R. 4165, which extends through December 31, 2010, the Army's authority to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal entities to expedite the processing of permits; and

S. 1472, the "Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009," which requires establishment of a section within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice to enforce human rights laws; and makes amendments to Federal criminal and immigration laws pertaining to genocide and child soldier recruitment. Source

Vice President Joe Biden spoke via telephone with Romanian President Traian Basescu. The Vice President congratulated President Basescu on his recent re-election and on the state of Romania's democracy on the 20th anniversary of the Romanian revolution. The Vice President and President Basescu discussed Romania's plans to contribute additional troops to the NATO effort in Afghanistan, and efforts to deepen U.S.-Romania military cooperation. Source

Vice President Joe Biden spoke via telephone with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko\. They discussed the economic situation in Ukraine and the opportunities for Ukraine to move forward with political and economic reforms after its 2010 Presidential elections.The Vice President and Prime Minister Tymoshenko also discussed plans to deepen cooperation to advance global efforts to secure nuclear materials, and in the international effort in Afghanistan. Source

Day334/Dec23rd/Wednesday: The President taped interviews with NPR's Julie Rovner and Robert Siegel and PBS's Jim Lehrer.

The President announced his intent to appoint these individualsuals to the President's Intelligence Advisory Board:

Roel Campos, Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Lee Hamilton, Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Rita Hauser, Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Paul Kaminski, Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Ellen Laipson, Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Les Lyles, Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Jami Miscik, Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board Source&Bios

The President nominated these individuals for United States Attorneys:

Andre Birotte, Jr.

David Capp

Richard Hartunian

William Hochul, Jr.

Ronald Machen

Anne Tompkins

Sally Quillian Yates Source&Bios

The President nominated these individuals:

Noel March to be U.S. Marshal for the District of Maine

George White to be U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Mississippi Source&Bios

The President declared a major disaster existed in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by a severe winter storm during the period of November 14-16, 2009. Federal funding was made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm in the counties of Marshall, Republic, and Washington. Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Source

The President , acting under the authority vested by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including but not limited to section 104 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3703), and title V and section 604 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2461-67, 2483), proclaimed:

(1) Mauritania is designated as an eligible sub-Saharan African country and as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country.

(2) In order to reflect this designation in the HTS, general note 16(a) to the HTS is modified by inserting in alphabetical sequence in the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries "Islamic Republic of Mauritania."

(3) For purposes of section 112(c) of the AGOA, Mauritania is a lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African country.

(4) The designations of Guinea, Madagascar, and Niger as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries for purposes of section 506A of the 1974 Act are terminated, effective on January 1, 2010.

(5) In order to reflect in the HTS that beginning on January 1, 2010, Guinea, Madagascar, and Niger shall no longer be designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries, general note 16(a) to the HTS is modified by deleting "Republic of Guinea," "Republic of Madagascar," and "Republic of Niger" from the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. Further, note 2(d) to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 of the HTS is modified by deleting "Republic of Guinea," "Republic of Madagascar," and "Republic of Niger" from the list of lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. Source

Day335/Dec24th/Thursday: In his Weekly Address, the President and First Lady Michelle Obama offered their best Christmas wishes to families across the country, and expressed their gratitude to the men and women of the American military and their families for their service to the country. The First Couple encouraged Americans to visit www.whitehouse.gov to learn how they can show their support to our soldiers and their loved ones. Transcript Audio Video

The President delivered remarks in the State Dining Room of the White House on the United States Senate's passage of health insurance reform. Transcript Video

The President made the following phone calls following the United States Senate's passage of H.R.3590:
Mrs. Victoria Reggie Kennedy
Mr. David Turner of Little Rock, Arkansas. Mr. Turner had his health insurance rescinded in January of last year, after his insurance company went back into his record and alleged that he failed to disclose his full medical record at the time he applied for coverage

United States Senators:
Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Dick Durbin, Jay Rockefeller, Max Baucus, Robert Byrd, Sherrod Brown, Charles Schumer, Tom Harkin, Debbie Stabenow, Patty Murray, and Roland Burris
Source

The President nominated these individuals:

Judge Timothy S. Black for the District Court Bench for the Southern District of Ohio

Gloria M. Navarro for the District Court Bench for the District of Nevada. Source&Bios

The President traveled to Hawaii for the beginning of his 10-day Christmas vacation.

The United States Treasury Department announced it removed the $400 billion financial cap on the money it will provide to keep Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae afloat and that it will, instead, use a flexible formula to ensure the two agencies can stand behind the billions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities they sell to investors. Under the formula, financial support would increase according to how much each firm loses in a quarter. The cap in place at the end of 2012 would apply thereafter. Source

Day336/Dec25th/Friday: Christmas Day, the President and first lady Michelle Obama spent about half an hour in the mess hall at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii, shaking hands with Marines and their families as they ate traditional holiday fare of turkey, ham, stuffing, corn and broccoli. Source

Day337/Dec26th/Saturday: The President continued his vacation in Hawaii.

Day338/Dec27th/Sunday: The President directed that an immediate review of aviation screening technology be initiated, to be led by the Department of Homeland Security, working with other departments and agencies including the Department of Energy and the National Laboratories. All aspects of aviation screening technology and procedures regarding domestic and international air travel were ordered considered as part of this review, but conducted in a manner that did not interfere with the criminal investigation and prosecution of any individuals involved in the attempt to detonate an explosive device onboard Northwest flight 253 on December 25, 2009. Source

Day339/Dec28th/Monday: The President traveled to Kaneohe Bay Marine Base at Kaneohe, Hawaii to deliver remarks on the Christmas Day 2009 single terrorist attempt to ignite an explosive onboard an international flight #253 in Detroit. The President also spoke on the violence between Iranian government forces against Iranian citizens. Among the President's remarks:

"I directed that we take immediate steps to ensure the safety of the traveling public. We made sure that all flights still in the air were secure and could land safely. We immediately enhanced screening and security procedures for all flights, domestic and international. We added federal air marshals to flights entering and leaving the United States. And we're working closely in this country -- federal, state and local law enforcement -- with our international partners."

"Apparently the suspect in the Christmas incident was in the system, but not on a watch list such as the so-called no-fly list. So I've ordered a thorough review not only of how information related to the subject was handled, but of the overall watch list system and how it can be strengthened." Transcript Video

The President signed into law:

H.R. 3819, which extends for three years, through December 31, 2012, the authority for Federal payment of claims in excess of what is covered by required insurance for catastrophic damages arising out of a licensed commercial space launch or reentry

H.R. 4284, which extends two laws that grant trade benefits to developing countries

H.R. 4314, which increases the public debt limit from $12.104 trillion to $12.394 trillion Source

The President signed legislation extending for a year the duty-free treatment available to 131 developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. This legislation also extends for a year the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) program, which currently applies to imports from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Source

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued this statement concerning new Israeli construction in East Jerusalem: "The United States opposes new Israeli construction in East Jerusalem. The status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved by the parties through negotiations and supported by the international community. Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations. Rather, both parties should return to negotiations without preconditions as soon as possible. The United States recognizes that Jerusalem is a deeply important issue for Israelis and Palestinians, and for Jews, Muslims, and Christians. We believe that through good faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome that realizes the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem, and safeguards its status for people around the world." Source

Day340/Dec29th/Tuesday: The President had a secure conference call with United States National Security Advisor General Jim Jones, Deputy United States National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan and Deputy United States National Security Advisor Tom Donilon. General Jones, Brennan and Donilon updated the President on some of the new developments in the review overnight of the Christmas Day 2009 single terrorist attempt to ignite an explosive onboard an international flight #253 in Detroit. Source

The President traveled to Kaneohe Bay Marine Base at Kaneohe, Hawaii to deliver remarks on the preliminary information from his ongoing consultation about the Christmas Day 2009 single terrorist attempt to ignite an explosive onboard an international flight #253 in Detroit. Among the President's remarks:

"I wanted to speak to the American people again today because some of this preliminary information that has surfaced in the last 24 hours raises some serious concerns. It's been widely reported that the father of the suspect in the Christmas incident warned U.S. officials in Africa about his son's extremist views. It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community, but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect's name on a no-fly list.

There appears to be other deficiencies as well. Even without this one report there were bits of information available within the intelligence community that could have and should have been pieced together. We've achieved much since 9/11 in terms of collecting information that relates to terrorists and potential terrorist attacks. But it's becoming clear that the system that has been in place for years now is not sufficiently up to date to take full advantage of the information we collect and the knowledge we have.

Had this critical information been shared it could have been compiled with other intelligence and a fuller, clearer picture of the suspect would have emerged. The warning signs would have triggered red flags and the suspect would have never been allowed to board that plane for America." Transcript Video and Presidential Memorandum Watchlisting Procedures

The President signed an Executive Order that prescribes a uniform system for classifying, safeguarding, and declassifying national security information, including information relating to defense against transnational terrorism.The order was an extensive clarification to define what may be classified versus the rights of United States citizens to be informed of what their government knows and is doing on their behalf. The details can be read here. In a statement released on the signing of this order, the President stated: "Today I have signed an executive order entitled, "Classified National Security Information" (the "order"), which substantially advances my goals for reforming the security classification and declassification processes. I expect that the order will produce measurable progress towards greater openness and transparency in the Government's classification and declassification programs while protecting the Government's legitimate interests, and I will closely monitor the results." Source

Executive Order Original Classification Authority lists designates the officials to classify information originally as "Top Secret" or "Secret".

The President's order ended a Bush-era policy that allowed the head of the US's intelligence agencies to have the final word on the declassification of documents. According to the White House, there is a backlog of more than 400 million documents stretching back all the way to World War II. Source

Richard Engel, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent, in an appearance on the The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC reported that he had obtained a report written for U.S. Central Command (CENCOM) Commander David Petraus and Commander of United States forces in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal that assessed the security forces of Afghanistan, primarily the Afghan National Army (ANA). According to Engle, the 25 page report declared the mission to train the Afghan Army to provide the country's security so United States forces could leave was hampered by serious problems and that the United States military "knows it", and that the report states:

(1) the Afghan Army, above company level, is not at war

(2) nepotism, corruption and absenteeism among ANA leaders makes success impossible, that change must come quickly

(3) if Afghan political leaders do not place competent people in charge, no amount of coalition support will suffice in the long term

Day341/Dec30th/Wednesday: The President released his Memorandum of Disapproval for The enactment of H.R. 3326 (Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010, Public Law 111-118), which was signed into law on December 19, 2009, but rendered the enactment of H.J.Res. 64 (Continuing Appropriations, FY 2010) unnecessary. "Accordingly, I am withholding my approval from the bill. (The Pocket Veto Case, 279 U.S. 655 (1929)). To leave no doubt that the bill is being vetoed as unnecessary legislation, in addition to withholding my signature, I am also returning H.J.Res. 64 to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, along with this Memorandum of Disapproval," the President stated. Source

The President signed an Executive Order establishing federal capability for the timely provision of countermeasures following a biological attack. The policy would seek to: (1) mitigate illness and prevent death; (2) sustain critical infrastructure; and (3) complement and supplement State, local, territorial, and tribal government medical countermeasure distribution capacity. The Order notes the United States Postal Service Delivery of Medical Countermeasures had the capacity for rapid residential delivery of medical countermeasures for self administration across all communities in the United States and that "the Federal Government shall pursue a national U.S. Postal Service medical countermeasures dispensing model to respond to a large-scale biological attack" Source

The White House posted more visitor logs, more than 25,000 records created between Sept 16 and Sept 30.

Day342/Dec31st/Thursday: The President spoke via telephone with John Brennan about preliminary assessments from the ongoing consultations "into the human and systemic failures that occurred leading up to the attempted act of terrorism on Christmas Day" and about government-wide efforts at continued vigilance on homeland security and counterterrorism efforts. Source

The President spoke via telephone with United States Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to receive an update on both the United States Department of Homeland Security review of detection capabilities and the enhanced security measures in place since the Christmas Day 2009 single terrorist attempt to ignite an explosive onboard an international flight #253 in Detroit. Source

The President declared a major disaster existed in the State of New York and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding associated with Tropical Depression Ida and a nor'easter during the period of November 12-14, 2009. Federal funding was made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding associated with Tropical Depression Ida and a nor'easter in the counties of Nassau and Suffolk. Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Source

The President declared a major disaster existed in the State of Alabama and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding during the period of December 12-18, 2009. Federal funding iwas made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Barbour, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, and Pike. Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Source

[Author's note: all days in these chronicles are full days. The Obama Inaugeration on January 20, 2009 was a half-day, so not counted.]
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Retired, Robert Arend was president of an AFSCME local from 1997-2007.
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