This article is the 47th 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.
"No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military - -" regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance - -" because they happen to be gay. No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder, in order to serve the country that they love."__Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, December 22, 2010.
Day693/Dec18th/Saturday: In his Weekly Address, the President urged the United States Senate to heed the calls from prior U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, every living Republican Secretary of State, NATO allies, and the leadership of the military: ratify the New Start Treaty with Russia. Transcript Video
The President signed into law:
H.J.Res. 105 , making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011. Source
H.R. 2480 , the "Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2010," which eliminated the Federal Trade Commission's authority to provide an exemption from Federal fur product labeling requirements for articles of apparel with a relatively small quantity or value of fur; and provided an exemption from these requirements for fur products sold by an individual who trapped or hunted the animal where the revenue from these sales is not that individual's primary source of income
H.R. 3237 , which codified certain current laws related to national and commercial space programs as a new title 51 of the United States Code
H.R. 6184 , which extended through December 31, 2016, the United States Army's authority to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal entities to expedite the processing of permits
H.R. 6399 , which increased the number of positions under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol for which the Architect is authorized to fix the rate of pay; and made certain appropriated funds available to the Architect for the acquisition of real property for the use of the U.S. Capitol Police;
S. 3789 , the "Social Security Number Protection Act of 2010," which prohibited the use of social security numbers on government-issued checks
S. 3987 , the "Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010," which narrowed the definition of a creditor for purposes of implementing the so-called "red flags rule," i.e., Federal guidelines for use by financial institutions and creditors in establishing policies and procedures to mitigate identity theft risks. Source
In a released statement , the President lamented a minority of Senators prevented the United States Senate from passing the DREAM Act, declaring, "It is disappointing that common sense did not prevail today. But my administration will not give up on the DREAM Act, or on the important business of fixing our broken immigration system. The American people deserve a serious debate on immigration, and it's time to take the polarizing rhetoric off our national stage."
In a released statement , the President applauded the United States Senate for passing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 , declaring, " Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love ."
Day694/Dec19th/Sunday: The President delayed his departure for his Hawaiian Christmas vacation due to the United States Senate's imminent vote on the New Start Treaty.
Day695/Dec20th/Monday: The President issued a Presidential Memorandum delegating to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, " the functions and authority conferred upon the President by section 7301 of title 5, United States Code, with respect to providing appropriate workplace accommodations for executive branch civilian employees who are nursing mothers ."
