The first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency began on January 20, 2009, the day Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. The first 100 days of a presidential term took on symbolic significance during Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term in office, and the period is considered a benchmark to measure the early success of a president. The 100th day of his presidency ended at noon on April 30, 2009. Obama stated that he should not be judged just by his first hundred days: "The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference."[1] Obama began to formally create his presidential footprint during his first 100 days.[2] Obama quickly began attempting to foster support for his economic stimulus package, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[3] The bill passed in the House on January 28, 2009, by a 244–188 vote,[4] and it passed in the Senate on February 10 by a 61–37 margin.[5][6]
At the end of the first 100 days, 65% of Americans approved of how Obama was doing and 29% disapproved.[10] According to Gallup's First quarter survey in April, President Obama received a 63% approval rating. Gallup began tracking presidential approval ratings of the first quarters since Dwight Eisenhower in 1953. President John F. Kennedy received the highest in April 1961 with a 74% rating. Obama's 63% is the fourth highest and the highest since President Jimmy Carter with a 69%. President Ronald Reagan's first quarter had 60% approval in 1981, President George H. W. Bush with 57% in 1989, President Bill Clinton with 55% in 1993, and President George W. Bush with 58% in 2001.[11]
During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt promised drastic initiatives within his first 100 days.[12] The New Deal legislation he got passed set a standard of action that subsequent presidents have been measured against. Although it has less significance, some analysts even make comparisons of the performances of presidents during their first 100 days of the second term.[12]
Obama and previous presidents have made statements that downplayed the significance of their first 100 days. John F. Kennedy once said his mission might never be accomplished: "All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."[13]
Obama's first 100 days were highly anticipated after he became the apparent presumptive nominee.[14] In his first 60 Minutes post-election interview Obama said that he had been studying Roosevelt's first 100 days.[15] Understanding the significance and symbolism of the first 100 days, Hillary Clinton's campaign strategy included mapping out a first 100 days plan.[16]
While Obama began preparation for his first 100 days during the presidential transition following his election,[17] he stated that America only has one president at a time, especially for issues related to international affairs.[17] During the first hundred days in office presidents are highly scrutinised and heading into the period Obama's intention was to attempt to execute several plans that are going to be watched closely.[18][19]
Media coverage
Despite his attempt to downplay its significance, Obama's first 100 days were highly anticipated ever since he became the presumptive nominee.[14] Several news outlets, such as Fox News and CBS News, even created special portals dedicated to covering the subject.[20] Commentators particularly weighed in on challenges and priorities within the fields of domestic and foreign policy, on economic issues, and on the environment.[21][22][23][24]CNN listed a number of economic issues which "Obama and his team [would] have to tackle in their first 100 days", foremost among which was implementing a recovery package to deal with the then-ongoing financial crisis.[23][25] Even MSNBC.com, which didn't use portals, acknowledged the notability of Obama's first 100 days by including it in the titles of its stories.[26][27][28] On Obama's first day in office, BBC World Service released the results of an opinion poll of more than 17,000 people in 17 countries; it showed that 67% anticipated Obama would strengthen U.S. relations abroad, and 80% of Italians and Germans believed U.S. relations with the rest of the world would improve under Obama.[29]
Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer, expressed hopes that Obama would close Guantanamo Bay detention camp within the time period.[22] In addition, there were speculations in Jakarta that he might return to his former home city within the first 100 days[30] after presidential aides announced his intention to hold a major foreign policy speech in the capital of an Islamic country.
Even political advocacy groups such as Amnesty International planned special strategies to leverage the strategic and political significance of the first 100 days; the group organized a 100 Days Campaign for human rights.[38]
Re-administering the Presidential Oath, January 21, 2009
Article 2, Section 1, Clause 8 of the Constitution states: "Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:"[42] Then, Article Two of the United States Constitution sets out the language that should be used in the oath of office of the president of the United States: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." The Vice President also has an oath of office, but it is not mandated by the Constitution and is prescribed by statute.[43]
During the inauguration, there were two matters of controversy. First, although Obama constitutionally assumed the Presidency at 12:00 pm on January 20, he did not complete the oath of office until 12:05pm.[44][45] Clinton also completed the oath about five minutes late during his first inauguration.[44] Additionally, Obama and the administering official, Chief Justice of the United StatesJohn G. Roberts, did not execute the 35-word oath as prescribed by the United States Constitution. First, Obama jumped in before the "do solemnly swear" phrase, which seemed to throw the Chief Justice off his stride. Subsequently, Roberts moved the word "faithfully" back nine spots, and used "to" instead of "of." That threw the president off, and he smiled and paused to collect his thoughts, then decided to follow Roberts' lead. The flaw is recorded in the transcript of the oath as follows:[44][46][47]
Roberts: I, Barack Hussein Obama …
Obama: I, Barack …
Roberts: … do solemnly swear …
Obama: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear …
Roberts: … that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully …
Obama: … that I will execute …
Roberts: … the off – faithfully the pres – the office of president of the United States …
Obama (at the same time): … the office of president of the United States faithfully …
According to the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Section 1: "The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January". Thus, Bush had relinquished the Presidency at 12:00. According to the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Section 3: If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President,... if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified." By Article Two, Section 1, Clause 8 of the Constitution and Amendment 20, Some feel that Obama was not able to assume the Presidency until 12:05.[48] In fact, since Biden did not complete his oath until 12:01, there was further speculation as to who was President for the first minute after Bush relinquished control.[48]
Several political and constitutional law experts questioned whether Obama was officially the president since he had not correctly performed the constitutional duty of the Oath.[45] The following day at about 7:35pm the White House,[49] Roberts re-administered the oath in an act that White House CounselGreg Craig described as stemming from "an abundance of caution," to quell any concerns that the President may not have been properly sworn in.[42] Both Calvin Coolidge and Chester Arthur retook the oath under similar circumstances.[42]
At the conclusion of Obama's first week as President, Hilda Solis, Tom Daschle, Ron Kirk, and Eric Holder had yet to be confirmed, and there had been no second appointment for Secretary of Commerce.[60] Republicans were also delaying Solis's confirmation due to a perceived lack of transparency.[60] Holder was later confirmed by a vote of 75–21 on February 2,[61] and on February 3, Obama announced Senator Judd Gregg as his second nomination for Secretary of Commerce, since Bill Richardson had withdrawn amid a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.[62] Daschle withdrew later that day amid controversy over his failure to pay income taxes and potential conflicts of interest related to the speaking fees he accepted from health care interests.[63] On February 12, Judd Gregg withdrew his nomination as Secretary of Commerce, citing "irresolvable conflicts" with President Obama and his staff over how to conduct the 2010 census and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[64][65] On February 24, Solis was confirmed by an 80–17 vote.[66][67]
The same day rumours abounded that former Democratic two-term Washington governorGary Locke would be named as the third Obama Commerce Secretary nominee.[68][69][70] Locke was formally nominated on February 26,[71] and was confirmed on March 24 by voice vote.[72]
By comparison, Bill Clinton only had one outstanding Cabinet confirmation at the end of his first day in office and George W. Bush had all but one approved before February 1, 2001. Ronald Reagan had twelve of thirteen Cabinet members confirmed before February 1, and Jimmy Carter had all eleven of his confirmed. George H. W. Bush only had seven of thirteen confirmed by this time.[60] Whereas his predecessors had to trade favours for contentious approvals such as Zoe Baird (Clinton), John Tower (G.H.W. Bush), or John Ashcroft (G.W. Bush), Obama has largely focused on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a proposed economic stimulus package totalling nearly $1 trillion.[60]
Cabinet nominations
During the presidential transition between the election and the inauguration, Obama named Bill Richardson to be his Commerce Secretary. Richardson withdrew his nomination on January 5 because of scrutiny regarding a pay to play scandal in which he was being investigated because his donors curiously received a lucrative transportation contract.[75] On February 3, Obama announced the nomination of Republican Judd Gregg in his place.[76][77]
Cabinet Confirmations
Left to right: Clinton, Geithner, and Holder were controversial confirmations during the first two weeks.
Tom Daschle was Obama's original nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary. However, he owed over $128,000 in taxes over three years, failed to report more than $83,000 in consulting fees in 2007, and owed $12,000 in interest and penalties. He also provided insufficient documentation for $15,000 of the $276,000 in charitable contributions that he and his wife, Linda, gave during the three-year period being studied by the panel. Daschle also had some miscommunications with his accountant on the $255,000 use of a luxury car service that was used 80% for personal services. Daschle paid his back taxes six days before his first confirmation hearings with the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.[78] On February 3, The New York Times called the Daschle nomination into question both for his tax issues and for his extensive private sector work in the health services industry. The editorial noted that although Daschle was aware of his tax problem in June 2008, he did not correct it until his cabinet nomination.[79] Later that day, Daschle withdrew his nomination.[80]
Though Hillary Clinton was ultimately confirmed on January 21 by a 95–2 vote, with David Vitter (R-Louisiana) and Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) in dissent,[55] Senate Republicans slowed the process due to objections over the charitable activities of Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton.[55]John Cornyn (R-Texas) held up proceedings for a day to discuss this matter. Richard Lugar (R-Indiana), the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, expressed an interest in President Bill Clinton's foundation reject foreign contributions to avoid possible conflict of interest. Sen. Clinton contended that the foundation's disclosure plans already exceeded legal requirements.
Cabinet Withdrawals
Left to right: Richardson, Daschle and Gregg were original Obama appointees who withdrew their nominations.
Timothy Geithner, who was nominated as Treasury Secretary, also encountered tax issues.[81] He apologised to the United States Senate Committee on Finance for having overlooked paying $34,000 in Social Security and Medicare taxes earlier this decade.[82] The committee endorsed Geithner by an 18–5 margin with half of the ten Republicans opposing the nomination.[83] He was confirmed despite failure to pay a total of $43,000 in taxes and penalties, which troubled the Senate.[84]
Holder was endorsed by the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary by a 17–2 margin on January 28. Dissent on his confirmation centred on his support for some of Bill Clinton's controversial pardons and commutations of sentence.[85] Republican Cornyn had sought a pledge from Holder that he would not prosecute intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogations, but Holder, who if confirmed will have to review Justice Department officials who may have violated the law for possible prosecution, refused to give such a pledge.[86]
Obama had nominated Nancy Killefer for the position of Chief Performance Officer, but Killefer withdrew on February 3 after it was revealed that she had failed to pay the unemployment compensation tax for a household employee for a period of 18 months.[citation needed]
Late Cabinet Confirmations
Left to right: Solis was confirmed on February 24 and Gary Locke was confirmed as the Commerce Secretary on March 24. Kathleen Sebelius was confirmed as the Health and Human Services Secretary on April 28. Sebelius was the last Cabinet nominee to be confirmed by the Senate.
The vote on Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor had originally been scheduled for February 5, but she faced delayed confirmation hearings due to her pro-labor activities as a board member of American Rights at Work and because of $6,400 in unpaid tax liens against her husband's auto repair business.[87] Both Solis, who was uninvolved in the business, and her husband claimed not to have had any knowledge of the 16-year-old liens prior to their disclosure by a newspaper, and they paid it when notified.[88] Delays were however exacerbated due to Solis' perceived unresponsiveness to questions.[89] On February 11, the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions voted by voice vote to endorse Hilda Solis as the Labor Secretary,[88][89] with the only dissenting members of the 22-person committee Republicans Tom Coburn and Pat Roberts.[90] Solis was later confirmed on February 24.[91]
On February 12, Senator Judd Gregg withdrew his name from consideration as United States Commerce Secretary. Judd cited policy differences between himself and the Obama administration as his primary reasons and noted that unlike earlier withdrawals he was not having difficulties with the vetting process. He had reservations about the stimulus package and about the changes being made in the United States Census Bureau as his primary concerns.[64][92][93]
While pundits puzzled over U.S. Trade Representative-designate Ron Kirk's failure to be confirmed by March 2009, it was reported on March 2 that Kirk owed over $10,000 in back taxes. Kirk agreed to pay them in exchange for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus's aid in speeding up the confirmation process;[96] he was later confirmed on March 18.[74]
On March 31, Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, revealed in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee that her Certified Public Accountant found errors in her tax returns for years 2005–2007. She, along with her husband, paid more than $7,000 in back taxes, along with $878 in interest.[97]
Notable non-Cabinet positions
Appointees serve at the pleasure of the President and were nominated by Barack Obama except as noted.
One of the first acts by the Obama administration after assuming control was an order signed by Chief of StaffRahm Emanuel that suspended all pending federal regulations proposed by outgoing President George W. Bush so that they could be reviewed. This was comparable to prior moves by the Bush Administration upon assuming control from Bill Clinton, who in his final 20 days in office issued 12 executive orders.[98]
Due to the economic crisis, the President enacted a pay freeze for senior White House staff making more than $100,000 per year.[99] The action affected approximately 120 staffers and added up to about a $443,000 savings for the United States government.[100]
Obama also announced stricter guidelines regarding lobbyists in an effort to raise the ethical standards of the White House.[101] The new policy bans aides from attempting to influence the administration for at least two years if they leave his staff. It also bans aides on staff from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies that they targeted while on staff. Their ban also included a gift-giving ban.[102] However, one day later he nominated William J. Lynn III, a lobbyist for defence contractor Raytheon, for the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense.[103][104] Obama later nominated William Corr, an anti-tobacco lobbyist, for Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.[105]
In his first week in office, President Obama signed an executive order suspending all the ongoing proceedings of Guantanamo military commission and ordering that the detention facility would be shut down within the year.[106][107][108] He also signed an order requiring the Army Field Manual to be used as guide for terror interrogations, banning torture and other illegal coercive techniques, such as waterboarding.[109] He also signed the Protocol III of United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to restrict the usage of incendiary weapons.[110][111] Obama also issued an executive order entitled "Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel," setting stricter limitations on incoming executive branch employees and placing tighter restrictions on lobbying in the White House.[112] Obama signed two Presidential Memoranda concerning energy independence, ordering the Department of Transportation to establish higher fuel efficiency standards before 2011 models are released and allowing states to raise their emissions standards above the national standard.[113] He also ended the Mexico City Policy, which banned funds to international groups that provide abortion services or counselling.[114][115]
Barack Obama preparing for his weekly address
In his first week he also established a policy of producing a weekly Saturday morning video address available on Whitehouse.gov and YouTube,[116][117][118] much like those released during his transition period.[119][120] The first address had been viewed by 600,000 YouTube viewers by the next afternoon.[121] The policy is likened to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's fireside chats and George W. Bush's weekly radio addresses.[120][121]
The first piece of legislation signed by Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on January 29, which promoted fair pay regardless of gender, race, or age. Lilly Ledbetter joined Obama and his wife, Michelle, as he signed the bill, fulfilling his campaign pledge to nullify Ledbetter v. Goodyear.[122]
On February 18, 2009, Obama announced that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan would be bolstered by 17,000 new troops by summer.[123] The announcement followed the recommendation of several experts including Defense Secretary Robert Gates that additional troops be deployed to the strife-torn South Asian country.[124]
Nine days after his speech on Afghanistan, Obama addressed Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and outlined an exit strategy for the Iraq War. Obama promised to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by August 31, 2010, and a "transitional force" of up to 50,000 counterterrorism, advisory, training, and support personnel by the end of 2011.[125]
On March 10, 2009, Barack Obama, in a meeting with the New Democrat Coalition, told them that he was a "New Democrat", "pro-growth Democrat", "supports free and fair trade", and "very concerned about a return to protectionism."[126]
The stimulus package passed in the House of Representatives on January 28 without a single Republican vote. The Republicans developed opposition without developing consensus on an alternative plan.[128] Conservatives who have been supportive of Obama have come out against the plan.[26]The Wall Street Journal has questioned whether the $825 billion package is well designed.[129] However, Duncan notes that one of the largest components, $140 billion earmarked for education, is well spent.[130]Christopher Dodd is credited with inserting the last-minute pay limit into American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The pay restrictions included prohibition of bonuses in excess of one-third of total salary for any company receiving any money from the plan and was retroactive to companies that received funds under Troubled Assets Relief Program. The limit was a significant alteration of the administration's plan and caught Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Chairman Lawrence Summers by surprise.[131]
After Obama announced deadlines for the phased withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq, Congress broadly endorsed the president's plan and agreed to legislate the stated timetables, though some in the Democratic Party balked at the 50,000-head figure for the transitional force and many in the Republican Party criticised the deadlines' rigidity. Arizona Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in the 2008 election, voiced support for his former rival's plan.[132]
Other notable events
On March 19, Obama became the first sitting president to appear on a late night talk show when he was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[133] On April 2, Obama attended the G-20 London Summit. On April 17–19 he attended the 5th Summit of the Americas where he met Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, a longtime enemy of Washington, who shook his hand and gave him the book Las venas abiertas de América Latina (Open Veins of Latin America) of Eduardo Galeano while media was present.[134] On April 28, day 99 of Obama's presidency, Senator Arlen Specter (a former Democrat who switched to the Republican party in 1966) returned to the Democratic Party. Specter increased the Democratic senators to 59, one short of a filibuster-proof majority.[135] At the conclusion of the first 100 days, over 100 federal judgeships remained vacant.[136]
Thomas Andrew Daschle is an American politician and lobbyist who represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he led the Senate Democratic Caucus during the final ten years of his tenure, during which time he served as Senate Minority Leader and Majority Leader.
The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the President of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secretary is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States, and is fourteenth in the presidential line of succession.
Judd Alan Gregg is an American politician and attorney who served as the 76th governor of New Hampshire from 1989 to 1993 and a United States senator from New Hampshire from 1993 to 2011 where he was Chairman of the Health Committee and the Budget Committee. A member of the Republican Party, he was a businessman and attorney in Nashua before entering politics. Gregg currently serves as the Chair of the Public Advisory Board at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.
The 2004 United States Senate elections were held on November 2, 2004, with all Class 3 Senate seats being contested. They coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House elections, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998, known as Senate Class 3, were seeking re-election or retiring in 2004.
Hilda Lucia Solis is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as part of the administration of President Barack Obama. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.
Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician who served as the 21st United States Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumental in overseeing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Before becoming secretary, she served as the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the second woman to hold that office. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Sebelius was the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address and is chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association. She is CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC.
Kenneth Lee Salazar is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Mexico. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martínez (R-Florida) were the first Hispanic U.S. senators since 1977; they were joined by Bob Menendez in 2006. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, he served as Attorney General of Colorado from 1999 to 2005.
Jacob Joseph Lew is an American attorney and diplomat serving as the United States ambassador to Israel. He was the seventy-sixth United States secretary of the treasury from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he also served as the twenty-fifth White House chief of staff from 2012 to 2013 and as director of the Office of Management and Budget in both the Clinton administration and Obama administration.
The following is a timeline of major events leading up to and immediately following the United States presidential election of 2008. The election was the 56th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008, but its significant events and background date back to about 2002. The Democratic Party nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, defeated the Republican Party's nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona.
The United States Senate career of Hillary Rodham Clinton began when she defeated Republican Rick Lazio in the 2000 United States Senate election in New York. She was elected to a second term in 2006. Clinton resigned from the Senate on January 21, 2009, to become United States Secretary of State for the Obama Administration.
The presidential transition of Barack Obama began when he won the United States presidential election on November 4, 2008, and became the president-elect. Obama was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 15, 2008. The results were certified by a joint session of Congress on January 8, 2009, and the transition ended when Obama was inaugurated at noon EST on January 20, 2009.
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Four years later, in the 2012 presidential election, he defeated Republican nominee Mitt Romney, to win re-election. Obama is the first African American president, the first multiracial president, the first non-white president, and the first president born in Hawaii. Obama was limited to two terms and was succeeded by Republican Donald Trump, who won the 2016 presidential election.
The first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The 56th inauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in the city, marked the commencement of the first term of Barack Obama as president and Joe Biden as vice president. Based on combined attendance numbers, television viewership, and Internet traffic, it was one of the most-observed events ever by the global audience at the time.
The following is a timeline of the presidency of Barack Obama from his inauguration as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009, to December 31, 2009. For his time as president-elect, see the presidential transition of Barack Obama; for a detailed account of his first months in office, see first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency; for a complete itinerary of his travels, see list of presidential trips made by Barack Obama.
Barack Obama assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2009, and his term ended on January 20, 2017. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
Gary Faye Locke is an American politician, attorney, and former diplomat from the state of Washington. Locke served as the 21st governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005, where he was the first Chinese-American governor as well as the first Asian American governor in the continental U.S. During the Obama administration, Locke served as Secretary of Commerce from 2009 to 2011, and as Ambassador to China from 2011 to 2014, the first Chinese American to serve in the role.
Members of the Cabinet of the United States are nominated by the president and are then confirmed or rejected by the Senate. Listed below are unsuccessful cabinet nominees—that is, individuals who were nominated and who either declined their own nomination, failed the confirmation vote in the Senate, or whose nomination was withdrawn by the president. The latter category includes near nominations, meaning presumptive choices made by a president or president-elect that never progressed to formal nomination stage. Nominations to cabinet-rank positions are also included in this page.
↑ Henry, Ed and Kristi Keck (February 3, 2009). "Daschle withdraws as HHS nominee". The 44th President: First 100 Days. Cable News Network. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
↑ Hodge, Amanda (February 19, 2009). "Obama launches Afghanistan surge". The Australian. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2009.(If you receive a 403 "forbidden" error using the previous link, try this one instead)
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