Updated: January 22, 2012
Legal experts question whether President Barack Obama’s recent recess appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and National Labor Relations Board will withstand a court challenge. Lacking clear precedent on the issue, courts could be forced to determine whether so-called “pro forma” sessions constitute a “real” session of the Senate. Pro forma sessions have been used as a means of preventing recess appointments; they usually last only a minute or so and only require the presence of one senator. The president has the power to make recess appointments, but whether a gap between pro forma sessions counts as a real recess has yet to be determined.
AAUW applauded the president for moving to fill critical vacancies. AAUW supports robust protection for the civil rights of all individuals, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will play a role in protecting Americans from predatory and unscrupulous financial practices.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 22, 2012.
President Barack Obama appointed the administration’s lead liaison to the Hispanic community, Cecelia Muñoz, as the next director of the Domestic Policy Council. Muñoz will succeed Melody Barnes, who left the position last month. Since 2009, Muñoz has served as the White House director of intergovernmental affairs. Noted for her work on immigration issues, Muñoz was previously senior vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization.
AAUW supports President Obama’s appointments of highly qualified women to key administration positions. Women have made tremendous strides in becoming top decision-makers in both public service and private enterprise. AAUW urges the Obama administration to continue to grant more women such an opportunity.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 13, 2012.
President Barack Obama requested authority from Congress to consolidate six federal agencies in an effort to downsize government and save an estimated $3 billion over 10 years. The president’s proposal would combine the Small Business Administration, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Trade and Development Agency into a single entity that would replace the Commerce Department. The move would elevate the administrator of the Small Business Administration, Karen G. Mills, to the cabinet to focus on reducing agency overlap and fostering opportunities for the private sector.
AAUW supports efforts to expand women’s economic opportunities, including the Small Business Administration’s Women-Owned Small Business contract program. The program creates an additional contractor category of “economically disadvantaged women-owned businesses,” which expands the pool of available federal contractors and gives additional weight to women-owned business when submitting federal contracting bids. AAUW urges the Obama administration to ensure this program remains intact during the agency consolidation process. Encouraging women-owned small businesses is not just good public policy; it also makes economic sense. Enabling women to grow their businesses will empower many women to become their own bosses, letting them set their own wages and escape the lingering wage gap that still dogs our economy.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 13, 2012.
A new book about the Obama presidency has raised questions about the administration’s treatment of female staff members and has been subject to accusations of inaccuracies. “Confidence Men,” a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, details President Barack Obama’s handling of the economic crisis. The book charges the Obama White House with being a hostile work environment for women based in part on a quote by former White House Communications Director Anita Dunn. Dunn has since said the quote was taken out of context, and the White House has disputed several claims made in the book. In addition, the White House’s treatment of women is seen as much improved over the last year, according to news reports.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for September 23, 2011.
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama chose Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) to serve as chair of the Democratic National Committee. If the DNC ratifies Wasserman Schultz, she will be the first woman elected to the position. Two women have previously served as chair, but both were appointed. If elected, Wasserman Schultz will maintain her seat in the House of Representatives as she leads the Democratic party’s 2012 efforts.
As the 2012 race begins to gain momentum, be sure to use AAUW resources to stay informed and take action. AAUW's Voter Education campaign is brimming with a variety of resources to help you become educated about the issues and to motivate others to take action.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for April 8, 2011.
This week, President Obama announced his nomination of Donald B. Verrilli Jr. for solicitor general. If confirmed by the Senate, Verrilli will act as the government’s advocate before the Supreme Court. In addition to participating in more than 100 Supreme Court cases and arguing 12, Verrilli has worked as a deputy counsel to the president, a top Justice Department official, and as a private attorney.
The president also released a statement this week announcing appointees for other key administration posts. Among those named, Roberta Achtenberg, co-founder of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, has been appointed Commissioner of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 28, 2011.
As Capitol Hill welcomes a new Congress, the White House is making some changes of its own. President Obama has selected Bill Daley as his new chief of staff, replacing interim Chief of Staff Pete Rouse who will stay on as an advisor. The First Lady also announced new chief of staff, Tina Tchen, formerly the director of the Office of Public Engagement and the Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, a role she will retain in her new position. Additionally, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced his intention to step down from his post, though he will remain an outside political advisor to the president as he seeks re-election in 2012.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 7, 2011.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama issued an executive order making clarifications and changes to the requirements for faith-based and other neighborhood organizations receiving federal grants. The order requires that explicit religious activities may not occur at the same time or place as federally-funded programs, though institutions may retain religious art, symbols, and names. Social service programs will also be obligated to provide referrals if beneficiaries object to the religious nature of the organization. Federal agencies distributing aid have new rules facing them as well, including publically posting the names of all entities receiving aid and monitoring standards to ensure religion and government remain adequately untangled.
AAUW firmly believes in the separation of church and state. Implicit in each of our principles is support for government agencies administering programs, including adequate appropriations, effective and accountable administration, and provision for citizen participation.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for November 19, 2010.
Although the total number of women serving in the U.S. Senate may change in the upcoming election, it is likely that more of the women senators will be found on the Republican side of the aisle. Of the five strong female challengers for Senate seats, four are Republican, while three of the four female incumbents in close races are Democrats. In the two-woman race in California, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) is in a fierce competition against former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (R). Other incumbent women are faring better, such as current senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), who holds a substantial lead against Eric Wargotz (R-MD).
- from AAUW's Washington Update for October 15, 2010.
Next week Monday, the president will host the White House Science Fair honoring the winners of national STEM competitions and exhibiting the students’ work. The fair is a part of President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign introduced last year, designed to inspire students to excel in science, technology, engineering, and math. “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House,” the president noted. “Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.” The week will conclude with the USA Science & Engineering Festival, to be held on the National Mall. AAUW will have a display at the Expo: Science from A[stronaut] to Z[oologist], highlighting branch programs for girls across the country and offering parents and educators things they can do to encourage girls in science and math.
AAUW supports promoting and strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, especially for girls and other underrepresented populations.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for October 15, 2010.
President Obama intends to pocket veto a little-known bill that critics say would have made it easier for banks to evict homeowners who missed payments. While the president supports the bill’s original intent to remove impediments to interstate commerce, the White House released a statement saying law makers “need to think through the intended and unintended consequences of the bill on consumer protections.…” More than 40 states have banded together to investigate reports of fraudulent documents and of banks seizing property without having clear ownership of the mortgages.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for October 8, 2010.
Beginning next year, Betsy Stevenson will serve as the new Chief Economist for the Department of Labor. In her new post, Stevenson, a labor economist and contributor to the New York Times’ Freakonomics blog, will address issues such as equal pay, minimum wage, job and retirement security, and welfare and working conditions for employees.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for October 1, 2010.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for October 1, 2010.
The White House announced today that Elizabeth Warren will be appointed as Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Treasury Secretary and begin the process to establish the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Warren’s appointment is being touted as a signal of the administration’s commitment to protecting consumers from the abusive and predatory practices that brought the country to the brink of financial collapse.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for September 17, 2010.