We are posting our written authorization and waiver under the ethics rules to John Brennan to participate in the reviews of the attempted bombing of Northwest flight 253. John is the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. By virtue of his long experience in government and the private sector, John brings a unique mixture of know-how and understanding to this assignment.

The applicable ethics rules recognize that under the circumstances set forth in the attached memo, counsel should review the matter and authorize the official to proceed with the assignment where the public interest so requires.  That is particularly true where, as here, national security concerns are implicated. We have done that analysis and have determined that, as set out in the authorization and waiver, it is in the public interest for John to proceed.

Norm Eisen is special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform

President Obama ordered earlier this year that in December the White House would -- for the first time in history -- begin posting White House visitor records as provided in our new voluntary disclosure policy. Today we are delivering on that commitment by posting more than 25,000 records created between Sept 16 and Sept 30. The volume is enormous because we are not just answering specific requests for records -- we are disclosing thousands of folks who come and go here daily. We will do this on a monthly basis, with the records for the full month of October being posted in 30 days.

This release represents a milestone in the President's commitment to change Washington. The President believes that this and our many other transparency initiatives promote accountability and keep American democracy vital. 

We are excited about the visitor records policy not only because we are breaking new ground for this Administration but also because we are establishing a new standard for all future administrations. We know of no comparable initiative in the history of the White House. Indeed, previous Administrations fought for years to protect just a handful of records -- far less than we are putting out for any single day of the month.

Today’s release also includes visitor information for the Vice President and his staff at the White House Complex.  Consistent with the voluntary disclosure policy, the Office of the Vice President is releasing the names and dates of visitors to the Vice President’s Residence for official events between Sept 16 and Sept 30, and the visitors to the Residence who appear on the daily schedules of the Vice President and Dr. Biden.  At this time, it is not possible to release visitor information for the Vice President’s Residence in an identical format to the White House Complex because the Residence is not equipped with the WAVES system that is in place at the White House Complex.  The Vice President’s staff is working with the Secret Service to upgrade the visitor records system at the Residence.  When the electronic update is complete, visitor information for the White House Complex and the Residence will be released in a common format. 

In addition, we are also today releasing close to 2,000 pre-Sept 16 records in response to specific requests. As part of our new initiative, we offered to look back at the records created before the announcement of the policy and answer specific requests for visitor records created earlier in the year.   Today’s production of records is in response to nearly 700 requests from the public during the month of November. Those requests have yielded close to 2000 responsive records that span the time period between January 20, 2009 and September 15, 2009. All of these have been added to the online database of published visitor records in an accessible, searchable format for anyone to browse or download. 

Today’s release builds upon the previous series of visitor record disclosures.  In October the White House released close to 500 records in response to 110 requests that were received throughout September.  In November, the White House released 1,600 records in response to nearly 300 individual requests received from the public in October. You can view them all here.

As you review this month’s release you will notice that the records presentation is slightly different.  Thanks to many of your suggestions, we have made some improvements that will hopefully make this information easier to use.  However, the raw data remains the same and you can access that information by downloading the csv file in full.

Today’s release is only one example of the many steps the President has taken to increase government transparency over the past year. This Administration’s concrete commitments to openness include issuing the Open Government Directive, putting up more government information than ever before on data.gov and recovery.gov, reforming the government’s FOIA processes, providing on-line access to White House staff financial reports and salaries, adopting a tough new state secrets policy, reversing an executive order that previously limited access to presidential records, and webcasting White House meetings and conferences. The release also compliments our new lobbying rules, which in addition to closing the revolving door for lobbyists who work in government have also emphasized expanding disclosure of lobbyist contacts with the government.

As before, some of the most frequent White House visitors in today's release are Administration officials who come to the White House as part of their daily work. For example, Matthew Yale and Doug O’Brien both visit the White House frequently as part of their agency responsibilities.

Also, as we have previously noted, sometimes rather than providing clear information, transparency can have confusing or amusing results. Given the significant number of visitors to the White House, many visitors share the same name. Today's release includes the names of some notable figures (for example, yet another William Ayers record appears in this disclosure). The well-known individual with that name has not visited the White House, but we have included the record of the individual that did.

Lastly, we are still processing a small set of the September records to ensure that their release will not compromise national security.  We expect to conclude this review shortly and will release any additional records with next month’s posting.

Happy New Year!

Norm Eisen is Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform
 

Yesterday POLITICO reported that, before it even becomes law, opponents of health care reform – including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich – are already talking about repealing it. Certainly there is a fundamental disagreement here, since many opponents of reform – again including Gingrich – appear to think that insurance companies can do no wrong.

First, it does seem like another example of opposition at any cost to want to repeal a law before its even enacted.

Second, everyone should be very clear what is being called for here. At a time when insurance companies are finally about to be reined in, and when American families are finally about to be given control over their own health care, opponents of reform are advocating that insurance companies once again be allowed to run wild. Specifically, if they have their way.

• Insurance companies will once again be able to deny coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition like diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma.
• Insurance companies will once again be able to drop coverage when you get sick and need it most.
• Insurance companies will once again be able to impose annual or lifetime caps on coverage and charge unlimited out-of-pocket expenses.

And here are some of the benefits that these opponents of reform would want to overturn:

• Make preventive care completely free – with no co-payments or deductibles.
• Provide tax credits to help small businesses and hard-working families afford quality coverage.
• Create a new insurance exchange – essentially a marketplace – where individuals and small businesses can compare cost and quality and shop for the plan that is right for them.

We’ve said it before here, but I’ll say it again: for President Obama, this isn’t about him or about the Democratic Party.  It’s about solving a problem that we’ve talked about for decades – a crisis that is bankrupting American families, putting American companies out of business, and exploding our national deficit.

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director

President Obama has issued a new executive order on “Classified National Security Information” (the Order) that addresses the problem of over-classification in numerous ways and will allow researchers to gain timelier access to formerly classified records.   Among the major changes are the following:

• It establishes a National Declassification Center at the National Archives to enable agency reviewers to perform collaborative declassification in accordance with priorities developed by the Archivist with input from the general public.
• For the first time, it establishes the principle that no records may remain classified indefinitely and provides enforceable deadlines for declassifying information exempted from automatic declassification at 25 years.
• For the first time, it requires agencies to conduct fundamental classification guidance reviews to ensure that classification guides are up-to-date and that they do not require unnecessary classification.
• It eliminates an Intelligence Community veto of certain decisions by the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel that was introduced in the Bush order.

While the Government must be able to prevent the public disclosure of information that would compromise the national security, a democratic government accountable to the people must be as transparent as possible and must not withhold information for self-serving reasons or simply to avoid embarrassment. 

President Obama’s new Order strikes a careful balance between protecting essential secrets and ensuring the release of once sensitive information to the public as quickly and as fully as possible.  It also comes after extensive online engagement with the public where more than 150 detailed and helpful comments from various stakeholders were received through the White House website.

This new Order replaces Executive Order 12958 that was issued by President Clinton in 1995 and later amended by President Bush in 2003.  The President also issued a memorandum to heads of departments and agencies that directs additional steps agencies should take as they implement the Order.

On January 21, 2009, President Obama signed a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies, calling for the Government to become more transparent and collaborative.  In a May 27 memorandum, he directed the National Security Advisor to lead a review of EO 12958 and recommend revisions that improve transparency, openness, and interagency collaboration in the Government’s treatment of national security information.  The May 27 memorandum identified six priorities for this review: 

(i)    establishing a National Declassification Center (NDC) to facilitate collaborative declassification review among government officials;
(ii)    addressing the problem of over-classification;
(iii)    facilitating the sharing of classified information among appropriate parties;
(iv)    appropriately prohibiting reclassification of previously declassified material;
(v)    specifying appropriate procedures for classification, safeguarding, accessibility, and declassification of information in the electronic environment; and
(vi)    otherwise improving openness and transparency in the Government’s classification and declassification program, while affording necessary protection to the Government’s legitimate interests. 

The new Order takes numerous steps to address the six priorities set forth in the President’s May 27 memorandum.  First, the Order establishes the NDC within the National Archives to streamline declassification processes, facilitate quality-assurance measures, and implement standardized training regarding the declassification of records determined to have permanent historical value.  The Archivist of the United States will develop priorities for declassification activities under the NDC’s purview, with input from the general public and after taking into account researcher interest and the likelihood of declassification. 

Second, the Order takes steps to address the problem of over-classification.  It greatly strengthens the requirements for training and oversight of all original classification authorities and the much larger number of derivative classifiers.  It also directs that information not be classified (or be classified at a lower level) when “significant doubt” exists about the need to classify it.  The new EO also tightens the standards for keeping information classified for more than 25 years. 

Third, the Order facilitates greater sharing of classified information among appropriate parties, including State, local, and tribal governments.  It calls for the greatest possible access to classified information by authorized persons.  The Order also significantly modifies the “third agency rule” to permit re-dissemination of classified documents by receiving agencies without the approval of the originating agency, except when the originating agency has indicated on the documents that such prior approval is required.

Fourth, the Order significantly tightens restrictions on reclassification of information after its declassification and release under proper authority, particularly with respect to records that are in the legal custody of the National Archives.  Fifth, the Order enhances the appropriate classification and declassification of electronic information by mandating the use of standardized electronic protocols and formats.

Finally, the new Order adopts a number of additional changes in standards, procedures, and deadlines designed to promote greater openness and transparency in the Federal Government’s classification and declassification programs.  For example, it directs agencies to align their declassification activities with the priorities established by the NDC and strengthens the standards agencies must meet to exempt any record from automatic declassification at 25 years. 

The Implementation Memorandum.  The supplemental memorandum directs the heads of executive departments and agencies to take certain actions to implement more effectively the classification and declassification procedures established by the new Order.  The memorandum instructs the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office to publish a periodic status report on agency implementation of the Order. 

The memorandum also directs agencies, under the direction of the NDC, to take steps to eliminate the backlog of more than 400 million pages of accessioned Federal records previously subject to automatic declassification in order to permit public access to these records no later than December 31, 2013. 

In addition, the memorandum stresses the principle that delegations of original classification authority must be held to the minimum necessary to implement the EO.  These delegations should be made only to those individuals or positions with a demonstrable and continuing need to exercise original classification authority.
Lastly, in order to promote new technologies to support declassification, the memorandum directs the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence to support research to assist the NDC in addressing cross-agency challenges associated with declassification.

Here are some other changes in the executive order that advance the President’s agenda of greater openness and transparency:

1.    Establish a National Declassification Center (NDC) – Section 3.7

• Establishes a National Declassification Center at the National Archives where agency reviewers will perform collaborative declassification review of archival records, under the administration of a Director appointed by the Archivist in consultation with his counterparts at the major national security departments.
• The general functions of the Center shall apply to all archival records, regardless of whether they have yet been accessioned into the National Archives, and all referral processing of accessioned records shall take place under the direction of the Center.
• Agencies will review archival records in accordance with priorities developed by the Archivist, with input from the general public, that take into account the level of researcher interest and the likelihood of declassification.

2.    Take Effective Measures to Address the Problem of Over-Classification

• Provides that no information may remain classified indefinitely.  Section 1.5(d)
• Emphasizes the requirement to identify describable damage to the national security before classifying information.  Section 1.4
• Restores the presumption against classification and in favor of a lower level of classification in cases of “significant doubt.”  Sections 1.1(b) and 1.2(c)
• Requires agencies to conduct fundamental classification guidance reviews to ensure that classification guides and other guidance reflect current conditions and to identify information that can be declassified.  An unclassified version of a report on such reviews shall be made public by each agency.  Section 1.9
• Mandates a review by all departments and agencies to ensure that delegations of original classification authority are as limited as possible. Presidential Memorandum
• Tightens the standards for keeping information classified for more than 25 years.  Sections 3.3(b) and 3.3(h)
• Greatly strengthens requirements for the training of all original classification authorities (OCAs) and the much larger number of derivative classifiers.  Sections 1.3(d) and 2.1(d)
• Adds a requirement to identify derivative classifiers by name or personal identifier on each document they derivatively classify.  Section 2.1(b)(1)
• Mandates that agency self-inspection programs shall review original and derivative classification decisions and correct misclassification actions appropriately.   Section 5.4(d)(4)
• Directs agency heads to establish an internal, secure capability to receive complaints regarding over-classification and to provide guidance to personnel.  Section 5.4(d)(10)

3.    Facilitate Greater Sharing of Classified Information Among Appropriate Parties

• Revises the Preamble to emphasize “the responsibility to provide information both within the government and to the American people.”
• Calls for maximum possible access to classified information by persons who meet standard criteria for access.  Section 4.1(a)
• Calls for the greatest practicable use of standardized electronic protocols and formats in order to maximize the accessibility and safeguarding of classified electronic information.  Section 4.1(f)
• Modifies the “third agency rule” to authorize re-dissemination of classified materials by third agencies, except in limited exceptional cases, without the approval of the originating agency.   Section 4.1(i)
• Revises the definition of “need-to-know” to shift the focus to prospective recipients with a mission need for information rather than a determination made by “owners” of the information.  Section 6.2(dd)
• Mandates the use of classified addendums or unclassified versions of documents whenever possible to facilitate greater information sharing.  Section 1.6(g)

4.    Appropriately Prohibit Reclassification of Information

• Prohibits the reclassification of information after its declassification and release under proper authority except when agencies can comply with significantly tightened restrictions, particularly regarding records that have been accessioned into the National Archives.  Section 1.7(c)

5.    Enhance Appropriate Classification and Declassification of Electronic Information

• Calls for the greatest possible use of standardized electronic protocols and formats.  Section 4.1(f)
• Directs the NDC to develop solutions to challenges posed by electronic records, special media, and emerging technologies.  Section 3.7(b)(5)
• Directs the linkage and effective utilization of existing databases and the use of new technologies to support declassification activities under the purview of the NDC.  Section 3.7(b)(6)
• Calls for advanced research to identify ways of utilizing electronic technology to assist the NDC in addressing cross-agency challenges associated with declassification.  Presidential Memorandum

6.    Take Other Steps Necessary to Provide Greater Openness and Transparency in the Government’s Classification and Declassification Programs

• Sets deadlines for the declassification and release of an existing backlog of some 400 million pages of records previously subject to automatic declassification, which includes archival records related to military operations during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  Presidential Memorandum
• Eliminates the Intelligence Community veto of declassification decisions made by the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) regarding intelligence sources and methods.  Section 5.3(f)
• Strengthens the standards that agencies must meet to exempt any records from automatic declassification at 25 years.  Section 3.3(h)
• Identifies with greater specificity information that can be exempted from automatic declassification because it relates to intelligence sources and methods or military war plans.  Section 3.3(b)
• Requires specific deadlines for the declassification of information exempted from automatic declassification at 25 years and prohibits classification beyond 75 years except in extraordinary cases and as approved by ISCAP.  Section 3.3(h)
• Directs that the review of third agency referrals subject to automatic declassification shall be performed in a prioritized manner determined by the NDC rather than according to a rigid schedule.  Sections 3.3(d)(3), 3.7(b)(1), and 3.7(d)
• Directs agencies to consider final decisions of the ISCAP when making declassification decisions.  Section 3.1(i)
• Provides guidance for the first time regarding the declassification of non-archival and non-record material.  Section 3.1(h)
• Limits the time span of records that may be included in a single integral file block for declassification purposes.  Section 6.1(v)
• Provides that no information may be excluded from automatic declassification based solely on the physical type of the document/record in which it is found.   Section 3.1(g)
• Requires a review of previously approved file series exemptions.  Section 3.3(c)(4)

William H. Leary is Special Adviser to the National Security Advisor and Senior Director for Records and Access Management, National Security Staff

My invitation to the White House became the adventure of my life.  I felt like a character out of the Mrs. Pollifax books.

With DC airports shutting down and December 21st being declared a snow day for Federal employees we had our challenges, but everyone pulled together and come Monday morning my children and I had an opportunity to meet President Obama and Secretary Shinseki.

First we arrived at the VA to meet with Secretary Shinseki. What a joy it was to meet him.  We took our pictures with him, and he sat down and talked to us.  He talked to my son about the military (my son Alex had his ROTC uniform on) and my daughter sang Amazing Grace for him.  He was moved.  So on to the White House, and meeting the President.

What a moment in time! I came into where the President was and he came and shook my hand.  I was not nervous, just amazed that this was really happening.  He just started talking to me about my family, the VA, my children and elk hunting.  I had to tell him about Kasey Ann skinning and gutting her own elk and how on her last hunt she wore flip flops.  He laughed.  He was so very easy to talk to.  He was genuine, such a nice and kind person. 

We then went into a room filled with TV cameras and reporters.  What an experience!  The President talked about health care, the VA, my idea, and wanted to know where my children were in the room.  He talked about my children being avid hunters. Afterwards, we then went into another room where the President met my children.  He was very appreciative that Alex, my son, is going into the military.  I told him Kasey Ann would sing for him.  So he turned his ear to her and she sang Amazing Grace.  What a great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. He teased her about hunting in her flip flops! They laughed and enjoyed the fun of it. The day was over before we knew it.

This trip was a Christmas present beyond all.  I still think it was a lot for a little idea, but it really will save a lot of money and I am so glad to be a part of it.  I can’t wait to see my idea come full circle.  Thank you to all the people that made this experience a reality for me and my family. Lasting memory:  Kasey Ann is still talking about his handshake.  She said he really knew how to shake your hand and hold onto it like he truly was interested in you and what you had to say.

Nancy Fichtner is a Fiscal Program Support Clerk at the Grand Junction, Colorado Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  She was the winner of the first annual SAVE Award.

A violent Iranian government crackdown on protesters this weekend has reportedly resulted in multiple deaths, as well as the arrests of hundreds of demonstrators, including several political figures and human rights activists.  The continued government suppression since the contested June presidential elections has drawn sharp international criticism.  The United States will always bear witness for and stand by those in Iran, and around the world, who seek to exercise their universal human rights.

Read the President's latest remarks:

Before I leave, let me also briefly address the events that have taken place over the last few days in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States joins with the international community in strongly condemning the violent and unjust suppression of innocent Iranian citizens, which has apparently resulted in detentions, injuries, and even death.

For months, the Iranian people have sought nothing more than to exercise their universal rights. Each time they have done so, they have been met with the iron fist of brutality, even on solemn occasions and holy days. And each time that has happened, the world has watched with deep admiration for the courage and the conviction of the Iranian people who are part of Iran's great and enduring civilization.

What's taking place within Iran is not about the United States or any other country. It's about the Iranian people and their aspirations for justice and a better life for themselves. And the decision of Iran's leaders to govern through fear and tyranny will not succeed in making those aspirations go away.

As I said in Oslo, it's telling when governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation.

Along with all free nations, the United States stands with those who seek their universal rights. We call upon the Iranian government to abide by the international obligations that it has to respect the rights of its own people.

We call for the immediate release of all who have been unjustly detained within Iran. We will continue to bear witness to the extraordinary events that are taking place there. And I'm confident that history will be on the side of those who seek justice.

Updated to include translations in Persian and Arabic.

Download the Arabic version as a pdf

Download the Persian version as a pdf

For the first time in a weekly address, the President is joined by the First Lady as they celebrate Christmas. They both honor those serving overseas, those who have sacrificed for their country, and the families that stand by them.  Find ways to lend our troops and their families a hand through DOD’s Military Homefront, OurMilitary.mil, and of course the USO.

Speaking in the State Dining Room, the President, joined by Vice President Biden, congratulated the Senate on its historic vote to pass health insurance reform.

The full transcript of the President's remarks is below:

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  In a historic vote that took place this morning members of the Senate joined their colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass a landmark health insurance reform package -- legislation that brings us toward the end of a nearly century-long struggle to reform America’s health care system.

Ever since Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform in 1912, seven Presidents -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- have taken up the cause of reform.  Time and time again, such efforts have been blocked by special interest lobbyists who’ve perpetuated a status quo that works better for the insurance industry than it does for the American people.  But with passage of reform bills in both the House and the Senate, we are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability to the American people.

The reform bill that passed the Senate this morning, like the House bill, includes the toughest measures ever taken to hold the insurance industry accountable.  Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny you coverage on the basis of a preexisting condition.  They will no longer be able to drop your coverage when you get sick.  No longer will you have to pay unlimited amounts out of your own pocket for the treatments you need.  And you’ll be able to appeal unfair decisions by insurance companies to an independent party.

If this legislation becomes law, workers won’t have to worry about losing coverage if they lose or change jobs.  Families will save on their premiums.  Businesses that would see their costs rise if we do not act will save money now, and they will save money in the future.  This bill will strengthen Medicare, and extend the life of the program.  It will make coverage affordable for over 30 million Americans who do not have it -- 30 million Americans.  And because it is paid for and curbs the waste and inefficiency in our health care system, this bill will help reduce our deficit by as much as $1.3 trillion in the coming decades, making it the largest deficit reduction plan in over a decade. 

As I’ve said before, these are not small reforms; these are big reforms.  If passed, this will be the most important piece of social policy since the Social Security Act in the 1930s, and the most important reform of our health care system since Medicare passed in the 1960s.  And what makes it so important is not just its cost savings or its deficit reductions.  It’s the impact reform will have on Americans who no longer have to go without a checkup or prescriptions that they need because they can’t afford them; on families who no longer have to worry that a single illness will send them into financial ruin; and on businesses that will no longer face exorbitant insurance rates that hamper their competitiveness.  It’s the difference reform will make in the lives of the American people. 

I want to commend Senator Harry Reid, extraordinary work that he did; Speaker Pelosi for her extraordinary leadership and dedication.  Having passed reform bills in both the House and the Senate, we now have to take up the last and most important step and reach an agreement on a final reform bill that I can sign into law.  And I look forward to working with members of Congress in both chambers over the coming weeks to do exactly that.

With today’s vote, we are now incredibly close to making health insurance reform a reality in this country.  Our challenge, then, is to finish the job.  We can't doom another generation of Americans to soaring costs and eroding coverage and exploding deficits.  Instead we need to do what we were sent here to do and improve the lives of the people we serve.  For the sake of our citizens, our economy, and our future, let’s make 2010 the year we finally reform health care in the United States of America.

Everybody, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.

 

Q    Do you have a holiday wish for the troops?

 

THE PRESIDENT:  I do, and I will be actually -- I'm on my way right now to call a few of them and wish them Merry Christmas and to thank them for their extraordinary service as they're posted in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As President Obama called world leaders back to the table in Copenhagen to work on an agreement, the White House Offices of Energy and Climate Change and Public Engagement helped facilitate a meeting between White House aides and young environmental leaders from the United States and Kenya. The American coalition hand-delivered hundreds of letters-to-the-President from a wide spectrum of young Americans: from high school students in Illinois to young leaders in Michigan to young sportsmen in South Dakota.

The Kenyan coalition brought a book of drawings and illustrations from students in Nyang’oma Kogelo village, where President Obama’s father lived. Included was a collage of letters depicting young Kenyans’ lives and the ways in which climate and environmental change has impacted it.

Hear from the American and Kenyan youth here:

Take a look at some of the notes and artwork here: