Changes Ahead in Washington

A new Administration means change and at the American Center for Law and Justice, we're closely examining whats at stake as President-elect Obama begins to govern.

The new president is moving fast, naming Congressman Rahm Emanuel as his new chief of staff as well as beginning to float names for his Cabinet.  He has also made clear what his first 100 days will look like, pledging to sign as many as 200 executive orders. With these orders, President-elect Obama is promising to overturn President Bushs ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, restore the ban on offshore drilling and reinstate taxpayer funding for the United Nations Population Fund, an organization committed to coerced abortions.

Also, President-elect Obama named Henry Rivera, former FCC commissioner, as head of his FCC transition team.  A committed advocate of the so called Fairness Doctrine, it is likely that Rivera will seek to restructure the FCC with commissioners who are sympathetic to the Doctrine. With June being the first chance for Obama to name a new FCC commissioner, watch for the fight over government control of Christian and conservative talk radio to begin in earnest.

Also being discussed this week in Washington, DC is the change in committee and subcommittee structures in both the House and Senate. With Democrats soon to hold as much as a three-vote majority in many of the committees in the Senate and even bigger margins in the House, it is critical that we closely monitor whats going on behind-the-scenes.  Pro-life riders, increased funding for Planned Parenthood, the Employer Non-Discrimination Act and a host of other issues will be decided in these committees.

Our Government Affairs team is working to ensure that the ACLJ is in a position to stand up for your constitutional and religious freedoms - as the nation prepares for a new president and a new Congress which convenes in early 2009.

We will continue to report on upcoming changes and let you know how you can make a difference.