By IRNA,
New York : President-elect Barack Obama will likely use his executive powers after taking office to block new drilling leases on environmentally sensitive land in Utah and to allow federal funding of stem-cell research, putting a quick mark on policy making.
“There’s a lot the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action,” John Podesta, head of Obama’s transition team said.
Podesta said Obama is “a transformational figure” and that the support he received among voters in some Republican states and conservative counties gives him a mandate to pursue his agenda aggressively.
Rolling back executive orders issued by the Bush administration could give Obama a fast way to put his mark on policy making after he takes office, as past presidents have.
Other Bush-era executive orders that Obama could reverse include a ban on federal aid to family planning organizations that counsel women on abortion, and a decision in December that restricts California in regulating greenhouse-gas emissions from cars.
The Bush administration has been rushing to implement regulations before Obama takes office.
Unlike with executive orders, some of these would take longer for Obama and the Democrats to roll back.
One Bush-era measure Obama is likely to address quickly are the new oil and gas leases approved recently by the Department of Interior that would open up for drilling land near Arches and Canyonlands national parks in southern Utah’s desert.
Environmentalists said drilling in the area could potentially damage the parks and surrounding land.
Obama could also lift restrictions placed by President George W.
Bush on the type of stem-cell research that can be funded with federal dollars.
Democratic congressional leaders have vowed to push a twice- vetoed stem-cell research bill as one of the first acts of the next Congress.
Podesta and other top Obama aides fanned out on the Sunday news talk shows, suggesting that after Tuesday’s electoral sweep, the incoming administration would begin to try to influence policy making before January’s inauguration.
Podesta, incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and transition Co-Chair Valerie Jarrett touched upon the detailed preparations the Obama team has made to pave the way for a smooth transition to the presidency.
Podesta said his team has been working since early August, with transition leaders meeting frequently with officials in the Bush White House.
About 100 Obama aides received security clearance before the election, so they could begin accessing national-security information immediately after Obama won.
Emanuel said the president-elect would be moving forward with his entire agenda as soon as he is sworn in.
That agenda includes achieving universal health care, increasing education funding, implementing middle-class tax cuts and moving the country toward energy independence.
The first priority will be implementing an economic stimulus plan that includes tax rebates for the middle class and funding for infrastructure and school construction, Emanuel said.
Then the new administration would regroup and push what he called the president-elect’s four “reforms”: education, health care, energy and taxes.