| Abortion 3 | May 10, 2010 | Administration 7 | Feb 24, 2010 |
| Agriculture 11 | Aug 18, 2010 | Civil Rights 10 | Jun 02, 2010 |
| Criminal Justice 10 | Oct 19, 2009 | Defense 26 | Apr 14, 2010 |
| Diversity 1 | Jun 15, 2009 | Economy 7 | Dec 21, 2009 |
| Education 27 | Jan 06, 2010 | Energy/Environment 27 | May 27, 2010 |
| Ethics Reform 16 | Mar 09, 2010 | Foreign Policy 28 | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Government Spending 6 | Jun 23, 2009 | Health Care 13 | Mar 23, 2010 |
| Housing/Urban Policy 10 | Aug 11, 2010 | Immigration 3 | Aug 13, 2010 |
| Infrastructure 6 | Oct 28, 2009 | Labor 14 | Feb 01, 2010 |
| Miscellaneous 2 | Jun 21, 2010 | Public Service 8 | Dec 16, 2009 |
| Science/Technology 5 | Mar 16, 2010 | Social Security/Medicare 3 | Oct 15, 2009 |
| Taxes 15 | Feb 01, 2010 | Veterans 14 | Aug 05, 2010 |
Obama's selection of Eric Holder to head the Justice Department signals some attention to keeping this promise. During his Jan. 15 Senate confirmation hearing, Holder complained of "improper political hiring" that he said "undermined" the department's mission. An internal report about the department's hiring practices was released just days before Holder's hearing. Pressed by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Holder got specific about his plans "to devote a huge amount of time" to a "damage assessment" and restoration of the civil rights division to its "great traditions." Holder would be the nation's first black attorney general.
Seeking to give Obama an early legislative victory, congressional Democrats made SCHIP expansion one of their first priorities in the new legislative session. On Jan. 15, the House voted 289-139 to pass a bill -- similar to the one vetoed twice by President Bush -- that would expand SCHIP to an estimated 4 million additional uninsured children at a cost of $32.3 billion over 4 1/2 years. The Senate was expected to take up the measure within the week, with the goal of having it ready for Obama’s signature within days of his inauguration.
President Obama hasn't said much, and Arne Duncan has only vaguely alluded to the administration's plans for No Child Left Behind. At his Senate confirmation hearing, Duncan praised a provision that breaks down test scores to identify achievement gaps between minority and white students. But he also said that the law too harshly penalized schools where even just a few students were testing poorly.
Obama has made closing the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a high priority. But it's "more difficult than I think a lot of people realize," Obama said Jan. 11 on "This Week," and it is unlikely to happen within the first 100 days. He stressed that "our legal teams are working in consultation with our national security apparatus as we speak to help design exactly what we need to do." Attorney General-designate Eric Holder echoed Obama’s statements at his confirmation hearing Jan. 15. He said the process will take an "extended period," which will prevent closing the facility "as quickly as we would like." He reiterated, however, that the administration still plans on closing it.
According to the Chicago Tribune, graduation rates in Chicago rose 6 percent during Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan's tenure as schools chief.
While he hasn't said much specifically about students, Obama was prodding his supporters to visit USAService.org and volunteer to do community service sometime during inauguration weekend.
Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan was a booster for charter schools in Chicago, and during his confirmation hearing he indicated that he and Obama want to encourage charter schools.
Obama wants his economic stimulus to include increased funds for Head Start. The Department of Health and Human Services administrates the Head Start and Early Start programs, and the Secretary-designate Tom Daschle had some praise for the two programs in his opening statement at his Senate confirmation hearing -- albeit buried at the end of his speech [PDF].
Veterans Affairs Secretary-designate Eric Shinseki told senators in his confirmation hearing, "Asking [veterans] to take a number and wait or put up with records that are lost or take six months to adjudicate is not part of the culture I expect."
Veterans Affairs nominee Eric Shinseki told senators in his confirmation disclosure that as secretary, he would focus on "the development of a credible and adequate 2010 budget request during my first 90 days in office."
