Fighting Against Special Interests and For the Public Interest: A Year of Change

[Commentary] Americans chose Barack Obama to be President of the United States to change the way Washington works.

To do just that, on his first full day in office, the President signed two critical documents that have shaped the Administration: the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government and the Executive Order on Ethics. As a result of the Memorandum on Transparency, we have since Day One, worked to empower the public ­ through greater openness and new technologies ­ to influence the decisions that affect their lives. And as a result of the Ethics Order, we have since that same day worked to reduce special interest and lobbyist influence in Washington so the voices of the American people can be heard. The results have made history.

Don't just take our word for it -- earlier this week, respected independent government reform groups issued a report card that deemed this Administration's work the "strongest and most comprehensive lobbying, ethics, and transparency rules and policies ever established by an Administration." You can read the report card here. You can also learn more about our efforts over the past year in these critical areas by exploring our Open Government Initiative website, and by reading our recently released Progress Report to the American People.