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New Presidential Memoranda

03.10.09 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

“If scientific and technological information is developed and used by the Federal Government, it should ordinarily be made available to the public,” according to a new memorandum on “Scientific Integrity” that was issued by President Obama on March 9.

Another presidential memorandum promises to limit the use of “presidential signing statements” that raise constitutional objections to provisions of enacted legislation.  President Obama said that whenever he issues such a signing statement, he will “make clear the nature and basis of the constitutional objection.”  By contrast, many signing statements that were produced by the Bush White House employed broad, formulaic objections whose scope and precise application were unclear.

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