The following is a timeline of Barack Obama's presidency from his inauguration as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009, to December 31, 2009. For his time as president-elect, see the presidential transition of Barack Obama; for a detailed account of his first months in office, see first 100 days of the Obama presidency; for a complete itinerary of his travels, see list of presidential trips made by Barack Obama.
January
January 20 – Barack Obama's presidency begins with his inauguration at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.; the oath of office is administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, issues an order suspending last-minute federal regulations pushed through by outgoing President George W. Bush, planning to review everything still pending. In one of his first official acts, President Obama issues a proclamation declaring January 20, 2009 a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation. President Obama enacts a pay freeze for Senior White House Staff making more than $100,000 per year and announces stricter guidelines regarding lobbyists in an effort to raise the ethical standards of the White House. January 21 – President Obama revokes Executive Order 13233, which had been initiated by the Bush administration to limit access to the records of former presidents. At 7:35 pm EST on January 21, President Obama retakes the Presidential Oath of Office, again administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, before four print journalists. President Obama issues instructions to all agencies and departments in his administration to "adopt a presumption in favor" of Freedom of Information Act requests, reversing earlier policy set by former Attorney General John Ashcroft. The president issues an executive order entitled "Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel", governing the limitations on hiring of employees by the executive branch to qualified individuals only, and placing very tight restrictions on lobbying in the White House. January 22 – President Obama signs an executive order announcing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp within a year, and signs a prohibition on using torture and other illegal coercive techniques, such as waterboarding, during interrogations and detentions, requiring the Army field manual to be used as a guide. January 23 – President Obama ends the funding ban for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, also known as the "gag rule" or the Mexico City Policy. He orders the first two Predator airstrikes of his presidency. (See Airstrikes in Pakistan).
January 24 – President Obama produces his first weekly Saturday morning video address available on whitehouse.gov and YouTube, (like those released during his transition period) a policy compared to Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats. January 26 – President Obama signs his first two Presidential Memoranda concerning energy independence, directing the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish higher fuel efficiency standards before 2011 models are released and the allowing states to raise their emissions standards above the national standard. That night he gives his first formal interview as president to Al Arabiya. January 28 – President Obama makes his first visit to The Pentagon as president, meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. January 29 – President Obama signs his first bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which promotes fair pay regardless of sex, race, or age. Lilly Ledbetter, the plaintiff in the employment discrimination case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. joined Barack and Michelle Obama at the signing ceremony. A military judge at Guantanamo Bay, in the case of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, rejects the White House's request to suspend Guantanamo Bay military commission proceedings for 120 days. January 30 – President Obama signs a presidential memorandum launching the Middle Class Working Families Task Force to be led by Vice President Joe Biden. January 31 – President Obama speaks at the Alfalfa Club annual banquet.
February
February 3 – President Obama nominates Senator Judd Gregg to be Secretary of Commerce, after Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination. Tom Daschle withdraws his nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Nancy Killefer withdraws her nomination as Chief Performance Officer, both citing tax problems. President Obama grants five television interviews accepting responsibility for the nomination mistakes and talks about the economic stimulus bill. February 4 – President Obama announces that companies receiving large amounts of federal bailout money through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) must cap top executive pay at US$500,000. President Obama signs the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 reauthorizing and expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar cancels 77 leases sold by the previous administration to oil and gas companies, while letting 39 leases stand. February 5 – President Obama speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast. The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by President Obama entitled "The Action Americans Need", which deals with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He also takes his first trip as president on Air Force One to Williamsburg, Virginia. President Obama overhauls the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, renaming it the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. February 6 – President Obama announces the creation of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. President Obama also issues an executive order backing the use of union labor for large-scale federal construction projects. February 7 – Vice President Biden makes the administration's first major foreign policy speech at the Munich Security Conference. Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama make their first trip to Camp David. February 9 – President Obama travels to Elkhart, Indiana to discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and returns to the White House to give his first nationally televised press conference. February 10 – President Obama travels to Fort Myers, Florida to discuss the Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the area's unemployment problems, and is joined by Governor Charlie Crist. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar temporarily halts a Bush midnight regulation that opens the Outer Continental Shelf to offshore drilling for oil and gas. February 11 – President Obama promotes his economic stimulus plan at a construction site in Springfield, Virginia with then-DNC Chairman and former Virginia governor Tim Kaine. February 12 – President Obama travels to Springfield, Illinois to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, and speaks at a Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration. Judd Gregg, President Obama's nominee for the office of Commerce Secretary withdraws his nomination for that office. February 13 – The First Family spends a weekend in their former home of Chicago, Illinois. February 15–22 – Hillary Clinton travels to Asia on her first trip abroad as Secretary of State, visiting Tokyo, Jakarta, Seoul, and Beijing. February 17 – The White House launches Recovery.gov to explain the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including a video address from President Obama. President Obama signs into law the $787 billion Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Denver, Colorado. The president also approves a deployment of 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
February 19 – President Obama makes his first trip abroad as president to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where he meets with Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Leader of the Opposition Michael Ignatieff about environmental issues, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and other US-Canadian relations. February 21 – The Department of Justice rules that detainees at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan do not have the right to use U.S. courts to challenge their detention, upholding the Bush administration's position on the issue. February 23 – Attorney General Eric Holder, charged with overseeing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, visits the facility. Dennis Ross is appointed as the Secretary of State's special adviser for the gulf and Southwest Asia. February 24 – President Obama delivers an address before a joint session of the members of Congress outlining his administration goals. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gives the Republican response. Japanese prime minister Taro Aso also meets with President Obama at the White House. February 25 – The United States Senate confirms Hilda Solis as United States Secretary of Labor. President Obama nominates former Governor of Washington Gary Locke to become United States Secretary of Commerce. The Secretary of the Interior cancels leases for oil shale development on of federal land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. February 26 – President Obama reveals his proposal for the 2010 United States federal budget. February 27 – President Obama delivers a speech at Camp Lejeune on his plans for troop withdrawals from Iraq. The Obama administration through the Department of Health and Human Services starts the process to repeal or modify a "midnight rule" conceived to protect health workers who refuse for conscience reasons to provide health care.
March March 1–7 – Secretary of State Clinton leaves on her second foreign trip to Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Belgium, Switzerland, and Turkey. March 2 – Secretary of State Clinton pledges US$900 million of humanitarian and development aid to the Gaza Strip and West Bank at a donor conference in Sharm el-Sheik. President Obama nominates Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of Health and Human Services and appoints Nancy-Ann DeParle as White House health czar.
March 3 – British prime minister Gordon Brown visits President Obama at the White House. President Obama restores a provision of the Endangered Species Act requiring that federal agencies consult the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and/or the National Marine Fisheries Service before taking actions that could harm endangered species. March 4 – President Obama issues a memorandum limiting the possibility to grant no-bid contracts to private businesses. March 5 – Sanjay Gupta withdraws his name for Surgeon General. Vivek Kundra is selected by President Obama as first Federal Chief Information Officer. March 6 – President Obama visits Columbus, Ohio to deliver a speech at the graduation of Columbus Police Division's 114th class. March 9 – President Obama overturns rules limiting federal money being used for human embryonic stem cell research. The president also orders all executive officials to consult with the Attorney General before relying on any signing statement previously used to bypass a statute. The Office of Management and Budget has given the Pentagon directives to delay procurement of aerial refueling tankers by five years and cancel plans for a new long-range bomber. March 10 – President Obama delivers a major policy speech on education, and holds his first meeting as president with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Chas Freeman withdraws from his appointment as chairman of the National Intelligence Council.