Obama Blocks Bush 'Midnight Orders'

One of President Barack Obama's first acts from the Oval Office was to block the last orders of his predecessor executed in his final days of power, Reuters reports. The White House sent a memo to every federal agency yesterday putting a stop to dozens of so-called "midnight regulations" enacted by George Bush, pending review of the regulations by the incoming administration.

The review tactic is commonly used by incoming presidents, and will put the brakes on several of Bush’s controversial final orders—including a regulation that allows concealed weapons in national parks, and one that denies federal funds to medical facilities that discriminate against staff who refuse to perform abortions or dispense birth control because of religious beliefs.
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