Obama Promises Food-Safety Overhaul

Sweeping pistachio recall rejects slow pace of peanut crisis

(NEWSER) - Under President Obama, the Food and Drug Administration is taking on a tougher, more preventative role, the New York Times reports, leading, for example, to product recalls before anyone’s been sickened. The change is evident in the agency’s handling of the pistachio scare: It warned against eating them without reports of sickness, then pushed for a recall of all pistachios harvested in 2008 by California’s Setton company. More»

Bioterror expert tapped for tough task of reforming agency

(NEWSER) - Bioterror expert and former New York City health commissioner Margaret Hamburg has been picked to head the FDA, insiders tell the Washington Post. Hamburg—who still must be confirmed by Congress—will be taking charge of an agency shaken by a series of high-profile failures that many lawmakers say is due for a complete restructuring. More»

(AP) - President Obama appealed to federal workers today to propose ways to make their agencies' and departments' budgets more efficient. The president said employees' ideas would be key as his Cabinet officials cut millions from the federal budget and trim the deficit. "After all, Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from workers, not just management," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. More»

Prez backs $3.6 trillion budget in latest video

(NEWSER) - In his weekly radio address today, President Obama struck a more combative tone than usual in a push for his $3.6 trillion budget, reports Politico. “I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak,” Obama said. “My message to them is this: So am I.” More»

Families to bring home $65 more per month, says prez

(NEWSER) - Americans will see tangible results from the stimulus—more money in their wallets—by April 1, President Obama said today in his weekly radio address. “Never before in our history has a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking Americans,” he said. The Treasury department has begun ordering employers to withhold less from paychecks, and the average US family will take home $65 more per month, the AP reports. More»