Obama's First 100 Days 2.0
The ups and downs of Obama's first 100 days of term two.
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High Expectations - On Jan. 21, President Obama outlined in his final inauguration speech the framework for his second term. It was full of lofty goals: immigration and gun reform, reducing federal spending and debt, climate change, marriage equality, voting rights, infrastructure spending and more. But congressional Republicans, who now control the House, are no more eager to support Obama's agenda than they were during his first 100 days in 2009 – and it shows. – Joyce Jones(Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Gay Marriage - Obama continued to offer support for gay marriage as the Supreme Court heard two cases dealing with marriage equality. "I think that not only is it right and fair, but also consistent with our Constitution to recognize same-sex couples," he told Telemundo. "It doesn't mean that everybody has to agree from a religious standpoint about this issue. It does mean that it is very important for us to remember we're a nation in which everybody's supposed to be equal before the law."(Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
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Gun Control - Obama has delivered several impassioned speeches on gun control and enlisted Sandy Hook relatives and other victims of gun violence in the days leading up to a key Senate vote. But, in the end, despite the support of 90 percent of Americans, a package of measures could not muster the 60 Senate votes needed for passage. Obama says it was just round one, but that could be wishful thinking.(Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
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Immigration Reform - On Jan. 29, the president unveiled a framework for immigration reform and warned lawmakers that if they didn't draft a bill, he would. The Senate is now considering a bipartisan bill and the House is in the process of developing a plan. But there are no guarantees either will pass and the Boston Marathon bombing may have dampened some lawmakers' enthusiasm.(Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)
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Sequestration - After months of warnings about the evils of the automatic, across-the-board federal spending cuts known as sequestration scheduled to go into effect on March 31, the president and Congress were unable to make a budget deal. Federal employees and agencies have already begun to feel the crunch, and the effects are starting to take effect in local communities. Obama also took a hit in the polls.(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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All the President's Men - Obama initially took some heat after filling the top cabinet posts with white men. He ultimately added women and a Latino as new agency heads, but African-Americans are still wondering why the president hasn't yet named an African-American to his new cabinet. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Minimum Wage Hike - The president, in his State of the Union address, proposed raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 per hour. Economists are divided on how such a hike would impact the economy and unemployment, and House Republicans unanimously rejected a bill that would increase it to $10.10 over the next two years.(Photo: Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images)
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Unemployment - The national unemployment rate continues to tick down and in the most recent report was 7.6 percent. Black unemployment, however, is up one month, down the next but always too high, most recently 13.3 percent.(Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)
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2014 Budget - Obama has submitted a budget that has something for everybody to dislike. Republicans say there's not enough deficit reduction while Democrats angrily claim that it cuts entitlements. Getting to a compromise will be one of his biggest challenges in the weeks to come. (Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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No Budget, No Pay - In March, Obama signed the No Budget No Pay Act, which temporarily suspends the government's debt limit until May 18, when the debate begins anew. In addition, it called for lawmakers' salaries to be held in escrow starting April 16 until their chamber has passed a 2014 budget resolution. (Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Consoler-in-Chief - Obama was once again called upon to console a city and the nation following the tragic loss of life and limbs during the Boston Marathon bombings. And once again, his words were just what people needed to hear. Days later, he also comforted the victims of a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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Violence Against Women Act - On March 7, the president signed into law the expanded reauthorized Violence Against Women Act. During the signing ceremony he said that the bipartisan effort "makes me feel optimistic."(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Afghanistan - Obama announced in his state of the union address plans to reduce by half the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan over the next year and an end to the war by the end of 2014. (Photo: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)