On April 29, 2010, a little more than a week after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, exploded, sank and began leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama dispatched Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to the Gulf Coast to assess the damage caused by the oil spill.
President Obama later said that no new offshore drilling leases would be issued until a "thorough review" of the Gulf Cost oil spill is completed. The following week, President Obama requested the National Academy of Engineering to conduct a technical investigation into the causes of the accident.
On May 18, Interior Secretary Salazar acknowleged that his agency had been lax in regulating offshore drilling. Salazar has also defended the federal response to the disaster amid criticisms that the government had not acted fast enough.
The Obama administration in the news
Shell falls short in drilling review
Shell said in February it will "pause" Arctic drilling this year.
As cuts loom, Obama meets with governors
As budget cuts loom, Obama meets with governors at White House
NRA says Congress will not pass weapons ban
The NRA says it thinks Congress would likely prevent a new assault weapons ban.
Biden to meet with NRA to discuss gun safety
Vice President Joe Biden to meet with NRA as gun violence taskforce nears deadline.
Obama on gun violence: 'We hear you.'
National Rifle Association, the country's foremost gun lobby, was holding a news conference on Friday in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings.
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