Today In History: Obama Overturns Bush Policy, Congress Launches Interior Department

March 3, 2017, is the 62nd day of the year, with 303 days remaining. The moon is in a waxing crescent phase, with illumination at 28 percent.

The U.S. Home Department (Later the U.S. Department of the Interior) is Established

The U.S. Home Department (later renamed the U.S. Department of the Interior, as Americans know it today) has an intricate and longstanding history of more than two centuries; Congress created three executive departments in 1789 (foreign affairs, treasury and war), which also allowed for an attorney general and a postmaster general. Domestic matters, at the time, were distributed by Congress among these newly established departments.

Enter 1849.

A bill was passed to create the present-day Department of the Interior in an effort to take charge of the national internal affairs. It utilizes well-founded science to manage and sustain American land, water, wildlife and energy resources in order to honor responsibilities to the country's tribal nations and island communities. The department is currently headed by the 52nd U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.

President Obama Meets with Secretary Salazar at Interior Department

Former Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar stood by President Obama's side on the 160th anniversary ceremony of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2009. The Obama administration acknowledged that its energy proposal of $10.5 billion by 2010 would increase costs for consumers, but it argued that the vast majority of Americans would receive tax breaks in other areas. The budget package received criticism from Republicans, who expressed concern about raising taxes during a recession on ordinary Americans as well as the wealthy.

President Obama Reverses Bush Policy on Endangered Species

March 3 was a busy day for the 44th president of the United States. Rolling back one of the more contentious rule changes of the George W. Bush era, President Obama restored protections for endangered species, a move that environmentalists welcomed but was otherwise criticized by business groups who considered the protections an obstacle to projects that could drive the economy.

"For more than three decades, the Endangered Species Act has successfully protected our nation's most threatened wildlife, and we should be looking for ways to improve it, not weaken it," Obama said.

"Throughout our history, there's been a tension between those who've sought to conserve our natural resources for the benefit of future generations and those who have sought to profit from these resources," the president continued. "This is a false choice. With smart, sustainable policies, we can grow our economy today and preserve the environment."

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Photo credit: U.S. Department of the Interior via Flickr.com