PolitiFact | Tracking politicians' promises

The Promise:

"Will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans...places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama and Biden will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school."

Update February 2nd, 2012:

Money, guidelines dedicated to pre-school

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The Promise:

"Half of all cars purchased by the federal government will be plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012."

Update February 1st, 2012:

Big gains for alternative-fuel vehicles, but not for electric plug-ins

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The Promise:

Will work to launch "without further delay" the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, "an international effort to improve climate, weather, and hydrological predictions through more accurate and more frequent precipitation measurements."

Update February 1st, 2012:

Mission still under way, but one element is scrapped, and launch date has slipped

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The Promise:

"Implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade -- investments to Israel's security that will not be tied to any other nation."

Update February 1st, 2012:

Administration is keeping to terms of agreement

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The Promise:

"Launch an innovative supportive services-housing program to prevent at-risk veterans and veteran families from falling into homelessness in the first place."

Update January 30th, 2012:

Homeless prevention program launched

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The Promise:

"Too often, top-level military decisions, which impact the National Guard, are made without its input. Obama cosponsored legislation to elevate the Chief of the National Guard to the rank of four-star general and make the chief a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military advisory panel to the president. As president, Obama will sign this legislation into law."

Update January 18th, 2012:

Now it's a fact

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The Promise:

"Will reinvigorate antitrust enforcement, which is how we ensure that capitalism works for consumers."

Update January 17th, 2012:

Antitrust enforcement has picked up

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The Promise:

Will "require his Cabinet officials to have periodic national broadband townhall meetings to discuss issues before their agencies."

Update January 11th, 2012:

Cabinet officials frequently talk to citizens online

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The Promise:

"Will re-engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) – the main international forum dedicated to addressing the climate problem . . . will also create a Global Energy Forum of the world's largest emitters to focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues."

Update January 3rd, 2012:

Some progress in South Africa

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The Promise:

"Barack Obama has been a strong and consistent advocate for fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Congress promised to shoulder 40 percent of each state's "excess cost" of educating children with disabilities, but it has never lived up to this obligation. Currently, the federal government provides less than half of the promised funding (17 percent)."

Update December 14th, 2011:

Congress unlikely to fully fund IDEA Act

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The Promise:

"Will create a 'contracts and influence' database that will disclose how much federal contractors spend on lobbying, and what contracts they are getting and how well they complete them."

Update December 13th, 2011:

No database has been created

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The Promise:

Expand "Vet Centers in rural areas so that veterans and their families can get the care they need where they live."

Update December 9th, 2011:

More Veterans Centers in rural areas

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The Promise:

Will "place the weight of (his) administration behind...a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity."

Update November 26th, 2011:

Bill highly unlikely to pass Congress

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The Promise:

"President Obama will fully fund the Combating Autism Act, which provides nearly $1 billion in autism-related funding over 5 years, and work with Congress, parents and ASD experts to determine how to further improve federal and state programs."

Update November 17th, 2011:

Legal authority for the program has been renewed

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The Promise:

"Build up our special operations forces, civil affairs, information operations, engineers, foreign area officers, and other units and capabilities that remain in chronic short supply."

Update November 16th, 2011:

Special operations have seen personnel, budget increases

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