“We are here as public servants, and public service is a privilege,” Obama said, addressing his White House staff and Cabinet on his first full day in office. “It’s not about advancing yourself or your corporate clients.”
The president said that when top White House aides leave government, they are barred from lobbying “for as long as I am president, and there will be a ban on gifts by lobbyists to anyone serving in the administration.”
Regarding the pay freeze, Obama said he is acting because “families are tightening their belts and so should Washington.”
The line for Secretary Under Desk will be long, I predict, but I get the feeling that position will go unfilled in this office.