George W. Bush Chronology
(2001-)
2000 (before inauguration)
November 7Americans voted in the 2000 presidential election; vote differentials in several states were exceedingly close, with the Democratic and Republican candidates disputing many of those counts, leaving the final result inconclusive.
December 12In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped recounts of votes in several contested Florida counties. The Democratic candidate, Vice President Albert Gore Jr., conceded the election, leaving George W. Bush, the Republican candidate, as President-elect.
2001
January 20George W. Bush is inaugurated as the forty-third President.
January 22In one of his first policy decisions, President Bush decided to reinstate the ban on aid to international groups that perform or counsel on abortion. The ban was initiated by former President Ronald Reagan, but was not enforced during the Clinton administration.
January 29President Bush created by executive order the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The new office will work to ease regulations on religious charities and promote grass-roots efforts to tackle community issues such as aid to the poor and disadvantaged.
March 29The Bush administration affirmed its decision to abandon ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty between 180 countries to reduce global warming by setting limits on industrial emissions.
April 1A U.S. spy plane flying over the South China Sea is clipped by a Chinese fighter jet, forcing the American plane to make an emergency landing on Chinese soil. The incident strained diplomatic ties between the two nations, as the United States demanded that the Chinese return both the plane and its crew to American authorities.
April 4The Miami Herald and USA Today released a comprehensive review of the 2000 presidential election recount efforts in Florida. The review showed that even if Democratic candidate Albert Gore, Jr. had succeeded in getting the recounts he wanted, President Bush would have won Florida’s electoral votes by 1,665 votes.
April 20The third Summit of the Americas convened in Quebec City, Canada. President Bush met with leaders from 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere to discuss the creation of a hemisphere-wide free trade zone, which the President pledged to establish by 2005.
April 25President Bush signaled a change in relations with China by officially pledging military support for Taiwan in the event of an attack by China. This was the first time a presidential administration publicly acknowledged this position, which had always been implicitly understood.
June 7President Bush signed a $1.35 trillion tax cut into law. Although the tax cut fell short of the $1.60 trillion the administration was seeking, it did slash income tax rates across the board and provided for the gradual elimination of the estate tax.
August 9President Bush addressed the nation to outline his plans for federal funding of stem cell research. The new policy allows for government funding of research on already extracted stem cells, but prohibits the extraction of additional stem cells from human embryos.
September 11Terrorists hijacked four commercial jets and crashed them into the WorldTradeCenter in New York City, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside. The worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, reports showed that more than 3,000 Americans were killed. Addressing the nation twelve hours after the attack, President Bush denounced the attacks and promised to hunt down those that committed these acts.
September 20President Bush appeared before a joint session of Congress to outline the administration’s plans to bring down world terrorism. The President declared that every nation must take sides in the international conflict against worldwide terrorist networks. He also warned Americans to prepare for a protracted campaign against terrorism.
The President appointed Pennsylvania GovernorTomRidge to the new cabinet-level post of director of the Office of Homeland Security. Gov. Ridge will be in charge of coordinating the efforts of more than forty federal agencies to secure the United States against future terrorist attacks.
October 7Speaking from the Treaty Room of the White House, President Bush announced the commencement of military action in Afghanistan, an operation code-named Enduring Freedom.
December 2Enron Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the largest bankruptcy case in American history. The beleaguered company, once the world’s premier energy trading and services firm, filed for court protection after watching its stock price plummet as a result of accounting issues relating to its operations. The Bush administration had ties to key Enron executives, including CEO Kenneth Lay, but denied any involvement.
December 13After conferring with the National Security Council, President Bush notified Russia of the United States’ intention to withdraw from the 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty.
2002
January 8President Bush signed a landmark education reform bill into law. The law offered local authorities greater flexibility in spending federal dollars, but required standardized math and reading tests.
Sources
1.“Chronology: November 7-December 18, 2000.” In Bush v. Gore: The Court Cases and the Commentary, edited by E. J. Dionne, Jr. and William Kristol. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001. Also available on the web at:
2.CNN.com. “President George W. Bush: The First 100 Days.” Available at:
3.Grunwald, Michael. “Terrorists Hijack 4 Airliners, Destroy WorldTradeCenter, Hit Pentagon; Hundreds Dead.” Washington Post 12 Sept 2001, p. A1.
.4.Milbank, Dana. “Bush Unveils 'Faith-Based' Initiative.” Washington Post30 Jan 2001, pg. A1.
5.Seelye, Katharine Q. “The President’s Decision: The Overview.” New York Times10 August 2001, pg. A1.
6.Simendinger, Alexis. “The Power of One.” National Journal 34 (2002); 230-35.
7.Transcripts of President Bush’s addresses and announcements, available at