On his first day, President Obama announced new limits on lobbyists. The Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel details that every appointee in every executive agency appointed on or after Jan. 20, 2009, must sign the pledge described in the executive order. According to the Washington Post these actions "could usher in an era of openness in federal government, according to ethics experts and open-government advocates.

The pledge states that executive branch employees are prohibited from accepting gifts from lobbyists. The Executive Order strengthens the executive branch revolving door, when government officials move to and from private sector jobs. Current and future administration officials are prohibited from leaving office and then going to work to lobby the administration on their issues of expertise. Rules are also in place for lobbyists who become government officials. These officials would be barred from working on any matter that they dealt with as a lobbyist for two years. And for those who leave government for the private sector but do not become registered lobbyists, they would be restricted from communicating with officials in the agency where they worked for two years.

The order states that hiring must be based upon qualifications and experience, not political connections. In addition, it directs the Office of Government Ethics to write new regulations to enforce the revolving-door and gift restrictions.