Millions of people have signed petitions hosted on the White House website since President Trump took office, but not one has received a promised response as the service’s future remains uncertain.
By all appearances, the “We the People” petition platform — a reliable springboard onto daytime TV during the Obama administration — is a low priority and awaiting an inevitable death after nine months of dormancy.
Launched under former President Barack Obama, the service promises an answer to petitions that gather 100,000 signatures, but White House staff have discussed shutting it down under Trump.
The topic was raised during a meeting in May, and by June 1, then-White House communications director Mike Dubke said in an email: “Believe it or not, we are close to making an announcement.”
Dubke said cost was a consideration after that justification was given in April for ending voluntary disclosure of partial visitor logs, an Obama-era policy the White House also said gave a deceptive facade of transparency.
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05.18.2024