Virtual attendees of the 2014 event used the hashtag #AsktheWH to ask questions of officals who were categorized into different time slots throughout the day. From 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, for example, Director of the Office of Science & Technology Policy Dr. John Holdren (@WhiteHouseOSTP) answered questions about science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM), a recap of which can be found at the Center for Digital Education.
Big Block of Cheese Day HistoryThe event got its name from a similar event held by President Andrew Jackson in 1837, in which the public was physically invited to the White House to ask questions. When they arrived, there was a 1,400 pound block of cheddar to be shared. Jackson, who was known to have a hot temper and was also addicted to coffee, alcohol and chewing tobacco, sure knew how to party. |
More high quality pre-kindergarten education was among the issues mentioned during the president’s State of the Union address on Jan. 28, and was the primary topic during the #AsktheWH event.
When the health care Q&A period began at 4:00 p.m. ET, one citizen asked what the benefits of ObamaCare are, which required a double-tweet from Director of Progressive Media & Online Response Jesse Lee (@JesseCLee44) to answer:
.@aida_comas That's a big Q - tax credits for middle class, Medicaid cov for working poor, no discrimination on pre-existing conditions... — Jesse Lee (@jesseclee44) January 29, 2014
.@aida_comas ...No discrimination on gender, insurance rebates in some cases, and plans cover what they should: https://t.co/54h9ByHGur — Jesse Lee (@jesseclee44) January 29, 2014
One question and answer of particular interest was this:
.@crc1985 Yes! We closed our largest TIFIA loan to rebuild the Tappen Zee Bridge in NY. There will be a new round of TIGER grants this year. — Anthony Foxx (@SecretaryFoxx) January 29, 2014
And then a bit of fun ... with some truth in Foxx's response:
.@jdashoff We have a significant infrastructure deficit in the U.S. Too few roads could pass the block of cheese test. #WeCanDoCheddar — Anthony Foxx (@SecretaryFoxx) January 29, 2014
Check out the full day’s schedule with links to each White House Twitter account that participated on the White House website.