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President-elect Barack Obama left Chicago and arrived in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, sixteen days before he will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. "I choked up a little bit," he admitted to reporters, as he left behind the city that he first arrived at in 1985 as a young community organizer.

The Obamas came to the capital early so their daughters could start classes today. This morning, President-elect Obama and Michelle helped their two daughters, Malia and Sasha, get ready for their first day of school:

President-elect Obama then headed to Capitol Hill, where he met individually with both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to discuss the economic stimulus package that's expected to be one of the first priorities of the new Congress. In a brief statement to the press before his meeting with Speaker Pelosi, President-elect Obama explained:

The reason we are here today is because the people can't wait. We have an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us. We are expecting a sobering job report at the end of the week. The speaker and her staff have been extraordinarily helpful in working with our team so we can shape an economic investment and recovery plan that will start to put people back to work.

Later in the day, President-elect Obama held a meeting with his top economic advisors at the Presidential transition team office in Washington D.C., including Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner.

On Change.gov, Dan McSwain reported:

“Not only do we need to act boldly, swiftly and with sufficient magnitude to make a difference, but we also have to do things in a new way,” President-elect Obama said.

In his meeting, President-elect Obama underscored the importance of his proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to create jobs and spur the type of lasting economic change that our country needs.

President-elect Obama also noted that he is “confident” that legislation dealing with his economic plan will maintain “unprecedented transparency.”

“Not only will Congress tell exactly what’s in the bill, but we’re exploring steps, for example, like putting on a website very detailed information about what kind of projects are taking place,” President-elect Obama said.

The 111th Congress will be sworn in tomorrow.

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A message from Obama for America:

Thanks to you, President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden will take their oaths of office in just 16 days.

You helped shape history, and now you can be a part of it.

Ten supporters and their guests will be selected to come to Washington, D.C. for several days of inaugural events. You could be chosen to fly to Washington, attend the welcome ceremony, the Inaugural parade, the swearing-in, and an official Inaugural ball.

Donate $5 or more now. You could be part of the historic events you made possible.

This inauguration will be open to hundreds of thousands of people. To do that, it takes unprecedented resources.

In the past, inaugurations have been funded by lobbyists and corporations making six-figure contributions. Like our campaign, this inauguration is going to be different. But that means, once again, Barack and Joe need to ask you for your help.

Supporters like you made this possible, and with your help Barack and Joe will run their administration without the influence of big money from Washington lobbyists or special interests. Funding the Inauguration this way is another example of the change you helped bring to Washington.

It's up to you, at this crucial moment, to make the Inauguration a success and give change a strong start.

Make a donation of $5 or more now for the opportunity to join Barack and Joe at the beginning of this historic journey to change our country.

Thank you for your extraordinary efforts throughout the campaign.

Happy New Year,

Obama for America

P.S. -- You can participate without donating. We recognize this day is as important as it is historic, and we want to hear in your words what this inauguration means to you.

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One year ago tonight:

I'll never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa: Organizing and working and fighting to make people's lives just a little bit better. I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifices. There are days of disappointment but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this...

You'll be able to look back at this night and say that this was the moment when it all began... This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear and doubt and cynicism, the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment.

Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months we've been teased, even derided, for talking about hope. We always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, to work for it, and to fight for it.

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Today, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced that he had selected Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to fill Colorado's vacant seat in the U.S. Senate. Following the Governor's announcement, President-elect Obama released the following statement commending the selection of Bennet:

Filling Ken Salazar's boots in the US Senate is a tall order. But in selecting Michael Bennet, Governor Ritter has made an excellent choice.

Michael Bennet perfectly reflects the qualities of the ruggedly independent state he has been chosen to serve. An innovator in the public and private sectors, he has shown himself willing to challenge old thinking and stale policies.

His breakthrough work at the helm of Denver's schools has reflected that commitment, and established Michael as one of the nation's leading education reformers.

He will be a breath of fresh air in Washington.

Bennet will serve the remaining two years of the term of U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, who has been picked by President-elect Barack Obama to be the next secretary of the Interior.

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In today's weekly address to the nation, President-elect Barack Obama discussed the need for an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan aimed at creating three million new American jobs and making the long-term investments needed to build a 21st century economy.

He stressed that the problems we face are neither Democratic nor Republican problems, and that economists from across the political spectrum agree about the need to act quickly and boldy. 

That's why we need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term. And this plan must be designed in a new way – we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan – which is to create three million new jobs...

President-elect Obama will meet with leaders of both parties next week in Washington to discuss the plan. 

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