GetWiki

{{Short description|Online communications system for the White House}}{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2015}}

factoids

We the People, launched by the Obama administration on September 22, 2011,WEB,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/09/22/petition-white-house-we-people, White House blog press release regarding the new “We the People” petitioning platform, September 22, 2011, March 2, 2021, January 20, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170120180447/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/09/22/petition-white-house-we-people, live, is a defunct section of the whitehouse.gov website used for petitioning the administration’s policy experts. Petitions that reached a certain threshold of signatures were reviewed by Administration officials who in most instances would subsequently provide an official response. Legal proceedings in the United States were not subject to petitions, rather, the site served as a public relations mechanism for the presidential administration to provide a venue for citizens to express themselves. On August 23, 2012, the White House Director of Digital Strategy Macon Phillips released the source code for the platform.WEB, Phillips, Macon, We the Coders: Open-Sourcing We the People, the White House’s Online Petitions System,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/08/23/open-sourcing-we-the-people, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, August 23, 2012, August 28, 2012, January 23, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170123020401/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/08/23/open-sourcing-we-the-people, live, The source code is available on GitHub, and lists both public domain status as a work of the United States federal government and licensing under the GPL v2.WEB, We the People GitHub repository,github.com/WhiteHouse/petitions/blob/7.x-1.x/README.md#license, GitHub, February 11, 2013, November 2, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201102165554/https://github.com/WhiteHouse/petitions/blob/7.x-1.x/README.md#license, live, On December 19, 2017, the Trump administration announced its intention to temporarily shut down the website and replace it with a “new platform [that] would save taxpayers more than $1m a year”, though ultimately it was retained in its initial form.NEWS, White House to ‘temporarily’ shut petition website, BBC News, December 19, 2017,www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42409634, 19 December 2017, July 16, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180716132002/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42409634, live, On January 20, 2021, the day of the inauguration of Joe Biden, the website’s address started redirecting to the main whitehouse.gov domain, marking the discontinuance of the feature by the incoming administration. It has not been relaunched since.WEB,www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-biden-administration-remove-white-house-petitioning-system-1570052, Fact check: Did the Biden administration remove the White House petitioning system?, Newsweek, February 17, 2021, February 23, 2021, March 22, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210322025544/https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-biden-administration-remove-white-house-petitioning-system-1570052, live, WEB, Archived Pages,petitions.whitehouse.gov/about, Wayback Machine, February 22, 2017, February 23, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170223042603/https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/about, dead,

Overview

The right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” is guaranteed by the United States Constitution’s First Amendment. Users who wished to create a petition are required to register a free whitehouse.gov account. To sign a petition, users only need to provide their name and their email address, and they will receive an email with a link that they must click to confirm their signature. It is not necessary to have a whitehouse.gov account to sign a petition.

Thresholds

Under the Obama administration’s rules, a petition had to reach 150 signatures (Dunbar’s Number) within 30 days to be searchable on WhiteHouse.gov, according to Tom Cochran, former director of digital technology.WEB, Tom, Cochran, Tom Cochran (technologist),www.vox.com/2016/12/1/13765002/president-obama-digital-trump-administration-open-source, Farewell to Obama, our first digital president, Recode, December 1, 2016, February 26, 2018, January 13, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200113221043/https://www.vox.com/2016/12/1/13765002/president-obama-digital-trump-administration-open-source, live, It had to reach 100,000 signatures within 30 days to receive an official response.We the People terms of participation page {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124052154wwws.whitehouse.gov/Petitions#!/how-why/terms-participation |date=November 24, 2011 }}, whitehouse.gov The original threshold was set at 5,000 signatures on September 1, 2011,WEB, Macon, Phillips, Macon Phillips,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/09/01/we-people-announcing-white-house-petitions-how-they-work, We the People: Announcing White House Petitions & How They Work, September 1, 2011, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, February 10, 2013, January 21, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170121055001/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/09/01/we-people-announcing-white-house-petitions-how-they-work, live, was raised to 25,000 on October 3, 2011,WEB, Macon, Phillips, Macon Phillips,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/10/03/good-problem-have-raising-signature-threshold-white-house-petitions, A good problem to have: Raising the signature threshold for White House petitions, October 3, 2011, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, August 13, 2015, January 23, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170123020409/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/10/03/good-problem-have-raising-signature-threshold-white-house-petitions, live, and raised again to 100,000 as of January 15, 2013.WEB, Macon, Phillips, Macon Phillips,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/01/15/why-we-re-raising-signature-threshold-we-people, Why We’re Raising the Signature Threshold for We the People, January 15, 2013, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, February 10, 2013, January 21, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170121220152/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/01/15/why-we-re-raising-signature-threshold-we-people, live, The White House typically would not comment when a petition concerned an ongoing investigation.Eilperin, Juliet (June 10, 2013). “White House petition to pardon Edward Snowden gathers steam” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619193639www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2013/06/10/white-house-petition-to-pardon-edward-snowden-gathers-steam/ |date=June 19, 2020 }}, The Washington Post“It’s unclear whether Trump’s advisors will make a tradition of publicly responding to petitions from the American people”, Dell Cameron wrote for the Daily Dot on the day that Trump was inaugurated,WEB, Dell, Cameron,www.dailydot.com/debug/white-house-petitions-president-trump/, Trump’s team removes all old, pending ‘We the People’ petitions, Daily Dot, January 20, 2017, January 28, 2017, June 14, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200614074456/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/white-house-petitions-president-trump/, live, noting that the Trump administration that same day “archived” (that is, deactivated) all petitions in progress on the ‘We the People’ site. New petitions were created, but only two petitions—both created on Inauguration Day—soared above the 100,000-signature threshold within the Trump administration’s first week, while other petitions created subsequently seemed not to count signatures at all.WEB, Tucker, Lieberman,disruptivedissertation.blogspot.com/2017/01/under-trump-administration-we-people.html, Under Trump administration, ‘We the People’ White House petition website is mysteriously broken, Disruptive Dissertation, January 28, 2017, January 28, 2017, February 2, 2017,disruptivedissertation.blogspot.com/2017/01/under-trump-administration-we-people.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170202075652disruptivedissertation.blogspot.com/2017/01/under-trump-administration-we-people.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170202075652disruptivedissertation.blogspot.com/2017/01/under-trump-administration-we-people.html, live, The website was later fixed to count signatures but the Trump administration did not respond to any of the petitions until March 2018.Will Donald Trump keep the White House petition site alive? {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612145955www.theverge.com/2017/3/22/15022050/donald-trump-white-house-petition-we-the-people-update |date=June 12, 2017 }} The Verge, March 22, 201www.theverge.com/2018/3/20/17143536/white-house-we-the-people-online-petition-answers-back {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401215210www.theverge.com/2018/3/20/17143536/white-house-we-the-people-online-petition-answers-back |date=April 1, 2019 }}

Notable petitions

Death Star

In November 2012, a petition was created urging the government to create a Death Star as an economic stimulus and job creation measure gained more than 25,000 signatures, enough to qualify for an official response. The official (tongue-in-cheek) response released in January 2013MAGAZINE, Shawcross, Paul, This Isn’t the Petition Response You’re Looking For,www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/white-house-death-star/, January 11, 2013, Wired (magazine), Wired, January 13, 2013, January 14, 2013,www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/white-house-death-star/," title="web.archive.org/web/20130114152039www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/white-house-death-star/,">web.archive.org/web/20130114152039www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/white-house-death-star/, live, noted that the cost of building a real Death Star has been estimated at $852 quadrillion and at current rates of steel production, would not be ready for more than 833,000 years.WEB,www.ibtimes.com/white-house-rejects-death-star-petition-doomsday-devices-us-could-build-instead-1014682, White House Rejects Death Star Petition: Doomsday Devices US Could Build Instead, January 15, 2013, International Business Times, March 12, 2015, April 6, 2015,www.ibtimes.com/white-house-rejects-death-star-petition-doomsday-devices-us-could-build-instead-1014682," title="web.archive.org/web/20150406033905www.ibtimes.com/white-house-rejects-death-star-petition-doomsday-devices-us-could-build-instead-1014682,">web.archive.org/web/20150406033905www.ibtimes.com/white-house-rejects-death-star-petition-doomsday-devices-us-could-build-instead-1014682, live, The response also noted that “the Administration does not support blowing up planets” and questions funding a weapon “with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship” as reasons for denying the petition.WEB, It’s a trap! Petition to build Death Star will spark White House response,cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15889626-its-a-trap-petition-to-build-death-star-will-spark-white-house-response, January 29, 2013, December 16, 2012,cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15889626-its-a-trap-petition-to-build-death-star-will-spark-white-house-response," title="web.archive.org/web/20121216020353cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15889626-its-a-trap-petition-to-build-death-star-will-spark-white-house-response,">web.archive.org/web/20121216020353cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15889626-its-a-trap-petition-to-build-death-star-will-spark-white-house-response, live, WEB, US shoots down Death Star superlaser petition,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20997144, BBC News, January 12, 2013, June 21, 2018, October 12, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20181012122503/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20997144, live,

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting

Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, a petition for new gun control measures achieved 100,000 signatures within 24 hours.

Cell phone unlocking bill

In February 2013, a petition started by OpenSignal co-founder and digital rights activist Sina Khanifar reached the 100,000-signature threshold required for a response from the White House.WEB,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/08/15/heres-how-cell-phone-unlocking-became-legal, whitehouse.gov, Here’s How Cell Phone Unlocking Became Legal, August 15, 2014, NARA, National Archives, March 12, 2015, January 21, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170121045442/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/08/15/heres-how-cell-phone-unlocking-became-legal, live, Two weeks later, the Obama administration issued a response urging the FCC and Congress to legalize cell phone unlocking. A year later, Congress passed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, the first piece of legislation driven by an online petition.WEB,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/08/01/answering-publics-call, whitehouse.gov, Answering the Public’s Call, August 2014, NARA, National Archives, March 12, 2015, January 21, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170121232455/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/08/01/answering-publics-call, live, The bill was signed into law by President Obama on August 1, 2014.

Prosecute 47 senators under the Logan Act

In March 2015, as the United States and the P5+1 group were negotiating with Iran on an agreement to restrain Iran’s nuclear program, 47 Republican Senators sent an open letter to the leaders of Iran strongly suggesting that a future president or Congress could nullify any such agreement. This action was widely construed as deliberate interference with the negotiations, and possibly a violation of the Logan Act.“Were 47 Republican senators who wrote to Iran guilty of a crime?” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127230938www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/13/republican-senators-wrote-iran-guilty-crime-maybe |date=January 27, 2017 }}, Ben Jacobs, The Guardian, March 13, 2015 In response, several similar petitions were posted on March 9, 2015. One petition, entitled “File charges against the 47 United States Senators in violation of the Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement”, passed the 100,000-signature threshold within one day. The petition had reached the number 1 spot, garnering more than 320,000 signatures by April 8, 2015, more than three times the number of signatures required to qualify for a response from the White House.ABC News.com, / “Iran Letter: 165,000+ Sign Petition to Prosecute GOP Senators for Treason” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521035112abcnews.go.com/Politics/iran-letter-165000-sign-petition-prosecute-gop-senators/story?id=29564985 |date=May 21, 2020 }}, Katelyn Marmon, Retrieved March 12, 2015Bloomberg.com, 231,445 People Who Want Tom Cotton Tried for Treason Be Wrong?” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313100217www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-12/can-231-445-people-who-want-tom-cotton-tried-for-treason-be-wrong-yes- |date=March 13, 2015 }}, David Weigel, Retrieved March 12, 2015Huffington Post, “The Logan Act and the Treason Meme: Click Bait for Liberals” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620232620www.huffpost.com/entry/the-logan-act-and-the-treason-meme-click-bait-for-liberals_b_6849040 |date=June 20, 2020 }}, Monica Bauer, Retrieved March 12, 2015NPR.com, “Why The GOP Iran Letter Is Spurring Debate Over An 18th Century Law” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430101552www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/11/392323244/why-the-gop-iran-letter-is-spurring-debate-over-an-18th-century-law |date=April 30, 2015 }}, Miles Parks, Retrieved March 12, 2015

Trump taxes

“Within hours“NEWS,edition.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/obama-white-house-website, What happened to Obama’s White House website?, Tal Kopan, January 20, 2017, January 20, 2017, January 22, 2017,edition.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/obama-white-house-website," title="web.archive.org/web/20170122162407edition.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/obama-white-house-website,">web.archive.org/web/20170122162407edition.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/obama-white-house-website, live, of President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017, two petitions had been started on the site. One, for the release of his taxes, “with all information needed to verify emoluments clause compliance” reached the 100,000 signature threshold within twenty-four hours.NEWS,thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/316382-petition-demanding-trumps-tax-returns-gets-record-number-of/, Petition for Trump’s tax returns gets record number of signatures, Greenwood, Max, 26 January 2017, The Hill (newspaper), The Hill, 27 January 2017, November 11, 2020,thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/316382-petition-demanding-trumps-tax-returns-gets-record-number-of," title="web.archive.org/web/20201111221341thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/316382-petition-demanding-trumps-tax-returns-gets-record-number-of,">web.archive.org/web/20201111221341thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/316382-petition-demanding-trumps-tax-returns-gets-record-number-of, live, Another, for the President to divest himself of his assets or put them in a blind trust, had some seventy-seven thousand. On January 22, Presidential aide Kellyanne Conway declared that the tax returns will not be released.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2017/01/22/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-returns.html?_r=0, Trump Won’t Release His Tax Returns, a Top Aide Says, January 22, 2017, New York Times, Davis, Julie Hershfeld, January 23, 2017, June 29, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170629061624/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/22/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-returns.html?_r=0, live, On January 27, the petitions had over 385,000 and 119,000 signatures, respectively, with the former being a record number of signatures for any petition on the site. By the February 17 deadline to reach 100,000 signatures, it had exceeded one million signatures, making it the first petition on the site to do so.NEWS, Manning, Allee, Kelly, Kaitlyn, One Million People Demand Trump’s Tax Return, Smashing Petition Record,www.vocativ.com/403165/we-the-people-petition-white-house-trump-taxes/, February 17, 2017, Vocativ, February 17, 2017, February 17, 2017,www.vocativ.com/403165/we-the-people-petition-white-house-trump-taxes/," title="web.archive.org/web/20170217164931www.vocativ.com/403165/we-the-people-petition-white-house-trump-taxes/,">web.archive.org/web/20170217164931www.vocativ.com/403165/we-the-people-petition-white-house-trump-taxes/, live,

American Antifa

In August 2017, a petition requesting that Antifa be classified by the Pentagon as a terrorist organization was launched. The petition had over 100,000 signatures within three days. The final count before White House responded was 368,423. The originator of the petition, who goes by the pseudonym “Microchip”, remarked to Politico that getting conservatives to share and discuss the petition was the entire point, rather than prompting any concrete action by the government.WEB,www.politico.com/story/2017/08/24/antifa-white-house-petition-trump-troll-241990, White House ‘antifa’ petition written by pro-Trump troll, Musgrave, Shawn, August 24, 2017, Politico, August 25, 2017, July 3, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190703225659/https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/24/antifa-white-house-petition-trump-troll-241990, live, The White House responded to the petition, stating “Although Federal law provides a mechanism to designate and sanction foreign terrorist organizations and foreign state sponsors of terrorism, there is currently no analogous mechanism for formally designating domestic terrorist organizations. Nonetheless, law enforcement has many tools at its disposal to address violent individuals and groups.“WEB,www.theverge.com/2018/3/20/17143536/white-house-we-the-people-online-petition-answers-back, The White House is answering online petitions again, but does it still matter?, March 20, 2018, May 18, 2018, April 1, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190401215210/https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/20/17143536/white-house-we-the-people-online-petition-answers-back, live,

Criticism

Concerns about the efficacy of We the People have been raised since before the first White House responses were published.Forbes.com, “What The People Want: Abolishment of the TSA and Marijuana Legalization” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011115429www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/09/23/what-the-people-want-abolishment-of-the-tsa-and-marijuana-legalization/ |date=October 11, 2018 }}, Kashmir HillOn August 13, 2013, the Washington Post website published an article about 30 petitions that had been left unanswered for an average of 240 days despite each having met the signature goals. The article refers to the website www.whpetitions.info for taking “its own tally and highlights petitions that have received enough signatures but have not received responses.“WashingtonPost.com, “Here are the 30 questions the White House doesn’t seem to want to answer” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618114458www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/08/13/here-are-the-30-questions-the-white-house-doesnt-want-to-answer/ |date=June 18, 2020 }}, Andrea PetersonAs of 16 October 2016, 323 White House petitions have met their signature thresholds. The White House has responded to 321 of them (99%) with an average response time of 117 days. Average waiting time for unanswered petitions was 23 days, according to whpetitions.info.WEB,whpetitions.info/, whpetitions.info, April 15, 2015, May 3, 2015,whpetitions.info/," title="web.archive.org/web/20150503125553whpetitions.info/,">web.archive.org/web/20150503125553whpetitions.info/, live, The Obama White House faced criticism{{by whom|date=February 2015}} for the choice of administration official selected to answer petitions regarding the legalization of marijuana. Gil Kerlikowske, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was chosen to craft the administration’s response.whitehouse.gov, We The People petition response, What We Have to Say About Legalizing Marijuana {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124052154wwws.whitehouse.gov/Petitions#!/response/what-we-have-say-about-legalizing-marijuana |date=November 24, 2011 }}, Gil Kerlikowske The criticism stemmed from the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998, which legally required that the Director oppose all attempts to legalize the use of illicit drugs in any form.Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998, Title VII Sec. 704(b)(12) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224031523trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/ondcp/about/authorizations/ |date=December 24, 2021 }}redbook.gao.gov, Application of Anti-Lobbying Laws to the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Open Letter to State Level Prosecutors {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103065129redbook.gao.gov/17/fl0083064.php |date=November 3, 2011 }}, B-301022, March 10, 2004, Anthony H. GamboaOther complaints of We the People focused on its technical glitches,The Huffington Post, The Case of the Missing White House Petition {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619060340www.huffpost.com/entry/we-the-people-petition-website_b_1062883 |date=June 19, 2020 }}, October 31, 2011, J.H. Snider democratic rationale,The Huffington Post, What Is the Democratic Function of the White House’s We The People Petition Website? {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619054041www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-the-democratic-fu_b_1018865 |date=June 19, 2020 }}, October 20, 2011, J.H. Snider and political dilemmas.The Huffington Post, The White House’s New We the People Petition Website {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618101443www.huffpost.com/entry/we-the-people-petitions_b_1004466 |date=June 18, 2020 }}, October 11, 2011, J.H. Snider There was criticism about the willingness of the administration to answer petitions that meet the threshold for response, when several qualifying petitions have been unanswered for months or years.WEB, Josh Feldman, April 2, 2014,www.mediaite.com/online/new-white-house-petition-demands-the-white-house-actually-answer-white-house-petitions/, New White House Petition Demands the White House Actually Answer White House Petitions, MediaIte, June 14, 2020, November 11, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201111234343/https://www.mediaite.com/online/new-white-house-petition-demands-the-white-house-actually-answer-white-house-petitions/, live, In addition, the digital divide means that poor communities may have had difficulty participating equally in We The People.New Statesman, Britain’s Other Islanders Petition the White House {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804061959www.newstatesman.com/blogs/voices/2012/04/britains-other-islanders-petition-white-house |date=August 4, 2020 }}, April 3, 2012, Sean CareyDuring the first weeks of the presidency of Donald Trump, The Independent and The A.V. Club reported that many popular petitions did not appear to be receiving any signatures. Additionally, certain URLs to the petitions led to error pages.NEWS, Hooton, Christopher, White House petition to save arts funding not registering signatures,www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/president-donald-trump-arts-funding-nea-neh-cpb-prs-npr-petition-white-house-a7541631.html, January 30, 2017, The Independent, January 23, 2017, January 26, 2017,www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/president-donald-trump-arts-funding-nea-neh-cpb-prs-npr-petition-white-house-a7541631.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170126231032www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/president-donald-trump-arts-funding-nea-neh-cpb-prs-npr-petition-white-house-a7541631.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170126231032www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/president-donald-trump-arts-funding-nea-neh-cpb-prs-npr-petition-white-house-a7541631.html, live, NEWS, PenzeyMoog, Caitlin, White House petitions are basically turned off,www.avclub.com/article/white-house-petitions-are-basically-turned-249143, January 30, 2017, The A.V. Club, January 26, 2017, January 29, 2017,www.avclub.com/article/white-house-petitions-are-basically-turned-249143," title="web.archive.org/web/20170129043042www.avclub.com/article/white-house-petitions-are-basically-turned-249143,">web.archive.org/web/20170129043042www.avclub.com/article/white-house-petitions-are-basically-turned-249143, live, Macon Phillips, the man behind We the People, told BuzzFeed News that the issue stemmed from issues with its cache. He also thought that Trump’s administration “is still trying to get their heads around how it works”.NEWS, Montgomery, Blake, No, Signatures On The White House Petition Site Aren’t Intentionally Frozen,www.buzzfeed.com/blakemontgomery/signatures-on-the-white-house-nea-petition-site, January 31, 2017, BuzzFeed, January 27, 2017, January 28, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170128042726/https://www.buzzfeed.com/blakemontgomery/signatures-on-the-white-house-nea-petition-site, live,

Discontinuation

On January 20, 2021, the day the Inauguration of Joe Biden took place, the website’s address started redirecting to the White House’s main web address. First reported by the Ron Paul Institute, the White House declined comment when a reporter from Newsweek asked about the apparent discontinuation of the website.WEB, Biden Removes ‘We the People’ Petitioning From White House Website,www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2021/february/16/biden-removes-we-the-people-petitioning-from-white-house-website/, 2021-10-27, www.ronpaulinstitute.org, April 22, 2021,ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2021/february/16/biden-removes-we-the-people-petitioning-from-white-house-website/," title="web.archive.org/web/20210422104916ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2021/february/16/biden-removes-we-the-people-petitioning-from-white-house-website/,">web.archive.org/web/20210422104916ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2021/february/16/biden-removes-we-the-people-petitioning-from-white-house-website/, live,

See also

• UK Parliament petitions website
• Right to petition in the United States

References

{{reflist|30em}}

External links

• {{Official websitepetitions.whitehouse.gov/about}}