February 2010 Current Events: U.S. News

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

World News | Business News | Science/Disasters News

Here are the key events in United States news for the month of February 2010.

• Obama Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget (Feb. 1): President Obama presents to Congress his 2011 budget of $3.8 trillion and his 10-year budget plan. The budget includes a $1.6 trillion deficit in the next fiscal year, which begins in October, and then steadily declines over the following 10 years. Included in the budget are cuts to domestic programs and spending; some programs, including NASA's return trips to the moon, will be eliminated all together.
• Defense Officials Seek End to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (Feb. 2): Following President Obama's State of the Union Declaration that he wants an end to the military policy "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which forbids openly gay men and women to serve in the military, top officials at the Department of Defense look for a way to end the law. Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announces that he feels repealing the policy is "the right thing to do." Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he will follow through with Obama's orders.
• Saints Beat Colts in First Super Bowl Victory (Feb. 7): In a riveting Super Bowl match-up, the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31–17. It was the first-ever appearance for the once beleaguered and ridiculed NFL team. Quarterback Drew Brees is named M.V.P. of the game.
• Congressman John Murtha Dies (Feb. 8): Democratic Representative from Pennsylvania, John Murtha, dies after complications from routine gallbladder surgery. Murtha, who was elected in 1974 and was the first Vietnam War Veteran to serve in Congress.
• Alabama Professor Kills 3, Wounds 3 in Shooting Rampage (Feb. 12): Amy Bishop, a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, is arrested after allegedly killing three faculty members and wounding three others at the university in a shooting rampage. Bishop was upset over recently being denied tenure in the biology department.
• Man Crashes Plane into IRS Building, Kills One, Self (Feb. 18): A man crashes his plane into an office of the Internal Revenue Service in Austin, Texas, killing himself and one other person. Apparently the pilot, Andrew Joseph Stack III, was holding a grudge against the government and the tax system. Thirteen others were injured.
• Pres. Obama Outlines Health-Care Reform Plan (Feb. 22): President Obama announces his detailed plan for a health-care reform bill. The plan closely follows the version currently in the Senate. Obama asks Republicans to submit their ideas or agree to his version of the bill.