President Barack Obama's first public act in office yesterday was to institute new limits on lobbyists in his White House and to freeze the salaries of high-paid aides, in a nod to United States economic turmoil.

Announcing the moves while attending a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to swear in his staff, Obama said the steps "represent a clean break from business as usual".

The pay freeze, first reported by The Associated Press, would hold salaries at their current levels for the roughly 100 White House employees who make more than $100,000 a year.

"Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," said the new president, taking office amid startlingly bad economic times that many fear will grow worse.

Those affected by the freeze include the high-profile jobs of White House chief of staff, national security adviser and press secretary.

Obama's new lobbying rules will not only ban aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff. Those already hired will also be banned from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies that they once targeted.

Ban for lobbyists

The rules also ban lobbyists from giving gifts of any size to any member of his administration. It was not immediately clear whether the ban would include the traditional 'previous relationships' clause, allowing gifts from friends or associates with which an employee comes in with strong ties.

The new rules also require that anyone who leaves his administra-tion is not allowed to try to influence former friends and colleagues for at least two years. Obama is requiring all staff to attend an ethics briefing like one he said he attended last week.

In an attempt to deliver on pledges of a transparent government, Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public and not to look for reasons to legally withhold it.