President Bush, trying to set a new White House tone after the scandals of the Clinton years, ordered his staff yesterday to uphold the highest ethical standards and even confront him if necessary.
But controversy quickly erupted over Mr Bush's decision to sign an executive order banning federal funds from going to international family planning agencies that provide abortions or abortion counselling.
"We are all accountable to the law and to the American people," Mr Bush said as he presided over the swearing-in of his new staff in the White House East Room.
Mr Bush's top priority for the week was to send Congress his education proposals, which include a provision opposed by many Democrats allowing parents of children in failing public schools to get $1,500 vouchers to attend private schools.
In what will be his first foray abroad, the White House announced that Mr Bush will meet President Vicente Fox of Mexico on February 16th in San Cristobal, Mexico. Mr Bush has said he will focus much attention on Latin America.
On abortion, he said: "It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad," he said in a copy of the order.
The move, reversing the policy of the Clinton administration, was timed to support thousands of anti-abortion protesters rallying in Washington to mark the 28th anniversary of the US Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision to legalise abortion.
The new White House spokesman, Mr Ari Fleischer, was grilled about the decision at his first daily news briefing. He made clear that Mr Bush planned no early assault on Roe vs. Wade.
Settling in for his first working week, Mr Bush met his Secretary of State, Gen Colin Powell, in the Oval Office to discuss foreign policy. The President's first public event was to watch Vice-President Dick Cheney swear in the new White House team.
In what sounded like a direct slap at Mr Clinton for his legal entanglements, culminating last Friday in a deal with the independent counsel, Mr Robert Ray, to avoid indictment on possible perjury charges in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Mr Bush said he expected "every member of this administration to stay well within the boundaries that define legal and ethical conduct".
"No one in the White House should be afraid to confront the people they work for, for ethical concerns, and no one should hesitate to confront me as well. We are all accountable to one another. And, above all, we are all accountable to the law and to the American people," he said.
He also urged his team to show "humility and decency and fairness" and avoid the arrogance that often possesses people in high office. "As we go about our work, there's no excuse for arrogance and never a reason for disrespect toward others," he said.
The President, who campaigned on a platform of "changing the tone" in Washington, planned to discuss his legislative agenda with the Republican leaders of Congress over lunch and to meet Democratic elder statesmen later in the day.
One element of confusion for the new team was the decision by Sen Phil Gramm (Republican, Texas) yesterday to submit legislation mirroring Mr Bush's $1.3 trillion tax cut and grabbing attention from Mr Bush's "Education Week".