200 Accomplishments of President Obama since taking office with citations

If you're one of those who thinks President Obama is a "disappointment," my condolences for you not getting your unicorn. And it's time to grow up, and get over it. We have a little over two months to go before an election that will feature more political ads than you have ever seen before. We don't just have to beat Willard Romney; we also have to beat Citizens United. There will be TWO choices for president; it's not a smorgasbord. You can either work for Obama and every other Democrat (yes, including Blue Dogs), or you can sit back and watch Willard Romney complete the job of taking apart the social fabric of the country that was first undertaken by Ronald Reagan 32 years ago. That is your choice.

Obama2What makes the "disappointment" argument even more irritating is that it's simply not true. He's done nearly everything we elect a president to do, and he did it all with little support from the left, and massive obstruction from the right. .

Is he perfect? No, he's human. Does he deserve some criticism? Of course, but at this point, it really doesn't matter.

What does matter is that this president has compiled a STELLAR record given the circumstances under which he took office. If you can look at this list of the president's accomplishments and not be excited, you have a serious problem with perspective.

Pass this list around to everyone you know. And don't be afraid; unlike many such lists, every item includes a link to a citation supporting it.

He Returned The Executive Branch To Fiscal Responsibility After the Bush Debacle

1. Within his first week, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

2. Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

3. On his first full day, he froze White House salaries. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

4. He appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

5. He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems. To that end, he also signed the Democratic-sponsored Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, which attempted to put a stop to waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

6. Through an executive order, he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



He Improved the Economy, Preventing a Bush Depression

7. Pushed through and signed the Democratic-sponsored American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as “the stimulus package.” The bill passed, even though only three Republicans voted for it. In a major departure from the previous administration, he launched recovery.gov, a website that allows taxpayers to track spending from the Act. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

8. The Bush-led Great Recession was costing the economy nearly 800,000 jobs per month by the time President Obama took office. But by the end of his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economyby 3.5%. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

9. Not only did he completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, he also leaned on the banks and others, and recovered virtually all of the bail-out money. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

10. He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

11. Oversaw the creation of more jobs in 2010 alone than Bush did in eight years. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

12. Along with Democrats, and almost no Republicans, implemented an auto industry rescue plan, and saved as many as 1 million jobs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Many are of the opinion that he saved the entire auto industry, and even the economy of the entire Midwest. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] This resulted in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Willard Romney, on the other hand, advocated for the entire industry to go belly-up. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

13. Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

14. Signed the Democratic-sponsored Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system, and create a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

15. Signed the Democratic-sponsored Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which was designed to to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

16. Increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

17. Signed the Democratic-sponsored and passed Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, expanding on the Making Home Affordable Program to help millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures. The bill also provided $2.2 billion to help combat homelessness, and to stabilize the housing market. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

18. Through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

19. Initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses.
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20. Created business.gov, which allows for online collaboration between small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since merged with SBA.gov.) [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

21. Played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

22. Took steps to improve minority access to capital. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

23. Signed an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to review all federal regulations and remove any unnecessary and/or burdensome regulations from the books. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

24. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

25. Dismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby cutting ties between energy companies and the government. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

26. Along with Congressional Democrats, provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

27. Used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

28. Crafted an Executive order establishing the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



He Fostered Greater Transparency and Better Government, After the Excesses of the Bush Years

29. Signed an order banning gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

30. Signed an order banning anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years, and put strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

31. Held the first-ever first online town hall from the White House, and took questions from the public. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

32. Became the first to stream every White House event, live. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

33. Established a central portal for Americans to find service opportunities. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

34. Provided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House Visitors Log in history. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

35. Issued an Executive Order on Presidential Records, which restored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records, and eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews. Provides the public with greater access to historic White House documents, and severely curtails the ability to use executive privilege to shield them. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

36. Improved aspects of the Freedom of Information Act, and issued new guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent when processing FOIA requests. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection

37. Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

38. Along with Congressional Democrats, pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

39. Through Dodd-Frank legislation, created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

40. Through Dodd-Frank, the Executive Branch fashioned rules that reduce the influence of speculators in the oil market. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

41. Fashioned rules so that banks can no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers' interests. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

42. Supported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on executive compensation. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

43. Endorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

44. Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks that now permits the US government to gain access to the records of criminals and tax evaders. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

45. Signed the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, which closed many of the loopholes that allowed companies to send jobs overseas, and avoid paying US taxes by moving money offshore. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

46. Established a Consumer Protection Financial Bureau designed to protect consumers from financial sector excesses. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

47. Oversaw and then signed a Democratic bill constituting the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

48. Through the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, extended the False Claims Act to combat fraud by companies and individuals usingmoney from the TARP and Stimulus programs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


He Ushered Through Many Changes That Enhanced Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination

49. Along with Congressional Democrats, advocated for and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

50. Pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie in order to be eligible to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

51. Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

52. Appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

53. Appointed first openly transgender Cabinet Official in History. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

54. Changed HUD rules to prohibit gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination in housing bit.ly/9RxEnP

55. Changed his mind and publicly expressed support for the right to enter into a same-sex marriage. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

56. Issued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

57. Wrote and signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies evaluate the effect of their policies and programs on women and families. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

58. Signed the Democratic-sponsored Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. This was after the GOP blocked the bill in 2007. Only 5 Republican Senators voted for the bill. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

59. Expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

60. Under his guidance, National Labor Relations Board issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees' rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including websites and intranets, beginning November 2011. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

61. Advocated that United Nations adopt a policy supporting gay rights worldwide. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

62. Issued an order requiring hospitals to allow visitation by same-sex couples. reut.rs/llNJek

63. Appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

64. Helped Democrats in Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



He Made Major Improvements in Foreign Relations and American Status Around the World

65. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

66. As he promised, he gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in Cairo early in his administration. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

67. Helped to restore America's reputation around the world as a global leader that does the "right thing" in world affairs, at least according to the rest of the world. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

68. Re-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

69. Closed a number of secret detention facilities. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

70. Improved relations with Middle East countries by appointing special envoys. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

71. Pushed for military to emphasize devlopment of foreign language skills. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

72. Offered $400 million to the people living in Gaza, called on both Israel and the Palestinians to stop inciting violence. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

73. Refused to give Israel the green light to attack Iran over their possible nuclear program, and thus avoid another war that Republicans wanted. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

74. Worked with Democratic Congress to make donations to Haiti tax deductible in 2009. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

75. Established a new U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

76. Issued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

77. Established new, more reasonable policies in our relations with Cuba, such as allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families and send money to support them. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

78. Ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was Republicans (and, unfortunately, progressive Democrats) who prevented follow through. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (This is one of the areas that the Reps keep pounding about yet THEY blocked it! )

79. Ordered a review of our detention and interrogation policy, and prohibited the use of torture, or what Bush called "enhanced interrogation." He ordered interrogators to limit their actions to the Army Field manual. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

80. Ordered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

81. Released the Bush torture memos. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

82. On his second day in office, he signed a detailed Executive Order that banned torture, reversed all Bush torture policies, and put the United States in compliance with the Geneva Convention. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

83. In response to the emerging "Arab Spring," he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

84. Passed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war, and to encourage Iran to give up their nuclear program. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

85. Ended the Iraq War. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

86. Authorized and oversaw a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



He Took a More Realistic Approach to “Defense”

87. Created a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

88. Authorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

89. Restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

90. Signed and pushed through ratification a new SALT Treaty. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

91. Negotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will lst until at least 2021. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

92. Through the Defense Authorization Act, reversed the Bush Administration and committed to no permanent military bases in Iraq. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

93. Developed first comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda and the withdrawal of most troops, as well as the rebuilding of Afghanistan. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

94. Returned our focus to Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing our troops from the country. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

95. Negotiated a deal with Afghan govenment, to withdraw troops and military support, while assisting in rebuilding and modernizing of the country. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

96. Took steps to severely weaken al Qaeda and limited their ability to terrorize the world. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

97. Negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

98. Took decisive action to use NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that the Libyan people could topple a despotic government and determine their own fate. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



His Administration Treated Soldiers and Veterans with Respect That Was Missing Previously

99. Along with Congressional Democrats, not only reauthorized families of fallen soldiers to be able to visit when the body arrives at Dover AFB, but also provided funding for it. Ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

100. Funded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

101. Provided active combat troops with better body armor. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

102. Created Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order to improve the quality of their medical care. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

103. Put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. (personal note: my son will be in harm’s way for six fewer months with Obama as president, so you know I love this one.) [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

104. Along with Congressional Democrats, supported and signed Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which made more money available to enable better medical care for veterans. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

105. Along with Congressional Democrats, ushered through largest spending increase in 30 years for Department of Veterans Affairs, with money to go to improved medical facilities, and to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

106. Created the Green Vet Initiative, which provided special funding to the Labor Department to provide veterans with training in green jobs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

107. Initiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

108. Oversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

109. Signed the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, which ensures that spouses of military personnel who are forced to move because their spouse is posted for military duty will be able to avoid state taxes in their temporary residence. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



He Refocused the Federal Government on Education

110. Repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

111. Reformed student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

112. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

113. Created the Race to the Top program, which encouraged states to come up with effective school reforms and rewards the best of them. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

114. Oversaw major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ,

115. Oversaw major expansion in school construction. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

116. Also through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

117. Signed the Democratic-sponsored Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as GI Bill 2.0 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

118. Oversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low income students to go to college. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

119. Along with Democratic Congress, passed and signed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

120. Took major new steps to protec students from ineffective for-profit colleges through "gainful employment" measures, whereby schools have to demonstrate that its students actually find work to get federal aid. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

121. With First Lady Michelle Obama, passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which will improve nutrition in schools and make children healthier. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


He Pushed Through Improvements in National Safety and Security

122. Restored federal agencies such as FEMA to the point that they have been able to manage a huge number of natural disasters successfully. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

123. Authorized Navy SEALS to successfully secure the release of a US captain held by Somali pirates and increased patrols off the Somali coast. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

124. Has repeatedly beefed up border security [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

125. Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


Reoriented Government to an Adult View on Science, Technology and Health Care

126. Created a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

127. Opened up process for fast-tracking patent approval for green energy projects. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

128. Eliminated Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, and provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

129. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, committed more federal funding, about $18 billion, to support non-defense science and research labs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

130. Signed Democratic-sponsored Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

131. Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families, to cover more first-time mothers. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

132. Obama EPA reveresed research ethics standards which allowed humands to be used as "guinea pigs" in tests of the effects of chemicals, to comply with numerous codes of medical ethics. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

133. Conducted a cyberspace policy review. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

134. Provided financial support for private sector space programs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

135. Oversaw enhanced earth mapping, to provide valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

136. Along with Democrats in Congress, ushered through and signed a bill authorizing FDA to regulate tobacco. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] As a result, the FDA has Ordered Tobacco Companies to Disclose Cigarette Ingredients and banned sale of cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.”

137. Through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

138. Increased funding for community-based prevention programs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

139. Oversaw a 50% decrease in cost of prescription drugs for seniors. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

140. Eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

141. Two weeks after taking office, signed Democratic-sponsored Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which increased the number of children covered by health insurance by 4 million. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

142. Urged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. Democratic Rep. Waxman responded by launching a probe, and Anthem Blue Cross put increase on hold for two months. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

143. Ushered through and signed Affordable Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to at least 30 million more people, ended many common insurance company practices that are often detrimental to those with coverage. He also established healthcare.gov, so that taxpayers could keep up with developments. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

144. Through ACA, allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

145. Through the ACA, provided tax breaks to allow 3.5 million small business to provide health insurance to their employees, and 29 million people will receive tax breaks to help them afford health insurance. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

146. Through the ACA, expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

147. Through the ACA, health insurance companies now have to disclose how much of your premium actually goes to pay for patient care. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

148. Provisions in theACA have already resulted in Medicare costs actually declining slightly this fiscal year, for the first time in many years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The increase in 2011 was 4%, which is very low compared to the average 12% annual inflation rate during previous 40 years. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

149. Through the ACA, expanded space exploration and discovery options to more players [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

150. Through the Connect America Fund, pushed through and received FCC approval for a move of $8 billion in subsidies away from telephone landlines to assist lower-income rural families in accessing broadband. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



He Took Steps to Strengthen the Middle Class and Families, and to Fight Poverty

151. Worked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

152. Cracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

153. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , cut taxes for 95% of America's working families. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

154. Tax rates for average working families are the lowest since 1950. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

155. Extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

156. Extended discounted COBRA health coverage for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s extended unemployment benefits several times. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

157. Provided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

158. Signed an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



He Took Concrete Steps to Improve Our Environment and Address Our Energy Needs

159. Fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact fuel efficiency standards that exceeded federal standards. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

160. Fast-tracked increased fuel economy standards for vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. It was the first time such standards had been increased in a decade. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

161. Oversaw establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, to create more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

162. Obama EPA reversed a Bush-era decision to allow the largest mountaintop removal project in US history. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

163. Ordered the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

164. Ordered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (As you can see, Republicans are trying hard to kill it.)

165. Oversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

166. Bypassed Republican opposition in Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

167. Obama EPA ruled that CO2 is a pollutant. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

168. Oversaw doubling federal spending on clean energy research. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

169. Pushed through a tax credit to help people buy plug-in hybrid cars. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

170. Created a program to develop renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that will produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

171. Reengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and proposed one himself. He also addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, officially reversing the Bush era stance that climate change was a “hoax.” [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

172. Fully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

173. Required states to provide incentives to utilities to reduce their energy consumption. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

174. Following the neglect of Bush’s eight year reign, he reengaged in a number of treaties and agreements designed to protect the Antarctic. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

175. Created tax write-offs for purchases of hybrid automobiles, and later he and Democrats morphed that program into one that includes electric cars. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

176. Mandated that federal government fleet purchases be for fuel-efficient American vehicles, and encouraged that federal agencies support experimental, fuel-efficient vehicles. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

177. Oversaw and pushed through amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizing advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

178. Actively tried to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the liability limits for those companies responsible for large oil spills. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

179. Initiated Criminal and Civil inquiries into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

180. Through his EPA, he asserted federal legal supremacy, and barred Texas from authorizing new refinery permits on its own. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

181. Strengthened the Endangered Species Act. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

182. Obama EPA improved boiler safety standards to improve air quality, and save 6500 lives per year. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

183. Through the EPA, attemped to take steps to severely limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to increase their efficacy in humans. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

184. Through new EPA regulations, he created a pretext for closing the dirtiest power plants in the country, by limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic gasses. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

185. Increased funding for National Parks and Forests by 10% [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

186. Announced greatly improved commercial fuel efficiency standards. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

187. Announced a huge increase in average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg in 2010 to 35.5mpg starting in 2016 and 54.5 starting in 2025 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



But That's Not All...

188. Expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

189. Oversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during the recent budget negotiations. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

190. Oversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

191. Nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

192. Appointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

193. Eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and rescinded the global gag rule. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

194. Loosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

195. Signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

196. Signed an Executive Order that will speed up deployment of a more comprehensive broadband infrastructure. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

197. Signed an Executive Order creating jobs immediately by instructing them to reduce the time needed for review and permitting of infrastructure projects. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

198. Signed a bill that provided $4.3 billion in additional assistance to 9/11 first reponders. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

199. Signed an Executive Order pledging support for efforts to end the global problem of violence against women and girls. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

And Did You Know?

200. Despite the characterizations of some, Obama’s success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office. Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnson’s success rate in 1965 was only 93%. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]