In a country built on the backs of African slaves, Barack Obama’s 2008 election as the first African American President was truly historic.
Elected as US President twice and leading the country for eight years just before the chaos of the Trump era, many look back at Obama’s presidency with respect and admiration.
His public approval ratings during his time in office were high and his impact was vast, with some of his most notable achievements being the Affordable Care Act, the Paris Climate Change Agreement and Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals.
He’s also husband to Michelle Obama, making him right-hand man to an absolute legend of a former First Lady.
Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of former US President Barack Obama’s legacy.
Obamacare
One of Obama’s most well-known contributions as US President was his work in healthcare reform.
With the US healthcare system being one of the most expensive in the world and lacking universal health insurance coverage, many Americans struggle to afford care.
The Obama administration sought to improve access to affordable health coverage with the Affordable Care Act, otherwise called “Obamacare”. In 2010, Obama signed this group of reforms into law, aiming to provide affordable health insurance and protect consumers from insurance company tactics to drive up patient costs or restrict care.
While Obamacare has been highly controversial, particularly with Republicans, millions of Amercians have benefitted from the law by receiving insurance coverage. It’s been especially critical for people who are unemployed or have low-paying jobs.
Fighting for gender equality
In 2009, Obama created The White House Council on Women and Girls to address gender equality in the US.
His first piece of legislation signed into law, Obama created the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to empower women to recover wages lost to discrimination. It did this by making it easier for women to bring forward pay discrimination claims.
Through the Affordable Care Act, Obama also made coverage free for women to seek screenings and tests for things like breast cancer, STI’s or a pelvic exam. It also provided better access to contraception and domestic violence counselling.
Also, in 2013, Obama signed the reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act, a measure providing improved protections for Native American women and members of the LGBT community.
Other issues related to gender equality that the Obama administration placed policy focus on were the gender pay gap, issues of sex trafficking and getting more women and girls into STEM careers.
Obama has been outspoken about the importance of women in leadership positions as well, saying that he’s “absolutely confident” that “if every nation on earth was run by women, you would see a significant improvement across the board on just about everything.”
Clean energy future
Through his commitment to tackling global warming, Obama helped set the US on a path to a clean energy future.
He made the largest single investment in clean energy history with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), which saw more than $90 billion go to renewable energy.
The Obama administration also actively supported the offshore wind energy industry, and oversaw the first offshore wind farm go online in 2016.
They also pushed energy savings by finalising more efficiency standards than any previous administration (50), which saved consumers $550 billion on utility bills.
We can’t forget The Paris Climate Agreement as well– an achievement that Obama has said is one of his proudest accomplishments. In 2016, the US entered the most ambitious climate change agreement in history, marking a significant step for the country’s climate action towards a low-carbon future. An especially notable move, considering the US and China represented about 40 per cent of global emissions.
Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals
For American “Dreamers”– undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children by their parents– the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was life changing.
In 2012, Obama created DACA through an executive order to shield Dreamers from deportation. The program protection lasts for two years at a time and is renewable. Along with protection to stay in the country, DACA gives recipients the opportunity for work permits and obtaining health insurance from employers.
While legal battles are still being fought in the US to keep DACA in place, the Biden administration is working to maintain the Obama administration’s original program.
Since DACA’s implementation, it has protected nearly 825,000 individuals lacking legal status and meeting the program’s requirements.
The Growth Faculty is presenting an Evening with President Obama in March– Sydney and Melbourne. You can buy tickets here.