There have been a lot of diaries and comments about Obama being a failure or disappointment in his first 10 months of office in comparison to other presidents. While I am quite happy with Obama’s accomplishments so far, I was unsure how he stacked up compared to previous presidents. I knew that Obama accomplishments paled in comparison to FDR, but how did he stack up against JFK, LBJ, etc. So, below I compare Obama’s first 10 months with the ten months of the 9 previous presidents. Presidential accomplishments can be measured by legislation signed, treaties signed, executive orders issued, nominations confirmed and foreign policy agreements. This diary examines one of the measurements, a by-the-numbers comparison of legislation signed. Of course, it is important to look at the numbers and the quality of the bills signed. For example, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act both count as one bill, but the Civil Rights Act is obviously a much more significant accomplishment.
Legislation Signed (major bills marked with **): Below is a list of legislation signed by presidents in their first 10 month of office excluding any ceremonial or minor legislation such as Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act.
Obama (1/20/2009 – 11/20/2009): 14 Bills Signed:
- Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
- Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009**
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009**
- Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (contains Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act)**
- Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
- Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
- Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009
- Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009
- Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009**
- Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
- Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009 (contains Cash For Clunkers Extension)
- National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
- Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act**
- Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009
George W. Bush (1/20/2001 – 11/20/2001) – 3 Bills Signed:
- Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001**
- Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism ("USA PATRIOT") Act**
- Aviation and Transportation Security Act**
Bill Clinton (1/20/1993-11/20/1993) – 12 Bills Signed:
- Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993**
- Emergency Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1993
- National Voter Registration Act of 1993**
- National Cooperative Production Amendments of 1993
- National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993**
- Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993**
- Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Relief From the Major, Widespread Flooding in the Midwest Act of 1993
- Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993
- National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993
- Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993
- Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993
George H.W. Bush (1/20/1989-11/20/1989) – 7 Bills Signed:
- Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989
- Bipartisan Accord on Central America
- Natural Gas Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989
- Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989
- Disaster Assistance Act of 1989
- Hurricane Hugo Disaster Assistance
- Fair Labor Standards Amendments of 1989
Ronald Reagan (1/20/1981-11/20/1981) – 6 Bills Signed:
- Veterans Medical Care Bill
- Steel Industry Compliance Extension Act of 1981
- Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981**
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981
- Former Prisoner of War Benefits Act of 1981
- Veterans' Health Care, Training, and Small Business Loan Act of 1981
Jimmy Carter (1/20/1977-11/20/1977) – 14 Bills Signed:
- Emergency Natural Gas Act of 1977
- Reorganization Act of 1977
- Drought Relief Bill
- Public Works Employment Bill
- Economic Stimulus Appropriations Bill
- Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
- Small Business Administration Amendment Act of 1977
- Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977
- Housing and Community Development Act of 1977
- Medicare-Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments
- Fair Labor Standards Amendments of 1977
- Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System
- Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977
- Air Cargo Deregulation Bill
Gerald Ford (4/9/1974-2/9/1974) – 10 Bills Signed:
- Education Amendments of 1974
- Housing and Community Development Act of 1974
- Council on Wage and Price Stability Act of 1974
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
- Energy Reorganization Act of 1974
- Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974
- Emergency Home Purchase Assistance Act of 1974
- National Mass Transportation Assistance Act of 1974
- Trade Act of 1974
- Disaster Relief Act of 1974
Richard Nixon (1/20/1969-11/20/1969) – 1 Bill Signed:
- Older Americans Act Amendments of 1969
Lyndon Johnson (11/22/1963-9/22/1964) – 15 Bills Signed:
- Higher Education Facilities Act
- Clean Air Act**
- Vocational Education Bill
- Library Service Act Amendment
- Wheat-Cotton Bill
- Pesticide Control Bill
- Civil Rights Act**
- Urban Mass Transportation Act**
- Economic Opportunity Act**
- Permitting Private Ownership of Nuclear Materials
- Food Stamp Act**
- Housing Act
- Wilderness Bill
- Land and Water Conservation Fund Bill
- Nurse Training Act of 1964
John F. Kennedy (1/20/1961-11/20/1961) – 10 Bills Signed:
- Area Redevelopment Act
- Minimum Wage Bill**
- Federal-Aid Highway Act
- Housing Act
- Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments
- Expanded Space Program**
- Combat Organized Crime and Racketeering
- Peace Corps Bill**
- Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act of 1961
- U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency**
Rankings by total bills signed (excluding minor and ceremonial legislation):
- Lyndon Johnson (15)
- Barack Obama/ Jimmy Carter (14)
- Bill Clinton (12)
- Gerald Ford/John F. Kennedy (10)
- George H.W. Bush (7)
- Ronald Reagan (6)
- George W. Bush (3)
- Richard Nixon (1)
Rankings by major bills signed:
- Lyndon Johnson (5)
- Barack Obama/John F. Kennedy/Bill Clinton(4)
- George W. Bush (3)
- Ronald Reagan (1)
- George H.W. Bush, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford (0)
My criteria for considering legislation "major" includes the impact the bill had on the nation in the long-term or the bill is held up as one of the President’s great accomplishments. Since we do not have the ability to see the future, it is impossible to tell which of Obama’s bills will have a long-term impact on the nation or will be listed as one of Obama’s greatest accomplishments at the end of his presidency. For Obama, I made a judgment call on which bills will have long-term impact and be remembered as a highlight of Obama’s presidency.
This research really helped me take a more objective look at Obama’s presidency to date. What’s interesting to me is how little legislation was passed by GWB and Reagan during their first year in office. It was also interesting to see how close LBJ, Obama, Carter, and Clinton’s legislative accomplishments have been so far by the numbers. However, it is clear to me that Obama has a far way to go to match the greatness of LBJ’s Civil Rights Act.
Note: My research was done using www.thomas.gov; The American Presidency Project; www.whitehouse.gov; and Facts About the Presidents (offline book).