Barack Obama's Record-Setting Presidency


Kyle Becker | On 03, Jun 2013
See the 9 records that most presidents would rather not have…


1. No Budget

President Obama is the only president not to pass a budget in a given fiscal year. The Democrat-controlled Congress passed one in 2009, holding spending levels at trillion dollar deficits.





2. Poverty Rate

"The U.S. Census Bureau puts the number of Americans in poverty at levels not seen since the mid-1960s when [LBJ] launched the federal government’s so-called War on Poverty. As President Barack Obama began his second term in January, nearly 50 million Americans — one in six — were living below the income line that defines poverty." [Daily Mail]



3. Food Stamps

The number of households receiving food stamps in January 2013 was 23,087,886. There are 115,310,000 households, meaning that one 1 out of every 5 households now receive food stamps. It also means more Americans are receiving food stamps than make up the population of Spain.


4. Labor Force Participation

The percentage of the workforce that has a job is at the lowest since the Jimmy Carter administration at 63.4%. In addition, part-time employment has skyrocketed under this president, partly due to Obamacare healthcare coverage requirements.


5. Disability Recipients

"The total number of people in the United States now receiving federal disability benefits hit a record 10,978,040... according to data from the Social Security Administration. The 10,978,040 disability beneficiaries in the U.S. now exceed the population of all but seven states. For example, there are more Americans collecting disability today than there are people living in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey or Virginia." [CNS News]


6. Black Unemployment

The black unemployment rate of nearly 15% is the highest since the mid-1980s. The jobless numbers are at a record-high since the Reagan years, when there was a sharp drop in black unemployment. [Examiner]


7. Weeks Above 8% Unemployment

Barack Obama presided over the longest stretch with unemployment above 8% at 43 weeks. This is a record since 1948. And as one can see from the graph, the Reagan recovery led to increasing labor force participation, while the Obama "recovery" led to decreasing labor force participation.



8. War Powers

Nobel Peace Prize winning president Barack Obama is the only president to violate the 1973 War Powers Act with his commitment of U.S. troops to a war in Libya. The White House cited a vague 'international consensus' as the authority, although the Constitution gives Congress sole war-making powers.



9. National Debt & Deficits


The U.S. national debt is approaching $17 trillion, which is a record in terms of debt-to-GDP unseen since the World War II aftermath. The president added more to the debt in one term than all previous presidents combined, which will remain a burden for generations to come.



http://www.ijreview.com/2013/06/5658...ng-presidency/