Ex-President Barack Obama kept track of his policies rolled back by Donald Trump

Obama said the Affordable Care Act 'remains robust' but that "when it comes to some of our climate-change regulations, there's been some damage done.
Former US President Barack Obama (Photo | AP)
Former US President Barack Obama (Photo | AP)

WASHINGTON: Former US President Barack Obama has said that while he did not keep a checklist, he did keep track of Obama-era programmes the Trump administration either rolled back or attempted to dismantle, according to a media report.

"I don't have a checklist in my desk where I'm like, 'All right, this survived, that they tried to reverse but weren't organised enough to do,' I don't think about it in those terms. I do pay attention; I have paid attention to those areas where what the Trump administration attempted to do did some serious damage and where it's more of a short-term setback on what is a long-term success," Obama told New York Magazine.

Obama, who served as the 44th president of the US from 2009 to 2017, was replying to a question about outgoing President Donald Trump focussing on undoing a number of his key achievements, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, which was fully reinstated this week on the orders of a federal judge.

Reversing the decision of the outgoing Trump administration, US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in the Eastern District of New York ordered full reinstatement of the DACA programme that protects undocumented immigrants brought to the US as minors from deportation, a ruling that will help a large number of Indian migrants.

The Trump administration tried ending the DACA in 2017, but the US Supreme Court blocked its attempt in June.

Obama said the Affordable Care Act "remains robust" but that "when it comes to some of our climate-change regulations, there's been some damage done."

The former president expressed optimism, though, pointing out General Motors's recent decision to pull out of a lawsuit to keep California from maintaining fuel efficiency standards.

Obama indicated he was confident the upcoming administration under President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be able "to pick up where we left off."

Biden, 78, is due to take over as the 46th US President on January 20.

Trump, a Republican, has not conceded defeat to Biden and has been making unsubstantiated claims about widespread voter fraud and electoral malpractice in the presidential polls.

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