US President Barack Obama acclaimed his outgoing administration's accomplishments on Thursday in a letter to the American people defending a legacy on health care and other issues that his successor Donald Trump has vowed to dismantle.
The White House
released the president's letter along with reports from each of his
cabinet secretaries describing the progress made since Obama took office
eight years ago with the world's largest economy spiralling towards
depression.
"As I prepare to pass the
baton and do my part as a private citizen, I'm proud to say that we
have laid a new foundation for America," he said.
He cited the turn-around in the US economy, the scaled back military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,
a sharply reduced dependence on foreign oil, and the Paris climate
agreement as among his administration's important accomplishments.
But
near the top of his list was the Affordable Care Act, the signature
health care reform that Democrat Obama prizes and Republican Trump has
vowed to ditch.
Obama has launched a
parting offensive to try to save it, making a rare visit to Congress on
Wednesday to rally Democrats for what is shaping up as the first major
fight of the next administration.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence
made his own trip to Capitol Hill to strategize with Republicans, who
control the House and Senate and will have the White House as well once
Trump takes office on January 20.
"The first order of business is to repeal and replace Obamacare," Pence told reporters in the US Capitol shortly after meeting with House Republicans.
Trump himself has cautioned against over-hasty action.
"Republicans must be careful in that the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster," the president-elect said on Twitter, warning Republicans to allow it to "fall of its own weight".
In his letter, Obama argued that the United States has "begun the long task of reversing inequality".
"What
won't help is taking health care away from 30 million Americans, most
of them white and working class; denying overtime pay to workers, most
of whom have more than earned it; or privatizing Medicare and Social
Security and letting Wall Street regulate itself again -- none of which
middle-class Americans voted for."
Obama's
reforms came under fire during the US presidential campaign as
insurance premiums rose and some major insurers backed out of the state
markets created under the law.
But elements of Obamacare
remain popular, notably the provisions barring companies from refusing
coverage due to pre-existing conditions and allowing children to retain
coverage on family plans through to 26 years of age.
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