obstruction

The Republican claim that Democrats held power for “12 out of the last 16 years” is highly misleading. In reality, Democrats had control of the Senate, House, and White House for only 4 of those years—2009-2010 under Obama, and 2021-2022 under Biden. During these periods, Democrats passed significant legislation like the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act, which helped stabilize the economy after the 2008 financial crisis. In Biden’s term, key achievements included the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

For the remaining 12 years, Republicans either held the House, Senate, or both, and they used their majorities to obstruct Democratic efforts to pass meaningful legislation. The myth that Democrats have held continuous power ignores this obstruction and undermines the legislative progress made during the brief periods when Democrats held a unified government.