Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4 , 1961 ) is the 44th and current President of the United States , the first African American to hold the office . Born in Honolulu , Hawaii , Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School , where he was president of the " Harvard Law Review " . He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree . He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004 . He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004 , running unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 2000 . In 2004 , Obama received national attention during his campaign to represent Illinois in the United States Senate with his victory in the March Democratic Party primary , his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July , and his election to the Senate in November . He began his presidential campaign in 2007 , and in 2008 , after a close primary campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton , he won sufficient delegates in the Democratic Party primaries to receive the presidential nomination . He then defeated Republican nominee John McCain in the general election , and was inaugurated as president on January 20 , 2009 . Nine months after his election , Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate . During his first two years in office , Obama signed into law economic stimulus legislation in response to the Great Recession in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief , Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization , and Job Creation Act of 2010 . Other major domestic initiatives in his first term include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , often referred to as " Obamacare " ; the Dodd – Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ; and the Don ' t Ask , Don ' t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 . In foreign policy , Obama ended U . S . military involvement in the Iraq War , increased U . S . troop levels in Afghanistan , signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia , ordered U . S . military involvement in Libya , and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden . He later became the first sitting U . S . president to publicly support same - sex marriage . In November 2010 , the Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives as the Democratic Party lost a total of 63 seats , and after a lengthy debate over federal spending and whether or not to raise the nation ' s debt limit , Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 . Obama was re - elected president in November 2012 , defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney , and was sworn in for a second term on January 20 , 2013 . During his second term in domestic policy , Obama has promoted policies related to gun control in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting , has called for full equality for LGBT Americans , and his administration filed briefs which urged the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 and California ' s Proposition 8 as unconstitutional . In foreign policy , Obama has continued the process of ending U . S . combat operations in Afghanistan . Early life and career . Obama was born on August 4 , 1961 , at Kapiolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital ( now Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children ) in Honolulu , Hawaii , and is the first President to have been born in Hawaii . His mother , Stanley Ann Dunham , was born in Wichita , Kansas , and was of mostly English ancestry . His father , Barack Obama , Sr . , was a Luo from Nyang ’ oma Kogelo , Kenya . Obama ' s parents met in 1960 in a Russian class at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , where his father was a foreign student on scholarship . The couple married in Wailuku on Maui on February 2 , 1961 , and separated when Obama ' s mother moved with their newborn son to Seattle , Washington , in late August 1961 , to attend the University of Washington for one year . In the meantime , Obama , Sr . completed his undergraduate economics degree in Hawaii in June 1962 , then left to attend graduate school at Harvard University on a scholarship . Obama ' s parents divorced in March 1964 . Obama Sr . returned to Kenya in 1964 where he remarried ; he visited Barack in Hawaii only once , in 1971 . He died in an automobile accident in 1982 when his son was 21 years old . In 1963 , Dunham met Lolo Soetoro , an Indonesian East – West Center graduate student in geography at the University of Hawaii , and the couple were married on Molokai on March 15 , 1965 . After two one - year extensions of his J - 1 visa , Lolo returned to Indonesia in 1966 , followed sixteen months later by his wife and stepson in 1967 , with the family initially living in a Menteng Dalam neighborhood in the Tebet subdistrict of south Jakarta , then from 1970 in a wealthier neighborhood in the Menteng subdistrict of central Jakarta . From ages six to ten , Obama attended local Indonesian - language schools : St . Francis of Assisi Catholic School for two years and Besuki Public School for one and a half years , supplemented by English - language Calvert School homeschooling by his mother . In 1971 , Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents , Madelyn and Stanley Dunham , and with the aid of a scholarship attended Punahou School , a private college preparatory school , from fifth grade until his graduation from high school in 1979 . Obama lived with his mother and sister in Hawaii for three years from 1972 to 1975 while his mother was a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Hawaii . Obama chose to stay in Hawaii with his grandparents for high school at Punahou when his mother and sister returned to Indonesia in 1975 to begin anthropology field work . His mother spent most of the next two decades in Indonesia , divorcing Lolo in 1980 and earning a PhD in 1992 , before dying in 1995 in Hawaii following treatment for ovarian cancer and uterine cancer . Of his early childhood , Obama recalled , " That my father looked nothing like the people around me — that he was black as pitch , my mother white as milk — barely registered in my mind . " He described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage . Reflecting later on his years in Honolulu , Obama wrote : " The opportunity that Hawaii offered — to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect — became an integral part of my world view , and a basis for the values that I hold most dear . " Obama has also written and talked about using alcohol , marijuana , and cocaine during his teenage years to " push questions of who I was out of my mind " . Obama was also a member of the " choom gang " , a self - named group of friends that spent time together and occasionally smoked marijuana . Following high school , Obama moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend Occidental College . In February 1981 , he made his first public speech , calling for Occidental to divest from South Africa in response to its policy of apartheid . In mid - 1981 , Obama traveled to Indonesia to visit his mother and half - sister Maya , and visited the families of college friends in Pakistan and India for three weeks . Later in 1981 , he transferred as a junior to Columbia College , Columbia University in New York City , where he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 . He worked for a year at the Business International Corporation , then at the New York Public Interest Research Group . Chicago community organizer and Harvard Law School . Two years after graduating , Obama was hired in Chicago as director of the Developing Communities Project ( DCP ) , a church - based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Roseland , West Pullman , and Riverdale on Chicago ' s South Side . He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May 1988 . He helped set up a job training program , a college preparatory tutoring program , and a tenants ' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens . Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation , a community organizing institute . In mid - 1988 , he traveled for the first time in Europe for three weeks and then for five weeks in Kenya , where he met many of his paternal relatives for the first time . He returned to Kenya in 1992 with his fiancée Michelle and his half - sister Auma . He returned to Kenya in August 2006 for a visit to his father ' s birthplace , a village near Kisumu in rural western Kenya . In late 1988 , Obama entered Harvard Law School . He was selected as an editor of the " Harvard Law Review " at the end of his first year , and president of the journal in his second year . During his summers , he returned to Chicago , where he worked as an associate at the law firms of Sidley Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990 . After graduating with a J . D . " magna cum laude " from Harvard in 1991 , he returned to Chicago . Obama ' s election as the first black president of the " Harvard Law Review " gained national media attention and led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations , which evolved into a personal memoir . The manuscript was published in mid - 1995 as " Dreams from My Father " . University of Chicago Law School and civil rights attorney . In 1991 , Obama accepted a two - year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book . He then taught at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years — as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996 , and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004 — teaching constitutional law . From April to October 1992 , Obama directed Illinois ' s Project Vote , a voter registration campaign with ten staffers and seven hundred volunteer registrars ; it achieved its goal of registering 150 , 000 of 400 , 000 unregistered African Americans in the state , leading " Crain ' s Chicago Business " to name Obama to its 1993 list of " 40 under Forty " powers to be . In 1993 , he joined Davis , Miner , Barnhill & Galland , a 13 - attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development , where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996 , then of counsel from 1996 to 2004 . His law license became inactive in 2007 . From 1994 to 2002 , Obama served on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago , which in 1985 had been the first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project ; and of the Joyce Foundation . He served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995 to 2002 , as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 1999 . Legislative career : 1997 – 2008 . State Senator : 1997 – 2004 . Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 , succeeding State Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from Illinois ' s 13th District , which at that time spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde Park – Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn . Once elected , Obama gained bipartisan support for legislation that reformed ethics and health care laws . He sponsored a law that increased tax credit s for low - income workers , negotiated welfare reform , and promoted increased subsidies for childcare . In 2001 , as co - chairman of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules , Obama supported Republican Governor Ryan ' s payday loan regulations and predatory mortgage lending regulations aimed at averting home foreclosures . Obama was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998 , defeating Republican Yesse Yehudah in the general election , and was reelected again in 2002 . In 2000 , he lost a Democratic primary race for Illinois ' s 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives to four - term incumbent Bobby Rush by a margin of two to one . In January 2003 , Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate ' s Health and Human Services Committee when Democrats , after a decade in the minority , regained a majority . He sponsored and led unanimous , bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they detained , and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations . During his 2004 general election campaign for U . S . Senate , police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms . Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 following his election to the U . S . Senate . U . S . Senate campaign . In May 2002 , Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U . S . Senate race ; he created a campaign committee , began raising funds , and lined up political media consultant David Axelrod by August 2002 . Obama formally announced his candidacy in January 2003 . Obama was an early opponent of the George W . Bush administration ' s 2003 invasion of Iraq . On October 2 , 2002 , the day President Bush and Congress agreed on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War , Obama addressed the first high - profile Chicago anti - Iraq War rally , and spoke out against the war . He addressed another anti - war rally in March 2003 and told the crowd that " it ' s not too late " to stop the war . Decisions by Republican incumbent Peter Fitzgerald and his Democratic predecessor Carol Moseley Braun to not participate in the election resulted in wide - open Democratic and Republican primary contests involving fifteen candidates . In the March 2004 primary election , Obama won in an unexpected landslide — which overnight made him a rising star within the national Democratic Party , started speculation about a presidential future , and led to the reissue of his memoir , " Dreams from My Father " . In July 2004 , Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention , seen by 9 . 1 million viewers . His speech was well received and elevated his status within the Democratic Party . Obama ' s expected opponent in the general election , Republican primary winner Jack Ryan , withdrew from the race in June 2004 . Six weeks later , Alan Keyes accepted the Republican nomination to replace Ryan . In the November 2004 general election , Obama won with 70 percent of the vote . U . S . Senator : 2005 – 2008 . Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 3 , 2005 , becoming the only Senate member of the Congressional Black Caucus . " CQ Weekly " characterized him as a " loyal Democrat " based on analysis of all Senate votes in 2005 – 2007 . Obama announced on November 13 , 2008 , that he would resign his Senate seat on November 16 , 2008 , before the start of the lame - duck session , to focus on his transition period for the presidency . Legislation . Obama cosponsored the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act . He introduced two initiatives that bore his name : Lugar – Obama , which expanded the Nunn – Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction concept to conventional weapons ; and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 , which authorized the establishment of USAspending . gov , a web search engine on federal spending . On June 3 , 2008 , Senator Obama — along with Senators Tom Carper , Tom Coburn , and John McCain — introduced follow - up legislation : Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008 . Obama sponsored legislation that would have required nuclear plant owners to notify state and local authorities of radioactive leaks , but the bill failed to pass in the full Senate after being heavily modified in committee . Regarding tort reform , Obama voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 , which grants immunity from civil liability to telecommunications companies complicit with NSA warrantless wiretapping operations . In December 2006 , President Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief , Security , and Democracy Promotion Act , marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor . In January 2007 , Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act , which was signed into law in September 2007 . Obama also introduced Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act , a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections , and the Iraq War De - Escalation Act of 2007 , neither of which was signed into law . Later in 2007 , Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act to add safeguards for personality - disorder military discharges . This amendment passed the full Senate in the spring of 2008 . He sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran ' s oil and gas industry , which has not passed committee ; and co - sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism . Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children ' s Health Insurance Program , providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat - related injuries . Committees . Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations , Environment and Public Works and Veterans ' Affairs through December 2006 . In January 2007 , he left the Environment and Public Works committee and took additional assignments with Health , Education , Labor , and Pensions and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs . He also became Chairman of the Senate ' s subcommittee on European Affairs . As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe , the Middle East , Central Asia and Africa . He met with Mahmoud Abbas before Abbas became President of the Palestinian National Authority , and gave a speech at the University of Nairobi in which he condemned corruption within the Kenyan government . Presidential campaigns . 2008 presidential campaign . On February 10 , 2007 , Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield , Illinois . The choice of the announcement site was viewed as symbolic because it was also where Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic " House Divided " speech in 1858 . Obama emphasized issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War , increasing energy independence , and reforming the health care system , in a campaign that projected themes of " hope " and " change " . A large number of candidates entered the Democratic Party presidential primaries . The field narrowed to a duel between Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after early contests , with the race remaining close throughout the primary process but with Obama gaining a steady lead in pledged delegate s due to better long - range planning , superior fundraising , dominant organizing in caucus states , and better exploitation of delegate allocation rules . On June 7 , 2008 , Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed Obama . On August 23 , Obama announced his selection of Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate . Obama selected Biden from a field speculated to include former Indiana Governor and Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine . At the Democratic National Convention in Denver , Colorado , Hillary Clinton called for her supporters to endorse Obama , and she and Bill Clinton gave convention speeches in his support . Obama delivered his acceptance speech , not at the center where the Democratic National Convention was held , but at Invesco Field at Mile High to a crowd of over 75 , 000 ; the speech was viewed by over 38 million people worldwide . During both the primary process and the general election , Obama ' s campaign set numerous fundraising records , particularly in the quantity of small donations . On June 19 , 2008 , Obama became the first major - party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976 . John McCain was nominated as the Republican candidate and the two engaged in three presidential debates in September and October 2008 . On November 4 , Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to 173 received by McCain . Obama won 52 . 9 % of the popular vote to McCain ' s 45 . 7 % . He became the first African American to be elected president . Obama delivered his victory speech before hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago ' s Grant Park . 2012 presidential campaign . On April 4 , 2011 , Obama announced his re - election campaign for 2012 in a video titled " It Begins with Us " that he posted on his website and filed election papers with the Federal Election Commission . As the incumbent president he ran virtually unopposed in the Democratic Party presidential primaries , and on April 3 , 2012 , Obama had secured the 2778 convention delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination . At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte , North Carolina , former President Bill Clinton formally nominated Obama and Joe Biden as the Democratic Party candidates for president and vice president in the general election , in which their main opponents were Republicans Mitt Romney , the former governor of Massachusetts , and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin . On November 6 , 2012 , Obama won 332 electoral votes , exceeding the 270 required for him to be re - elected as president . With more than 51 % of the popular vote , Obama became the first Democratic president since Franklin D . Roosevelt to twice win the majority of the popular vote . President Obama addressed supporters and volunteers at Chicago ' s McCormick Place after his reelection and said : " Tonight you voted for action , not politics as usual . You elected us to focus on your jobs , not ours . And in the coming weeks and months , I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties . " Presidency . First days . The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President took place on January 20 , 2009 . In his first few days in office , Obama issued executive orders and presidential memoranda directing the U . S . military to develop plans to withdraw troops from Iraq . He ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp , but Congress prevented the closure by refusing to appropriate the required funds and preventing moving any Guantanamo detainee into the U . S . or to other countries . Obama reduced the secrecy given to presidential records . He also revoked President George W . Bush ' s restoration of President Ronald Reagan ' s Mexico City Policy prohibiting federal aid to international family planning organizations that perform or provide counseling about abortion . Domestic policy . The first bill signed into law by Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 , relaxing the statute of limitations for equal - pay lawsuits . Five days later , he signed the reauthorization of the State Children ' s Health Insurance Program ( SCHIP ) to cover an additional 4 million uninsured children . In March 2009 , Obama reversed a Bush - era policy which had limited funding of embryonic stem cell research and pledged to develop " strict guidelines " on the research . Obama appointed two women to serve on the Supreme Court in the first two years of his Presidency . Sonia Sotomayor , nominated by Obama on May 26 , 2009 , to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter , was confirmed on August 6 , 2009 , becoming the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice . Elena Kagan , nominated by Obama on May 10 , 2010 , to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens , was confirmed on August 5 , 2010 , bringing the number of women sitting simultaneously on the Court to three , for the first time in American history . On September 30 , 2009 , the Obama administration proposed new regulations on power plants , factories and oil refineries in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming . On October 8 , 2009 , Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd , Jr . Hate Crimes Prevention Act , a measure that expands the 1969 United States federal hate - crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim ' s actual or perceived gender , sexual orientation , gender identity , or disability . On March 30 , 2010 , Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act , a reconciliation bill which ends the process of the federal government giving subsidies to private banks to give out federally insured loans , increases the Pell Grant scholarship award , and makes changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act . In a major space policy speech in April 2010 , Obama announced a planned change in direction at NASA , the U . S . space agency . He ended plans for a return of human spaceflight to the moon and development of the Ares I rocket , Ares V rocket and Constellation program , in favor of funding Earth science projects , a new rocket type , and research and development for an eventual manned mission to Mars , and ongoing missions to the International Space Station . On December 22 , 2010 , Obama signed the Don ' t Ask , Don ' t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 , fulfilling a key promise made in the 2008 presidential campaign to end the Don ' t ask , don ' t tell policy of 1993 that had prevented gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the United States Armed Forces . President Obama ' s 2011 State of the Union Address focused on themes of education and innovation , stressing the importance of innovation economics to make the United States more competitive globally . He spoke of a five - year freeze in domestic spending , eliminating tax breaks for oil companies and reversing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans , banning congressional earmarks , and reducing healthcare costs . He promised that the United States would have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 and would be 80 % reliant on " clean " electricity . As a candidate for the Illinois state senate Obama had said in 1996 that he favored legalizing same - sex marriage ; but by the time of his run for the U . S . senate in 2004 , he said that while he supported civil unions and domestic partnerships for same - sex partners , for strategic reasons he opposed same - sex marriages . On May 9 , 2012 , shortly after the official launch of his campaign for re - election as president , Obama said his views had evolved , and he publicly affirmed his personal support for the legalization of same - sex marriage , becoming the first sitting U . S . president to do so . During his second inaugural address on January 21 , 2013 , Obama called for full equality for gay Americans : " Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal , then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well . " This was a historic moment , being the first time that a president mentioned gay rights or the word " gay " in an inaugural address . In 2013 the Obama administration filed briefs which urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of same - sex couples in the cases of " Hollingsworth v . Perry " ( regarding same - sex marriage ) and " United States v . Windsor " ( regarding the Defense of Marriage Act ) . Economic policy . On February 17 , 2009 , Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , a $ 787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover from the deepening worldwide recession . The act includes increased federal spending for health care , infrastructure , education , various tax breaks and incentives , and direct assistance to individuals , which is being distributed over the course of several years . In March , Obama ' s Treasury Secretary , Timothy Geithner , took further steps to manage the financial crisis , including introducing the Public - Private Investment Program for Legacy Assets , which contains provisions for buying up to two trillion dollars in depreciated real estate assets . Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry in March 2009 , renewing loans for General Motors and Chrysler to continue operations while reorganizing . Over the following months the White House set terms for both firms ' bankruptcies , including the sale of Chrysler to Italian automaker Fiat and a reorganization of GM giving the U . S . government a temporary 60 % equity stake in the company , with the Canadian government taking a 12 % stake . In June 2009 , dissatisfied with the pace of economic stimulus , Obama called on his cabinet to accelerate the investment . He signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System , known colloquially as " Cash for Clunkers " , that temporarily boosted the economy . Although spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department authorized by the Bush and Obama administrations totaled about $ 11 . 5 trillion , only $ 3 trillion had been spent by the end of November 2009 . However , Obama and the Congressional Budget Office predicted that the 2010 budget deficit will be $ 1 . 5 trillion or 10 . 6 % of the nation ' s gross domestic product ( GDP ) compared to the 2009 deficit of $ 1 . 4 trillion or 9 . 9 % of GDP . For 2011 , the administration predicted the deficit will slightly shrink to $ 1 . 34 trillion , while the 10 - year deficit will increase to $ 8 . 53 trillion or 90 % of GDP . The most recent increase in the U . S . debt ceiling to $ 16 . 4 trillion was signed into law on January 26 , 2012 . On August 2 , 2011 , after a lengthy congressional debate over whether to raise the nation ' s debt limit , Obama signed the bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011 . The legislation enforces limits on discretionary spending until 2021 , establishes a procedure to increase the debt limit , creates a Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to propose further deficit reduction with a stated goal of achieving at least $ 1 . 5 trillion in budgetary savings over 10 years , and establishes automatic procedures for reducing spending by as much as $ 1 . 2 trillion if legislation originating with the new joint select committee does not achieve such savings . By passing the legislation , Congress was able to prevent a U . S . government default on its obligations . As it did throughout 2008 , the unemployment rate rose in 2009 , reaching a peak in October at 10 . 0 % and averaging 10 . 0 % in the fourth quarter . Following a decrease to 9 . 7 % in the first quarter of 2010 , the unemployment rate fell to 9 . 6 % in the second quarter , where it remained for the rest of the year . Between February and December 2010 , employment rose by 0 . 8 % , which was less than the average of 1 . 9 % experienced during comparable periods in the past four employment recoveries . By November 2012 , the unemployment rate fell to 7 . 7 % , decreasing to 7 . 3 % in the second quarter of 2013 . GDP growth returned in the third quarter of 2009 , expanding at a rate of 1 . 6 % , followed by a 5 . 0 % increase in the fourth quarter . Growth continued in 2010 , posting an increase of 3 . 7 % in the first quarter , with lesser gains throughout the rest of the year . In July 2010 , the Federal Reserve expressed that although economic activity continued to increase , its pace had slowed , and chairman Ben Bernanke stated that the economic outlook was " unusually uncertain " . Overall , the economy expanded at a rate of 2 . 9 % in 2010 . The Congressional Budget Office and a broad range of economists credit Obama ' s stimulus plan for economic growth . The CBO released a report stating that the stimulus bill increased employment by 1 – 2 . 1 million , while conceding that " It is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package . " Although an April 2010 survey of members of the National Association for Business Economics showed an increase in job creation ( over a similar January survey ) for the first time in two years , 73 % of 68 respondents believed that the stimulus bill has had no impact on employment . Within a month of the 2010 midterm elections , Obama announced a compromise deal with the Congressional Republican leadership that included a temporary , two - year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates , a one - year payroll tax reduction , continuation of unemployment benefits , and a new rate and exemption amount for estate taxes . The compromise overcame opposition from some in both parties , and the resulting $ 858 billion Tax Relief , Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization , and Job Creation Act of 2010 passed with bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress before Obama signed it on December 17 , 2010 . Environmental policy . In July 2013 , Obama expressed reservations and stated he " would reject the Keystone XL pipeline if it increased carbon pollution " or " greenhouse emmisions " . Obama ' s advisers called for a halt to petroleum exploration in the Arctic in January 2013 . Gulf of Mexico oil spill . On April 20 , 2010 , an explosion destroyed an offshore drilling rig at the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico , causing a major sustained oil leak . The well ' s operator , BP , initiated a containment and cleanup plan , and began drilling two relief well s intended to stop the flow . Obama visited the Gulf on May 2 among visits by members of his cabinet , and again on May 28 and June 4 . On May 22 , he announced a federal investigation and formed a bipartisan commission to recommend new safety standards , after a review by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and concurrent Congressional hearings . On May 27 , he announced a six - month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and leases , pending regulatory review . As multiple efforts by BP failed , some in the media and public expressed confusion and criticism over various aspects of the incident , and stated a desire for more involvement by Obama and the federal government . Health care reform . Obama called for Congress to pass legislation reforming health care in the United States , a key campaign promise and a top legislative goal . He proposed an expansion of health insurance coverage to cover the uninsured , to cap premium increases , and to allow people to retain their coverage when they leave or change jobs . His proposal was to spend $ 900 billion over 10 years and include a government insurance plan , also known as the public option , to compete with the corporate insurance sector as a main component to lowering costs and improving quality of health care . It would also make it illegal for insurers to drop sick people or deny them coverage for pre - existing condition s , and require every American to carry health coverage . The plan also includes medical spending cuts and taxes on insurance companies that offer expensive plans . On July 14 , 2009 , House Democratic leaders introduced a 1 , 017 - page plan for overhauling the U . S . health care system , which Obama wanted Congress to approve by the end of 2009 . After much public debate during the Congressional summer recess of 2009 , Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress on September 9 where he addressed concerns over the proposals . In March 2009 , Obama lifted a ban on using federal funds for stem cell research . On November 7 , 2009 , a health care bill featuring the public option was passed in the House . On December 24 , 2009 , the Senate passed its own bill — without a public option — on a party - line vote of 60 – 39 . On March 21 , 2010 , the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by the Senate in December was passed in the House by a vote of 219 to 212 . Obama signed the bill into law on March 23 , 2010 . The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes health - related provisions to take effect over four years , including expanding Medicaid eligibility for people making up to 133 % of the federal poverty level ( FPL ) starting in 2014 , subsidizing insurance premiums for people making up to 400 % of the FPL ( $ 88 , 000 for family of four in 2010 ) so their maximum " out - of - pocket " payment for annual premiums will be from 2 to 9 . 5 % of income , providing incentives for businesses to provide health care benefits , prohibiting denial of coverage and denial of claims based on pre - existing conditions , establishing health insurance exchange s , prohibiting annual coverage caps , and support for medical research . According to White House and Congressional Budget Office figures , the maximum share of income that enrollees would have to pay would vary depending on their income relative to the federal poverty level . The costs of these provisions are offset by taxes , fees , and cost - saving measures , such as new Medicare taxes for those in high - income brackets , taxes on indoor tanning , cuts to the Medicare Advantage program in favor of traditional Medicare , and fees on medical devices and pharmaceutical companies ; there is also a tax penalty for those who do not obtain health insurance , unless they are exempt due to low income or other reasons . In March 2010 , the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the net effect of both laws will be a reduction in the federal deficit by $ 143 billion over the first decade . The law faced several legal challenges , primarily based on the argument that an individual mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance was unconstitutional . On June 28 , 2012 , the Supreme Court ruled by a 5 – 4 vote in " National Federation of Independent Business v . Sebelius " that the Commerce Clause does not allow the government to require people to buy health insurance , but the mandate was constitutional under the US Congress ' s taxing authority . Energy policy . [ Sources needed for energy policy ] . Prior content moved to Environmental Policy . Gun control . On January 16 , 2013 , one month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting , President Obama signed 23 executive orders and outlined a series of sweeping proposals regarding gun control . He urged Congress to reintroduce an expired ban on " military - style " assault weapons , such as those used in several recent mass shootings , impose limits on ammunition magazines to 10 rounds , introduce background checks on all gun sales , pass a ban on possession and sale of armor - piercing bullets , introduce harsher penalties for gun - traffickers , especially unlicensed dealers who buy arms for criminals and approving the appointment of the head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives for the first time since 2006 . 2010 midterm elections . Obama called the November 2 , 2010 election , where the Democratic Party lost 63 seats in , and control of , the House of Representatives , " humbling " and a " shellacking " . He said that the results came because not enough Americans had felt the effects of the economic recovery . Foreign policy . In February and March 2009 , Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a " new era " in U . S . foreign relations with Russia and Europe , using the terms " break " and " reset " to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration . Obama attempted to reach out to Arab leaders by granting his first interview to an Arab cable TV network , Al Arabiya . On March 19 , Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world , releasing a New Year ' s video message to the people and government of Iran . In April , Obama gave a speech in Ankara , Turkey , which was well received by many Arab governments . On June 4 , 2009 , Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for " A New Beginning " in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace . On June 26 , 2009 , in response to the Iranian government ' s actions towards protesters following Iran ' s 2009 presidential election , Obama said : " The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous . We see it and we condemn it . " On July 7 , while in Moscow , he responded to a Vice President Biden comment on a possible Israeli military strike on Iran by saying : " We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East . " On September 24 , 2009 , Obama became the first sitting U . S . president to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council . In March 2010 , Obama took a public stance against plans by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building Jewish housing projects in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem . During the same month , an agreement was reached with the administration of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with a new pact reducing the number of long - range nuclear weapons in the arsenals of both countries by about one - third . Obama and Medvedev signed the New START treaty in April 2010 , and the U . S . Senate ratified it in December 2010 . On December 6 , 2011 , he instructed agencies to consider LGBT rights when issuing financial aid to foreign countries . Iraq War . On February 27 , 2009 , Obama announced that combat operations in Iraq would end within 18 months . His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan . Obama said , " Let me say this as plainly as I can : by August 31 , 2010 , our combat mission in Iraq will end . " The Obama administration scheduled the withdrawal of combat troops to be completed by August 2010 , decreasing troop ' s levels from 142 , 000 while leaving a transitional force of about 50 , 000 in Iraq until the end of 2011 . On August 19 , 2010 , the last U . S . combat brigade exited Iraq . Remaining troops transitioned from combat operations to counter - terrorism and the training , equipping , and advising of Iraqi security forces . On August 31 , 2010 , Obama announced that the United States combat mission in Iraq was over . On October 21 , 2011 President Obama announced that all U . S . troops would leave Iraq in time to be " home for the holidays " . War in Afghanistan . Early in his presidency , Obama moved to bolster U . S . troop strength in Afghanistan . He announced an increase to U . S . troop levels of 17 , 000 in February 2009 to " stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan " , an area he said had not received the " strategic attention , direction and resources it urgently requires " . He replaced the military commander in Afghanistan , General David D . McKiernan , with former Special Forces commander Lt . Gen . Stanley A . McChrystal in May 2009 , indicating that McChrystal ' s Special Forces experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war . On December 1 , 2009 , Obama announced the deployment of an additional 30 , 000 military personnel to Afghanistan and proposed to begin troop withdrawals 18 months from that date ; this took place in July 2011 . David Petraeus replaced McChrystal in June 2010 , after McChrystal ' s staff criticized White House personnel in a magazine article . In February 2013 Obama said the U . S . military would reduce the troop level in Afghanistan from 68 , 000 to 34 , 000 US troops by February 2014 . Israel . Obama referred to the bond between the United States and Israel as " unbreakable . " During the initial years of the Obama administration , the U . S . increased military cooperation with Israel , including increased military aid , re - establishment of the U . S . - Israeli Joint Political Military Group and the Defense Policy Advisory Group , and an increase in visits among high - level military officials of both countries . The Obama administration asked Congress to allocate money toward funding the Iron Dome program in response to the waves of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel . In 2011 , the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements , with the United States being the only nation to do so . Obama supports the two - state solution to the Arab – Israeli conflict based on the 1967 borders with land swaps . In 2013 , one journalist reported that , in Obama ' s view , " with each new settlement announcement , Netanyahu is moving his country down a path toward near - total isolation . " War in Libya . In March 2011 , as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi advanced on rebels across Libya , calls for a no - fly zone came from around the world , including Europe , the Arab League , and a resolution passed unanimously by the U . S . Senate . In response to the unanimous passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 on March 17 , Gaddafi — who had previously vowed to " show no mercy " to the rebels of Benghazi — announced an immediate cessation of military activities , yet reports came in that his forces continued shelling Misrata . The next day , on Obama ' s orders , the U . S . military took part in air strikes to destroy the Libyan government ' s air defense capabilities to protect civilians and enforce a no - fly - zone , including the use of Tomahawk missiles , B - 2 Spirits , and fighter jets . Six days later , on March 25 , by unanimous vote of all of its 28 members , NATO took over leadership of the effort , dubbed Operation Unified Protector . Some Representatives questioned whether Obama had the constitutional authority to order military action in addition to questioning its cost , structure and aftermath . Osama bin Laden . Starting with information received in July 2010 , intelligence developed by the CIA over the next several months determined what they believed to be the location of Osama bin Laden in a large compound in Abbottabad , Pakistan , a suburban area 35 miles from Islamabad . CIA head Leon Panetta reported this intelligence to President Obama in March 2011 . Meeting with his national security advisers over the course of the next six weeks , Obama rejected a plan to bomb the compound , and authorized a " surgical raid " to be conducted by United States Navy SEALs . The operation took place on May 1 , 2011 , resulting in the death of bin Laden and the seizure of papers , computer drives and disks from the compound . DNA testing identified bin Laden ' s body , which was buried at sea several hours later . Within minutes of the President ' s announcement from Washington , DC , late in the evening on May 1 , there were spontaneous celebrations around the country as crowds gathered outside the White House , and at New York City ' s Ground Zero and Times Square . Reaction to the announcement was positive across party lines , including from former presidents Bill Clinton and George W . Bush , and from many countries around the world . Cultural and political image . Obama ' s family history , upbringing , and Ivy League education differ markedly from those of African - American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement . Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is " black enough " , Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that " we ' re still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong " . Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech , saying : " I wouldn ' t be here if , time and again , the torch had not been passed to a new generation . " Obama is frequently referred to as an exceptional orator . During his pre - inauguration transition period and continuing into his presidency , Obama has delivered a series of weekly Internet video addresses . According to the Gallup Organization , Obama began his presidency with a 68 % approval rating before gradually declining for the rest of the year , and eventually bottoming out at 41 % in August 2010 , a trend similar to Ronald Reagan ' s and Bill Clinton ' s first years in office . He experienced a small poll bounce shortly after the death of Osama bin Laden , which lasted until around June 2011 , when his approval numbers dropped back to where they were prior to the operation . His approval ratings rebounded around the same time as his re - election in 2012 , with polls showing an average job approval of 52 % shortly after his second inauguration . Polls show strong support for Obama in other countries , and before being elected President he met with prominent foreign figures including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , Italy ' s Democratic Party leader and Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni , and French President Nicolas Sarkozy . In a February 2009 poll conducted in Western Europe and the U . S . by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the " International Herald Tribune " , Obama was rated as the most respected world leader , as well as the most powerful . In a similar poll conducted by Harris in May 2009 , Obama was rated as the most popular world leader , as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn . Obama won Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Awards for abridged audiobook versions of " Dreams from My Father " in February 2006 and for " The Audacity of Hope " in February 2008 . His concession speech after the New Hampshire primary was set to music by independent artists as the music video " Yes We Can " , which was viewed 10 million times on YouTube in its first month and received a Daytime Emmy Award . In December 2008 , " Time magazine " magazine named Obama as its Person of the Year for his historic candidacy and election , which it described as " the steady march of seemingly impossible accomplishments " . He was again named Person of the Year in 2012 . On October 9 , 2009 , the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize " for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples " . Obama accepted this award in Oslo , Norway on December 10 , 2009 , with " deep gratitude and great humility . " The award drew a mixture of praise and criticism from world leaders and media figures . Obama is the fourth U . S . president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the third to become a Nobel laureate while in office . Family and personal life . In a 2006 interview , Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family : " It ' s like a little mini - United Nations " , he said . " I ' ve got relatives who look like Bernie Mac , and I ' ve got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher . " Obama has a half - sister with whom he was raised ( Maya Soetoro - Ng , the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband ) and seven half - siblings from his Kenyan father ' s family – six of them living . Obama ' s mother was survived by her Kansas - born mother , Madelyn Dunham , until her death on November 2 , 2008 , two days before his election to the Presidency . Obama also has roots in Ireland ; he met with his Irish cousins in Moneygall in May 2011 . In " Dreams from My Father " , Obama ties his mother ' s family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis , President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War . In his youth , Obama was known as " Barry " among his family and friends , but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years . Besides his native English , Obama speaks some basic Indonesian , having learned the language during his four childhood years in Jakarta . He plays basketball , a sport he participated in as a member of his high school ' s varsity team ; he is left - handed . Obama is a supporter of the Chicago White Sox , and he threw out the first pitch at the 2005 ALCS when he was still a senator . In 2009 , he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the all star game while wearing a White Sox jacket . He is also primarily a Chicago Bears football fan in the NFL , but in his childhood and adolescence was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers , and rooted for them ahead of their victory in last = Branigin | first = William | title = Steelers Win Obama ' s Approval | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = January 30 , 2009 | url = http : / / www . washingtonpost . com / wp - dyn / content / article / 2009 / 01 / 29 / AR2009012903196 . html | quote = But other than the Bears , the Steelers are probably the team that ' s closest to my heart . } } < / ref > In 2011 , Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears to the White House ; the team had not visited the White House after their Super Bowl win in 1986 due to the [ [ Space Shuttle Challenger disaster . In June 1989 , Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of [ [ Sidley Austin ] ] . Assigned for three months as Obama ' s adviser at the firm , Robinson joined him at several group social functions , but declined his initial requests to date . They began dating later that summer , became engaged in 1991 , and were married on October 3 , 1992 . The couple ' s first daughter , Malia Ann , was born on July 4 , 1998 , followed by a second daughter , Natasha ( " Sasha " ) , on June 10 , 2001 . The Obama daughters attended the private [ [ University of Chicago Laboratory Schools ] ] . When they moved to Washington , D . C . , in January 2009 , the girls started at the private [ [ Sidwell Friends School ] ] . The Obamas have a [ [ Portuguese Water Dog ] ] named [ [ Bo ( dog ) | Bo ] ] , a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy . Applying the proceeds of a book deal , the family moved in 2005 from a [ [ Hyde Park , Chicago ] ] condominium to a $ 1 . 6 million house in neighboring [ [ Kenwood , Chicago ] ] . The purchase of an adjacent lot — and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer , campaign donor and friend [ [ Tony Rezko ] ] — attracted media attention because of Rezko ' s subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama . In December 2007 , " Money " estimated the Obama family ' s net worth at $ 1 . 3 million . Their 2009 tax return showed a household income of $ 5 . 5 million — up from about $ 4 . 2 million in 2007 and $ 1 . 6 million in 2005 — mostly from sales of his books . On his 2010 income of $ 1 . 7 million , he gave 14 % to non - profit organizations , including $ 131 , 000 to [ [ Fisher House Foundation ] ] , a charity assisting wounded veterans ' families , allowing them to reside near where the veteran is receiving medical treatments . As per his 2012 financial disclosure , Obama may be worth as much as $ 10 million . Obama tried to quit smoking several times , sometimes using [ [ nicotine replacement therapy ] ] , and , in early 2010 , Michelle Obama said that he had successfully quit smoking . Religious views . Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life . He wrote in " The Audacity of Hope " that he " was not raised in a religious household " . He described his mother , raised by non - religious parents ( whom Obama has specified elsewhere as " non - practicing Methodists and Baptists " ) , as being detached from religion , yet " in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known " . He described his father as a " confirmed atheist " by the time his parents met , and his stepfather as " a man who saw religion as not particularly useful . " Obama explained how , through working with [ [ black church ] ] es as a [ [ Community organizing | community organizer ] ] while in his twenties , he came to understand " the power of the African - American religious tradition to spur social change " . In an interview with the evangelical periodical " Christianity Today " , Obama stated : " I am a Christian , and I am a devout Christian . I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ . I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life . " On September 27 , 2010 , Obama released a statement commenting on his religious views saying " I ' m a Christian by choice . My family didn ' t — frankly , they weren ' t folks who went to church every week . And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew , but she didn ' t raise me in the church . So I came to my Christian faith later in life , and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead — being my brothers ' and sisters ' keeper , treating others as they would treat me . " Obama met [ [ Trinity United Church of Christ ] ] pastor Rev . [ [ Jeremiah Wright ] ] in October 1987 , and became a member of Trinity in 1992 . He resigned from Trinity in May 2008 during his first presidential campaign after [ [ Jeremiah Wright controversy | controversial statements ] ] by Wright were publicized . After a prolonged effort to find a church to attend regularly in Washington , Obama announced in June 2009 that his primary place of worship would be the Evergreen Chapel at [ [ Camp David ] ] . External links . 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