As we all know, Inauguration Day was January 20th, the day that we can no longer call Barack Obama the President of the United States of America. January 20th is the day that the title of being called President was given to Donald Trump.

Trump has voiced many of his ideas that may or may not be put into action once he is in office. Some of Trump’s ideas include repealing and replacing health care laws and reinstating the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS). Obama has spent his last days in office ensuring health care to those in need and protecting the people in America. Obama’s administration has blocked states from defunding planned parenthood; this rule took effect January 18, 2017. This means that clinics that provide abortions cannot be blocked from federal funding unless they are incapable of delivering services to program beneficiaries in an effective manner. Many of these clinics provide contraceptive services, pregnancy testing, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, screening for cervical and breast cancer, infertility services and many other labors.

The National Security Entry Exit Registration System initiated in September of 2002 and was terminated in December of 2016. Prior to this, portions of NSEERS were suspended in December 2011. This program started to increase screening of travelers from specific countries- countries where extremist organizations were active and were “high risk”; most of these countries had Muslim populations as the majority. Obama dismantled this visitor registry before many Middle Easterners could be targeted by Trump’s future actions. This program was viewed as inefficient because it did not increase security.

Obama has also permanently banned offshore oil and gas drilling along wide areas of the Arctic and the Atlantic Seaboard in order to protect the environment. The banning of offshore oil and gas drilling is a precaution being made, there are significant risks of an oil spill in this region and our ability to clean up the spill in this region is restricted.

Protecting America’s health care, Middle Easterners, and the world’s environment are just a few of Obama’s actions before he left office on January 20, 2017.

– Josephine Sulls