George W. Bush - Domestic Policy and Affairs

George W. Bush swore in as the 43rd President of the United States on January 20, 2001. Despite being newly elected, Bush faced opposition in Congress for the reforms he promoted during his campaigns. One of the these reforms was a $1.35 Trillion Tax Cut Program, one of the largest cuts in history, arguing that "the surplus is not the government's money, the surplus is the people's money". He believed that the tax cut would stimulate the economy and create jobs. Those who oppose him argued that it would only result to budget deficit and hurt Social Security. Still, Bush held public meetins across the nation to increase public support, and by 2003, although job growth did not change, economy began to improve. However, as time progressed, the United States entered a post-World War II recession. The GDP and median household income decreased. Poverty, unemployment and national debts increased. Many remarked that the situation became the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Although Bush did not have much success on his economic plan, his educational reform worked better. Congress supported and approved his plans to improve education. In 2002 Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, an act to close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind.. This act was meant to measure and close the gap between rich and poor student performance, provide options parents with students in low-performance schools, and target more federal funding to low-income schools. Despite critics who remark that it was underfunded, the act proved to be successful. Many students in the United States provesd to perform significantly better on literacy and math. As this improved, Bush turned his attention to more environmental matters.

During his Presidency, Bush was struck with problems of global warming and environmental hazards. He opposed a protocol by the United Nations called the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol was a collaboration to achieve "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system". In its place, Bush proposed the Clear Skies Act, an amendment to the Clean Air Act. It aims to reduce air pollution by using emissions trading programs. Many opposed, arguing that it allowed more pollution than was already permitted and therefore defeated the purpose. Congress did not approve and the Clear Skies Act was rejected.