Policy durability
All 16 modern US presidents ranked by their net score on this single sub-criterion. Good and harm are scored 0–10 independently; net is good minus harm. Click a name for the full scorecard.
Social Security, FDIC, SEC, NLRB, FHA, public housing, Fair Labor Standards — most of the New Deal regulatory and welfare-state architecture endures 80+ years later. Era-defining 10-good anchor.
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- good·Tier 1·Statistic·Unverified
Social Security, FDIC, SEC, NLRB, and FHA remain operational federal entities 80-93 years after their New Deal creation, distributing trillions of dollars to hundreds of millions of Americans.
ssa.gov ↗
Medicare, Medicaid, VRA, CRA64, ESEA, Head Start, Food Stamps, Wilderness Act — all operational 60 years later. Among the highest durability scores across all presidents.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Great Society institutional architecture remains operational 60 years later: Medicare covering 65M+ Americans, Medicaid 90M+, VRA continued enforcement framework, ESEA reauthorized as ESSA.
Continuous operation of Great Society programs 1965-present
Interstate Highway System (46,000+ miles built across 35 years). Social Security Disability Insurance ongoing. NDEA education frameworks endured. NASA created (1958).
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Interstate Highway System (46,000+ miles), SSDI, and NASA — all created or substantially shaped under Eisenhower — remain operational 65+ years later.
fhwa.dot.gov ↗
NATO operational 76 years later. Truman Doctrine architecture defined US foreign policy through Cold War. Marshall Plan was time-limited but its institutional logic persists. Social Security expansion endures.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Major Truman foreign-policy institutions (NATO, Marshall Plan logic, containment doctrine) persisted as US strategic framework through the entire Cold War.
nato.int ↗
EPA, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, ESA, NEPA — all operational 50+ years later. Title IX. SSI. China-US relationship continues. SALT I framework (until 2002).
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Nixon's environmental legislation framework remains operational 50+ years later, with subsequent amendments extending rather than replacing the original structure.
epa.gov ↗
ADA, CAA Amendments 1990, START, Ryan White, NAGPRA, Education Summit framework — all operational. Strong durability record.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Major Bush 41 legislation (ADA, CAA Amendments, ARRA, Ryan White) remain foundational frameworks 30+ years later.
Continued operation of Bush 41-era legislation
Camp David framework. ANILCA. CERCLA/Superfund. FISA. Ethics in Government Act. Deregulation (airlines, trucking) — all durable.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Carter-era institutional reforms (IG Act, FISA, Ethics Act, deregulation) and environmental laws (ANILCA, CERCLA) remain operational frameworks.
Continued operation of major Carter-era legislation
ISDEAA, EAHCA, RCRA, FLPMA, Magnuson-Stevens — all operational 50 years later. EITC foundational. Helsinki Accords legacy.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Multiple foundational laws signed in Ford's short term (ISDEAA, EAHCA, ERISA, RCRA, FLPMA, Magnuson-Stevens) remain operational frameworks today.
Continued operation of Ford-signed legislation 1974-present
Economic-policy framework durable. SCHIP, NAFTA, EITC expansion, FMLA, Brady Bill — all operational. Welfare Reform paradigm persisted. Some unwinding (Roadless Rule, AWB).
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Most major Clinton-era legislation remains operational including SCHIP (became major children's insurance program), NAFTA (replaced by USMCA 2020), FMLA, EITC expansion framework.
Continued operation of Clinton-era legislation
Many proposals enacted under LBJ (Medicare, Civil Rights Act, Tax Cut). Peace Corps endures. LTBT endures.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Peace Corps, LTBT, Cuban Missile Crisis hotline framework, and Kennedy-proposed legislation enacted under LBJ form durable Kennedy-era legacy.
peacecorps.gov ↗
ACA durable through repeated challenges. JCPOA abrogated under Trump T1 (2018). Paris Agreement withdrawal-rejoin-withdraw cycle. Many EO-based policies reversed.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
ACA proved most durable major Obama legislation despite multiple SCOTUS and political challenges; foreign-policy agreements (JCPOA, Paris) proved fragile under subsequent administrations.
hhs.gov ↗
Tax-cut framework dominant in subsequent decades. Deregulation philosophy persisted. Cold War end shaped subsequent geopolitics. ESA, CWA, CAA survived rollback attempts.
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- good·Tier 1·Academic·Unverified
Reagan-era tax-cut and deregulation framework dominated subsequent Republican economic policy and shaped Democratic economic policy through the New Democrat era.
TRA 1986 rate structure influence on subsequent tax legislation; deregulatory framework persistence
PEPFAR durable positive (operational 22+ years, saved 25M+ lives). Medicare Part D durable. Bush tax cuts mostly continued. Iraq War and surveillance state legacy ongoing.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
PEPFAR has been continuously reauthorized and is widely cited as among the most successful global health programs in history; estimated 25+ million lives saved.
pepfar.gov ↗
TCJA mostly durable. USMCA durable. Abraham Accords durable. Many EO-based policies reversed by Biden. SCOTUS appointments most durable Trump legacy.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Trump T1's most durable legacies: TCJA (most provisions still in effect), USMCA, Abraham Accords, three SCOTUS appointments shaping subsequent decade of jurisprudence.
TCJA continued; USMCA continued; Trump EO reversals by Biden
- Joe Biden2021 – 2025 · insufficient time elapsed
- Donald Trump (T2)2025 – — · insufficient time elapsed