President Barack Obama took the oath of office on Jan. 21, 2009, with two broad mandates bestowed upon him by the American people: repair the mess that President Bush and his administration left behind after eight disastrous years in office, and enact a bold, progressive agenda that includes fixing our nation’s health care system and seriously addressing global climate change. Obama went to work right away, pushing the “biggest, boldest countercyclical fiscal stimulus in American history” through Congress — a $787 billion dollar measure that not only creates jobs but also provides investments in energy, transportation, education and health care.

From: pr.thinkprogress.org