The Worst Presidential Policies Still Hurting Us Today
Presidential decisions are supposed to guide a country, not haunt it decades later like a ghost in a library that smells faintly of burnt toast. Yet some policies manage to survive, quietly sabotaging everyday life while citizens pretend they don’t exist. Each one is a monument to ambition gone sideways.
From tax loopholes that reward bad behavior to infrastructure plans that crumble faster than a sugar cookie in a toddler’s hand, these policies touch everything. They are complicated, expensive, and somehow still enforced despite obvious consequences.
If you’ve ever wondered why certain systems feel permanently broken, this list will explain why past presidents are still in your business.
NAFTA, 1993
Negotiated by George H.W. Bush and signed by Bill Clinton, the pact shifted manufacturing jobs across the border.
Star Wars Funding, 1980s
Under Ronald Reagan, major research dollars moved to high-risk defense projects, slowing progress in renewable energy and computing.
Atomic Energy Act, 1954
Passed under Dwight D. Eisenhower, it expanded civilian nuclear power without solving radioactive waste storage.
Farm Subsidies, 1970s
Driven by Richard Nixon’s “get big or get out” mantra, overproduction of corn and soy reshaped diets and empowered agribusiness.
Immigration Reform, 1986
Ronald Reagan’s amnesty program legalized millions, but paired it with employer penalties that were rarely enforced.
Truman Doctrine, 1947
Framed by Harry Truman as a stand against Soviet influence, it locked the U.S. into global commitments for generations.
Glass-Steagall Repeal, 1999
Signed by Bill Clinton, the deregulation blended commercial and investment banking and helped set up the 2008 crisis.
Tax Bracket Indexing, 1981
Rolled out during Ronald Reagan’s tax overhaul, indexing curbed inflation creep while boosting long-term deficits.
Iran Coup, 1953
With Dwight D. Eisenhower’s approval, the CIA removed Iran’s elected leader, planting the seeds of lasting hostility.
War on Drugs, 1971
Announced by Richard Nixon as a crime-fighting plan, it ballooned incarceration rates without reducing drug availability.
FHA Redlining, 1930s
Federal housing officials entrenched segregation through redlining, creating the racial wealth gap modern administrations still wrestle with.
Interstate Highway Act, 1956
A signature move of Dwight D. Eisenhower that built coast-to-coast roads while cutting through urban neighborhoods.
Welfare Reform, 1996
Rebranded by Bill Clinton as TANF, the new system shrank benefits and left extreme poverty with fewer escape routes.
Telecom Deregulation Act, 1996
By the time Bill Clinton signed it, media ownership limits were toast, paving the way for today’s corporate content monopoly.
Nixon Shock, 1971
Ended under Richard Nixon, the dollar’s break from gold kicked off the fiat era and long-term inflation headaches.