McConnell’s ability to obstruct the appointments and legislation of President Barack Obama is legendary. He thwarted numerous judicial nominees, including Obama’s Supreme Court pick of Merrick Garland in 2016, and for months in 2013 blocked his picks for regulatory agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Environmental Protection Agency.
He also opposed Obama’s efforts to stimulate the economy in response to the fiscal crisis in 2009 and helped to hold up a critical debt-ceiling hike as leverage to demand spending cuts in 2011.
