"In the depths of that winter, on January 20, 2009, I stood before you and swore a sacred oath," Obama said in his letter addressed to the American people. "I told you that day that the challenges we faced would not be met easily or in a short span of time — but they would be met. And after eight busy years, we’ve met them — because of you."
Obama cited the US economic growth of more than 3 percent for the first time in his presidency during the final three months of his administration.
He lauded the drawdown of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq while praising success in the air campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group.
The auto industry, he said, "has roared its way back, saving one million jobs across the country and fueling a manufacturing sector that, after a decade of decline, has added new jobs for the first time since the 1990s."
Obama also credited his signature health reform plan known as Obamacare, for saving 87 million lives and for slowing the growth in health care prices the lowest rate in the past 50 years.
Republicans in the new Congress and President-elect Donald Trump have taken issue with nearly every issue cited by Obama as a success.
The Republicans blame the outgoing president for an unprecedented increase in insurance premiums for Obamacare participants, for allowing the Islamic State to take over much of Iraq and Syria, and for letting US auto companies move factories overseas.
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