In July, President Biden waded into the so-called “right to repair” debate by directing regulators to craft rules preventing manufacturers like Microsoft and Apple from restricting consumers’ ability to fix their products. Soon after, the Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously to ramp up its enforcement against those restrictions.

The threat of tougher enforcement appeared to pay dividends. Within a few months, both Microsoft and Apple announced plans to make it easier for consumers to repair their products, a major win for advocates who have long criticized the giants for limiting whether consumers can fix popular tools like the iPhone.

Biden touted those decisions at an event Monday as a sign that his administration’s approach to consumer protection and competition issues is paying off.

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Sarah Miller, executive director of the anti-monopoly group American Economic Liberties Project, said she hopes the administration takes away from the industry’s reaction to his right to repair actions “that the bully pulpit works” and “the bully pulpit can be very effective.”