THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, fellow citizens:
Fifty-one
years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this chamber that “the
Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress.”
(Applause.) “It is my task,” he said, “to report the State of the Union
-- to improve it is the task of us all.”
Tonight,
thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is
much progress to report. After a decade of grinding war, our brave men
and women in uniform are coming home. (Applause.) After years
of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new
jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less
foreign oil than we have in 20. (Applause.) Our housing market is
healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers,
patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.
(Applause.)
So,
together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and we can say
with renewed confidence that the State of our Union is stronger.
(Applause.)
But
we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard
work and dedication have not yet been rewarded. Our economy is adding
jobs -- but too many people still can’t find full-time employment.
Corporate profits have skyrocketed to all-time highs -- but for more
than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.
It
is our generation’s task, then, to reignite the true engine of
America’s economic growth -- a rising, thriving middle class.
(Applause.)
It
is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this
country -- the idea that if you work hard and meet your
responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, no
matter what you
look like, or who you love.
It
is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on
behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free
enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of
opportunity
to every child across this great nation. (Applause.)
The
American people don’t expect government to solve every problem. They
don’t expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. But
they do expect us to put the nation’s interests before party.
(Applause.)
They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. For
they know that America moves forward only when we do so together, and
that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us
all.
Our
work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget --
decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.
Over
the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the
deficit by more than $2.5 trillion -- mostly through spending cuts, but
also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans.
As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion
in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our
finances.
Now we need to finish the job. And the question is, how?
In
2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn’t agree
on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars’ worth of
budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year. These
sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness.
They’d devastate priorities like education, and energy, and medical
research. They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds
of thousands of jobs. That’s why Democrats,
Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that
these cuts, known here in Washington as the sequester, are a really bad
idea.
Now,
some in Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by
making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training,
Medicare and Social Security benefits. That idea is even worse.
(Applause.)
Yes,
the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health
care for an aging population. And those of us who care deeply about
programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms --
otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we
need for our children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement
for future generations.
But
we can’t ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the
entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the
wealthiest and the most powerful. (Applause.) We won’t grow the middle
class simply by shifting the cost of health care or college onto
families that are already struggling, or by forcing communities to lay
off more teachers and more cops and more firefighters. Most Americans
-- Democrats, Republicans, and independents -- understand
that we can’t just cut our way to prosperity. They know that
broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit
reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing
their fair share. And that’s the approach I offer tonight.
On
Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same
amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the
reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.
(Applause.)
Already,
the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care
costs. (Applause.) And the reforms I’m proposing go even further.
We’ll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and
ask more from the wealthiest seniors. (Applause.) We’ll bring down
costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our
medical bills shouldn’t be based on the number of tests ordered or days
spent in the hospital; they should be based
on the quality of care that our seniors receive. (Applause.) And I am
open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don’t
violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn’t
make promises we cannot keep -- but we must
keep the promises we’ve already made. (Applause.)
To
hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do what leaders
in both parties have already suggested, and save hundreds of billions
of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the
well-off and the well-connected. After all, why would we choose to
make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just to protect special
interest tax breaks? How is that fair? Why is it that deficit
reduction is a big emergency justifying making cuts in Social
Security benefits but not closing some loopholes? How does that
promote growth? (Applause.)
Now
is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that
encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. (Applause.)
We can get this done. The American people deserve a tax code that helps
small businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, and
more time expanding and hiring -- a tax code that ensures billionaires
with high-powered accountants can’t work the system and pay a lower rate
than their hardworking secretaries; a tax code
that lowers incentives to move jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for
businesses and manufacturers that are creating jobs right here in the
United States of America. That’s what tax reform can deliver. That’s
what we can do together. (Applause.)
I
realize that tax reform and entitlement reform will not be easy. The
politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get 100 percent
of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our
economy,
visit hardship on millions of hardworking Americans. So let’s set
party interests aside and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless
cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And let’s
do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers
and scares off investors. (Applause.) The greatest nation on Earth
cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured
crisis to the next. (Applause.) We can't do it.
Let’s
agree right here, right now to keep the people’s government open, and
pay our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of
the United States of America. (Applause.) The American people have
worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their
elected officials cause another. (Applause.)
Now,
most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our
agenda. But let’s be clear, deficit reduction alone is not an economic
plan. (Applause.) A growing economy that creates good, middle-class
jobs -- that must be the North Star that guides our efforts.
(Applause.) Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a
nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip our
people with the skills they need to get those jobs?
And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?
A
year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that
independent economists said would create more than 1 million new jobs.
And I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda. I urge
this
Congress to pass the rest. (Applause.) But tonight, I’ll lay out
additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent with
the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago. Let me
repeat -- nothing I’m proposing tonight should
increase our deficit by a single dime. It is not a bigger government
we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in
broad-based growth. (Applause.) That's what we should be looking for.
Our
first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and
manufacturing. After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our
manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three.
Caterpillar is bringing
jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. And
this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again. (Applause.)
There
are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year,
we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown,
Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab
where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential
to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There’s no reason
this can’t happen in other towns.
So
tonight, I’m announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing
hubs, where businesses will partner with the Department of Defense and
Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers
of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of
15 of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in
manufacturing is made right here in America. We can get that done.
(Applause.)
Now,
if we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the
best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned
$140 to our economy -- every dollar. Today, our scientists are mapping
the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer’s. They’re
developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to
make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these
job-creating investments in science and innovation.
Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen
since the height of the Space Race. We need to make those investments.
(Applause.)
Today,
no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy.
After years of talking about it, we’re finally poised to control our own
energy future. We produce more oil at home than we have in 15
years. (Applause.) We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a
gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate from
sources like wind and solar -- with tens of thousands of good American
jobs to show for it. We produce more natural
gas than ever before -- and nearly everyone’s energy bill is lower
because of it. And over the last four years, our emissions of the
dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually
fallen.
But
for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat
climate change. (Applause.) Now, it’s true that no single event makes a
trend. But the fact is the 12 hottest years on record have all
come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods -- all
are now more frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe that
Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst
wildfires some states have ever seen were all
just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the
overwhelming judgment of science -- and act before it’s too late.
(Applause.)
Now,
the good news is we can make meaningful progress on this issue while
driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to get together,
pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like
the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years
ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I
will. (Applause.) I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive
actions we can take, now and in the future, to
reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of
climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of
energy.
Four
years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the
jobs that came with it. And we’ve begun to change that. Last year,
wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America.
So let’s generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year --
let’s drive down costs even further. As long as countries like China
keep going all in on clean energy, so must we.
Now,
in the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and
greater energy independence. We need to encourage that. And that’s why
my administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil
and gas permits. (Applause.) That’s got to be part of an
all-of-the-above plan. But I also want to work with this Congress to
encourage the research and technology that helps natural gas burn even
cleaner and protects our air and our water.
In
fact, much of our new-found energy is drawn from lands and waters that
we, the public, own together. So tonight, I propose we use some of our
oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive
new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for
good. If a nonpartisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and
admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. Let’s take their
advice and free our families and businesses from the
painful spikes in gas prices we’ve put up with for far too long.
I’m
also issuing a new goal for America: Let’s cut in half the energy
wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years. (Applause.)
We'll work with the states to do it. Those states with the best ideas
to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient
buildings will receive federal support to help make that happen.
America’s
energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need
of repair. Ask any CEO where they’d rather locate and hire -- a
country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed
rail and Internet; high-tech schools, self-healing power grids. The
CEO of Siemens America -- a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to
North Carolina -- said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they’ll
bring even more jobs. And that’s the attitude
of a lot of companies all around the world. And I know you want these
job-creating projects in your district. I’ve seen all those
ribbon-cuttings. (Laughter.)
So
tonight, I propose a “Fix-It-First” program to put people to work as
soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000
structurally deficient bridges across the country. (Applause.) And to
make sure taxpayers don’t shoulder the whole burden, I’m also proposing
a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to
upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods,
modern pipelines to withstand a storm, modern
schools worthy of our children. (Applause.) Let’s prove that there’s
no better place to do business than here in the United States of
America, and let’s start right away. We can get this done.
And
part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector.
The good news is our housing market is finally healing from the collapse
of 2007. Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six years.
Home purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and construction is expanding
again.
But
even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with
solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected. Too many
families who never missed a payment and want to refinance are being told
no. That’s holding our entire economy back. We need to fix it.
Right
now, there’s a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible
homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at
today’s rates. Democrats and Republicans have supported it before,
so what are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill.
(Applause.) Why would we be against that? (Applause.) Why would that
be a partisan issue, helping folks refinance? Right now, overlapping
regulations keep responsible young families from
buying their first home. What’s holding us back? Let’s streamline the
process, and help our economy grow.
These
initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, housing -- all
these things will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand
and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless we also equip
our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs.
(Applause.)
And
that has to start at the earliest possible age. Study after study
shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does
down the road. But today, fewer than 3 in 10 four year-olds are
enrolled
in a high-quality preschool program. Most middle-class parents can’t
afford a few hundred bucks a week for a private preschool. And for poor
kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education
can shadow them for the rest of their lives.
So tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality
preschool available to every single child in America. (Applause.)
That's something we should be able to do.
Every
dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save
more than seven dollars later on -- by boosting graduation rates,
reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In states that
make
it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or
Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math
at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable
families of their own. We know this works. So let’s
do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life
already behind. Let’s give our kids that chance. (Applause.)
Let’s
also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a
good job. Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their
high school students with the equivalent of a technical degree
from one of our community colleges. So those German kids, they're
ready for a job when they graduate high school. They've been trained
for the jobs that are there. Now at schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a
collaboration between New York Public Schools and
City University of New York and IBM, students will graduate with a high
school diploma and an associate's degree in computers or engineering.
We need to give every American student opportunities like this. (Applause.)
And
four years ago, we started Race to the Top -- a competition that
convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and higher
standards, all for about 1 percent of what we spend on education each
year.
Tonight, I’m announcing a new challenge to redesign America’s high
schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech
economy. And we’ll reward schools that develop new partnerships with
colleges and employers, and create classes that focus
on science, technology, engineering and math -- the skills today’s
employers are looking for to fill the jobs that are there right now and
will be there in the future.
Now,
even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher
education. It’s a simple fact the more education you’ve got, the more
likely you are to have a good job and work your way into the middle
class. But today, skyrocketing costs price too many young people out
of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.
Through
tax credits, grants and better loans, we’ve made college more
affordable for millions of students and families over the last few
years. But taxpayers can’t keep on subsidizing higher and higher and
higher
costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs
down, and it’s our job to make sure that they do. (Applause.)
So
tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so that
affordability and value are included in determining which colleges
receive certain types of federal aid. (Applause.) And tomorrow, my
administration
will release a new “College Scorecard” that parents and students can
use to compare schools based on a simple criteria -- where you can get
the most bang for your educational buck.
Now,
to grow our middle class, our citizens have to have access to the
education and training that today’s jobs require. But we also have to
make sure that America remains a place where everyone who’s willing to
work -- everybody who’s willing to work hard has the chance to get
ahead.
Our
economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of
striving, hopeful immigrants. (Applause.) And right now, leaders from
the business, labor, law enforcement, faith communities -- they all
agree
that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
(Applause.) Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done.
Now is the time to get it done. (Applause.)
Real
reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress
my administration has already made -- putting more boots on the Southern
border than at any time in our history and reducing illegal crossings
to their lowest levels in 40 years.
Real
reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship
-- a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a
meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the
line behind the folks trying to come here legally. (Applause.)
And
real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting
periods and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that
will help create jobs and grow our economy. (Applause.)
In
other words, we know what needs to be done. And as we speak,
bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a
bill, and I applaud their efforts. So let’s get this done. Send me a
comprehensive
immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it
right away. And America will be better for it. (Applause.) Let’s get
it done. Let’s get it done.
But
we can’t stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives,
our mothers, our daughters can live their lives free from discrimination
in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence.
Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden
originally wrote almost 20 years ago. And I now urge the House to do
the same. (Applause.) Good job, Joe. And I ask this Congress to
declare that women should earn a living equal to
their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.
(Applause.)
We
know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day’s work with
honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage
earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we put in place, a
family
with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty
line. That’s wrong. That’s why, since the last time this Congress
raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even
higher.
Tonight,
let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works
full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum
wage to $9.00 an hour. (Applause.) We should be able to get
that done. (Applause.)
This
single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families.
It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or
eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses
across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their
pockets. And a whole lot of folks out there would probably need less
help from government. In fact, working folks shouldn’t have to wait
year after year for the minimum wage to go up while
CEO pay has never been higher. So here’s an idea that Governor Romney
and I actually agreed on last year -- let’s tie the minimum wage to the
cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.
(Applause.)
Tonight,
let’s also recognize that there are communities in this country where
no matter how hard you work, it is virtually impossible to get ahead.
Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up. Inescapable
pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still
fighting for their first job. America is not a place where the chance
of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that’s why we
need to build new ladders of opportunity into the
middle class for all who are willing to climb them.
Let’s
offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who’ve got what it
takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that
no one will give them a chance anymore. Let’s put people back to
work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. And this year,
my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit
towns in America to get these communities back on their feet. We’ll
work with local leaders to target resources at public
safety, and education, and housing.
We’ll
give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we’ll
work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to
marriage for low-income couples, and do more to encourage fatherhood
-- because what makes you a man isn’t the ability to conceive a child;
it’s having the courage to raise one. And we want to encourage that.
We want to help that. (Applause.)
Stronger
families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is this kind
of prosperity -- broad, shared, built on a thriving middle class -- that
has always been the source of our progress at home. It’s
also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.
Tonight,
we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice
every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence
that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan and achieve
our objective of defeating the core of al Qaeda. (Applause.)
Already,
we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This
spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security
forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the
next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from
Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue and by the end of next year,
our war in Afghanistan will be over. (Applause.)
Beyond
2014, America’s commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will
endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We're negotiating
an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two
missions -- training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country
does not again slip into chaos, and counterterrorism efforts that allow
us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates.
Today,
the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former
self. (Applause.) It's true, different al Qaeda affiliates and
extremist groups have emerged -- from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa.
The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we
don’t need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad or
occupy other nations. Instead, we'll need to help countries like
Yemen, and Libya, and Somalia provide for their
own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we
have in Mali. And where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we
will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose
the gravest threat to Americans. (Applause.)
Now,
as we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That's why my
administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy
framework to guide our counterterrorism efforts. Throughout, we have
kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. I recognize that in our
democracy, no one should just take my word for it that we’re doing
things the right way. So in the months ahead, I will continue to engage
Congress to ensure not only that our targeting,
detention and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our
laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even
more transparent to the American people and to the world. (Applause.)
Of course,
our challenges don’t end with al Qaeda. America will continue to lead
the effort to prevent the spread of the world’s most dangerous weapons.
The regime in North Korea must know they will only achieve
security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations.
Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only further isolate
them, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense and
lead the world in taking firm action in response
to these threats.
Likewise,
the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time for a
diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that
they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to
prevent
them from getting a nuclear weapon. (Applause.)
At the same
time, we’ll engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear
arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure nuclear
materials that could fall into the wrong hands -- because our ability
to influence others depends on our willingness to lead and meet our
obligations.
America must
also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks. (Applause.)
Now, we know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private
emails. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our
corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to
sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, our air traffic
control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we
did nothing in the face of real threats to our security
and our economy.
And
that’s why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will
strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing, and
developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our
privacy. (Applause.)
But now
Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government
a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks. This is
something we should be able to get done on a bipartisan basis.
(Applause.)
Now,
even as we protect our people, we should remember that today’s world
presents not just dangers, not just threats, it presents opportunities.
To boost American exports, support American jobs and level the playing
field in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete
negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership. And tonight, I’m
announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic
Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union -- because
trade that is fair and free across the Atlantic supports millions of
good-paying American jobs. (Applause.)
We
also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world
enriches us all -- not only because it creates new markets, more stable
order in certain regions of the world, but also because it’s the right
thing to do. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a
day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such
extreme poverty in the next two decades by connecting more people to the
global economy; by empowering women; by
giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve, and
helping communities to feed, and power, and educate themselves; by
saving the world’s children from preventable deaths; and by realizing
the promise of an AIDS-free generation, which is within
our reach. (Applause.)
You
see, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this
period of historic change. I saw the power of hope last year in
Rangoon, in Burma, when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President
into the home where she had been imprisoned for years; when thousands
of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags, including a man who
said, “There is justice and law in the United States. I want our
country to be like that.”
In defense of
freedom, we’ll remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas
to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with
citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support
stable transitions to democracy. (Applause.)
We
know the process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the
course of change in countries like Egypt, but we can -- and will --
insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We’ll keep
the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and
support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. And
we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a
lasting peace. (Applause.)
These
are the messages I'll deliver when I travel to the Middle East next
month. And all this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those
who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk –- our diplomats,
our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United States
Armed Forces. As long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we will do whatever we
must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will
maintain the best military the world has ever known.
(Applause.)
We'll
invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime
spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all servicemembers, and
equal benefits for their families -- gay and straight. (Applause.) We
will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters and
moms, because women have proven under fire that they are ready for
combat.
We
will keep faith with our veterans, investing in world-class care,
including mental health care, for our wounded warriors -- (applause) --
supporting our military families; giving our veterans the benefits and
education and job opportunities that they have earned. And I want to
thank my wife, Michelle, and Dr. Jill Biden for their continued
dedication to serving our military families as well as they have served
us. Thank you, honey. Thank you, Jill. (Applause.)
Defending our
freedom, though, is not just the job of our military alone. We must
all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at
home. That includes one of the most fundamental right of
a democracy: the right to vote. (Applause.) When any American, no
matter where they live or what their party, are denied that right
because they can’t afford to wait for five or six or seven hours just to
cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals.
(Applause.)
So
tonight, I’m announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the voting
experience in America. And it definitely needs improvement. I’m asking
two long-time experts in the field -- who, by the way, recently
served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney’s
campaign -- to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American
people demand it, and so does our democracy. (Applause.)
Of
course, what I’ve said tonight matters little if we don’t come together
to protect our most precious resource: our children. It has been two
months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country
has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different.
Overwhelming majorities of Americans -- Americans who believe in the
Second Amendment -- have come together around common-sense reform, like
background checks that will make it harder for
criminals to get their hands on a gun. (Applause.) Senators of both
parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from
buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help
to get weapons of war and massive ammunition
magazines off our streets, because these police chiefs, they’re tired
of seeing their guys and gals being outgunned.
Each
of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. (Applause.) Now, if
you want to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals deserve a
vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand
birthdays, graduations, anniversaries have been stolen from our lives
by a bullet from a gun -- more than a thousand.
One
of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15
years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette.
She was so good to her friends they all thought they were her best
friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her
classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week
later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a
mile away from my house.
Hadiya’s
parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more
than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun
violence. They deserve a vote. They deserve a vote. (Applause.)
Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. (Applause.) The families of Newtown
deserve a vote. (Applause.) The families of Aurora deserve a vote.
(Applause.) The families of Oak Creek and Tucson and Blacksburg, and
the countless other communities ripped open by
gun violence –- they deserve a simple vote. (Applause.) They deserve a
simple vote.
Our
actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this
country. In fact, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will
perfectly solve all the challenges I’ve outlined tonight. But we were
never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what
difference we can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, uphold our
ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary
work of self-government.
We
were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they
look out for one another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all
across this country. We should follow their example.
We
should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu
Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, she
wasn’t thinking
about how her own home was faring. Her mind was on the 20 precious
newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all
safe.
We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named Desiline
Victor. When Desiline arrived at her polling place, she was told the
wait to vote might be six hours. And as time ticked by, her concern was
not with her tired body
or aching feet, but whether folks like her would get to have their
say. And hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line to support
her -- because Desiline is 102 years old. (Applause.) And they erupted
in cheers when she finally put on a sticker
that read, “I voted.” (Applause.)
We
should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy. When
a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and Brian was the
first to
arrive, he did not consider his own safety. He fought back until help
arrived and ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the
Americans worshiping inside, even as he lay bleeding from 12 bullet
wounds. And when asked how he did that, Brian said,
“That’s just the way we’re made.”
That’s
just the way we’re made. We may do different jobs and wear different
uniforms, and hold different views than the person beside us. But as
Americans,
we all share the same proud title -- we are citizens. It’s a word that
doesn’t just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes
the way we’re made. It describes what we believe. It captures the
enduring idea
that this
country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another
and to future generations, that our rights are wrapped up in the rights
of others; and that well into our third century as a nation, it remains
the task
of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the
next great chapter of our American story.
Thank you. God bless you, and God bless these United States of America. (Applause.)
Applause was never actually said in the State of the Union Address.
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