The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, For
Immediate Release January 24, 2012
Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address
United States Capitol
Washington, D.C.
9:10 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT:
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished
guests, and fellow Americans:
Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and
welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to
the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought -- and
several thousand gave their lives.
We gather tonight knowing that this generation of
heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the
world. (Applause.) For the first time in nine years, there are
no Americans fighting in Iraq.
(Applause.) For the first time in
two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. (Applause.)
Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and
some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.
These achievements are a testament to the courage,
selflessness and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions
have let us down, they exceed all expectations.
They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their
example. (Applause.) Think about the America within our
reach: A country that leads the world in
educating its people. An America that
attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own
energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the
world. An economy built to last, where
hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.
We can do this.
I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of World War II, when another
generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy
and middle class the world has ever known.
(Applause.) My grandfather, a
veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber
assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on
Earth.
The two of them shared the optimism of a nation that
had triumphed over a depression and fascism.
They understood they were part of something larger; that they were
contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share --
the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to
raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away
for retirement.
The defining issue of our time is how to keep that
promise alive. No challenge is more
urgent. No debate is more
important. We can either settle for a
country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing
number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone
gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the
same set of rules. (Applause.) What’s at stake aren’t Democratic values or
Republican values, but American values.
And we have to reclaim them.
Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing
began leaving our shores. Technology
made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like
never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were
growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.
In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to
people who couldn’t afford or understand them.
Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or
didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
It was wrong.
It was irresponsible. And it
plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us
with more debt, and left innocent, hardworking Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we
lost nearly 4 million jobs. And we lost
another 4 million before our policies were in full effect.
Those are the facts.
But so are these: In the last 22
months, businesses have created more than 3 million jobs. (Applause.)
Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again,
creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by
more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in
place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like this never
happens again. (Applause.)
The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with
anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with
action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that
brought on this economic crisis in the first place. (Applause.)
No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by
outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move
forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last -– an
economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American
workers, and a renewal of American values.
Now, this blueprint begins with American
manufacturing.
On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the
verge of collapse. Some even said we
should let it die. With a million jobs
at stake, I refused to let that happen. In
exchange for help, we demanded responsibility.
We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and
restructure. Today, General Motors is
back on top as the world’s number-one automaker. (Applause.)
Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and
factories. And together, the entire
industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.
We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is
back. (Applause.)
What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other
industries. It can happen in Cleveland
and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can’t
bring every job back that’s left our shore.
But right now, it’s getting more expensive to do business in places like
China. Meanwhile, America is more
productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of
Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back
home. (Applause.) Today, for the first time in 15 years, Master
Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity. (Applause.)
So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to
bring manufacturing back. But we have to
seize it. Tonight, my message to
business leaders is simple: Ask
yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country
will do everything we can to help you succeed.
(Applause.)
We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for
moving jobs and profits overseas.
Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of
the highest tax rates in the world. It
makes no sense, and everyone knows it.
So let’s change it.
First, if you’re a business that wants to outsource
jobs, you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it. (Applause.)
That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like
Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.
(Applause.)
Second, no American company should be able to avoid
paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. (Applause.)
From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic
minimum tax. And every penny should go towards
lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here in
America. (Applause.)
Third, if you’re an American manufacturer, you should
get a bigger tax cut. If you’re a
high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making
your products here. And if you want to
relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should
get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers. (Applause.)
So my message is simple. It is time to stop rewarding businesses that
ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here
in America. Send me these tax reforms,
and I will sign them right away.
(Applause.)
We’re also making it easier for American businesses to
sell products all over the world. Two
years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements we
signed into law, we’re on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule. (Applause.)
And soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in
Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon,
there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and
Toledo, and Chicago. (Applause.)
I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets
for American products. And I will not
stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules. We’ve brought trade cases against China at
nearly twice the rate as the last administration –- and it’s made a
difference. (Applause.) Over a thousand Americans are working today
because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires.
But we need to do more. It’s not
right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be
pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers
have a leg up on ours only because they’re heavily subsidized.
Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade
Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trading
practices in countries like China.
(Applause.) There will be more
inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our
borders. And this Congress should make
sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when
it comes to accessing financing or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth,
and if the playing field is level, I promise you -– America will always
win. (Applause.)
I also hear from many business leaders who want to
hire in the United States but can’t find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology
have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that –- openings at a time when
millions of Americans are looking for work.
It’s inexcusable. And we know how
to fix it.
Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who
was laid off from her job as a mechanic.
Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a
partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses
in laser and robotics training. It paid
Jackie’s tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.
I want every American looking for work to have the
same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me
in a national commitment to train 2 million Americans with skills that will
lead directly to a job. (Applause.) My administration has already lined up more
companies that want to help. Model
partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places
like Charlotte, and Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges
the resources they need to become community career centers -– places that teach
people skills that businesses are looking for right now, from data management
to high-tech manufacturing.
And I want to cut through the maze of confusing
training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program,
one website, and one place to go for all the information and help that they
need. It is time to turn our
unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work. (Applause.)
These reforms will help people get jobs that are open
today. But to prepare for the jobs of
tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.
For less than 1 percent of what our nation spends on
education each year, we’ve convinced nearly every state in the country to raise
their standards for teaching and learning -- the first time that’s happened in
a generation.
But challenges remain.
And we know how to solve them.
At a time when other countries are doubling down on
education, tight budgets have forced states to lay off thousands of
teachers. We know a good teacher can
increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from
poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a
teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest
pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies -- just to
make a difference.
Teachers matter.
So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer
schools a deal. Give them the resources
to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. (Applause.)
And in return, grant schools flexibility: to teach with creativity and passion; to stop
teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids
learn. That’s a bargain worth
making. (Applause.)
We also know that when students don’t walk away from
their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. When students are not allowed to drop out,
they do better. So tonight, I am
proposing that every state -- every state -- requires that all students stay in
high school until they graduate or turn 18.
(Applause.)
When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can
be the cost of college. At a time when
Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs
to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. (Applause.)
Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves
millions of middle-class families thousands of dollars, and give more young
people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of
work-study jobs in the next five years.
(Applause.)
Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student
aid. We can’t just keep subsidizing
skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money.
States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher
priority in their budgets. And colleges
and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down.
Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents
who’ve done just that. Some schools
redesign courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on
notice: If you can’t stop tuition from
going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. (Applause.)
Higher education can’t be a luxury -– it is an economic imperative that
every family in America should be able to afford.
Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of
talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: the fact that they aren’t yet American
citizens. Many were brought here as
small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with
the threat of deportation. Others came
more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as
they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new
jobs somewhere else.
That doesn’t make sense.
I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on
illegal immigration. That’s why my
administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings
than when I took office. The opponents
of action are out of excuses. We should
be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. (Applause.)
But if election-year politics keeps Congress from
acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling
responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses,
defend this country. Send me a law that
gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away. (Applause.)
You see, an economy built to last is one where we
encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for
equal work. (Applause.) It means we should support everyone who’s
willing to work, and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become
the next Steve Jobs.
After all, innovation is what America has always been
about. Most new jobs are created in
start-ups and small businesses. So let’s
pass an agenda that helps them succeed.
Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting
the financing to grow. (Applause.) Expand tax relief to small businesses that
are raising wages and creating good jobs.
Both parties agree on these ideas.
So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year. (Applause.)
Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our
federally financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill
cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched.
New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for
the future. Support the same kind of
research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new
American jobs and new American industries.
And nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than
in American-made energy. Over the last
three years, we’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration,
and tonight, I’m directing my administration to open more than 75 percent of
our potential offshore oil and gas resources.
(Applause.) Right now -- right
now -- American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight
years. That’s right -- eight years. Not only that -- last year, we relied less on
foreign oil than in any of the past 16 years.
(Applause.)
But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves,
oil isn’t enough. This country needs an
all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of
American energy. (Applause.) A strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full
of new jobs.
We have a supply of natural gas that can last America
nearly 100 years. (Applause.) And my administration will take every
possible action to safely develop this energy.
Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of
the decade. And I’m requiring all
companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they
use. (Applause.) Because America will develop this resource
without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.
The development of natural gas will create jobs and
power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t
have to choose between our environment and our economy. (Applause.)
And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of 30
years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out
of shale rock –- reminding us that government support is critical in helping
businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.
(Applause.)
Now, what’s true for natural gas is just as true for
clean energy. In three years, our
partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the
world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable
energy use has nearly doubled, and thousands of Americans have jobs because of
it.
When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making
furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second
chance. But he found work at Energetx, a
wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan.
Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan, who
said, “I’m proud to be working in the industry of the future.”
Our experience with shale gas, our experience with
natural gas, shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don’t always
come right away. Some technologies don’t
pan out; some companies fail. But I will
not walk away from the promise of clean energy.
I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. (Applause.)
I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany
because we refuse to make the same commitment here.
We’ve subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. (Applause.)
It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has
been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that never has
been more promising. Pass clean energy
tax credits. Create these jobs. (Applause.)
We can also spur energy innovation with new
incentives. The differences in this
chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate
change. But there’s no reason why
Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market
for innovation. So far, you haven’t
acted. Well, tonight, I will. I’m directing my administration to allow the
development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million
homes. And I’m proud to announce that
the Department of Defense, working with us, the world’s largest consumer of
energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history -–
with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes
a year. (Applause.)
Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste
less energy. So here’s a proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in
their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower
over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing,
more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs. (Applause.)
Building this new energy future should be just one
part of a broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges; a
power grid that wastes too much energy; an incomplete high-speed broadband
network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her
products all over the world.
During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover
Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After
World War II, we connected our states with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations
invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built
them to the businesses that still use them today.
In the next few weeks, I will sign an executive order
clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we’re no longer spending at
war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some
nation-building right here at home.
(Applause.)
There’s never been a better time to build, especially
since the construction industry was one of the hardest hit when the housing
bubble burst. Of course, construction
workers weren’t the only ones who were hurt.
So were millions of innocent Americans who’ve seen their home values
decline. And while government can’t fix
the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn’t have to sit and wait
for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.
And that’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that
gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on
their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low rates. (Applause.)
No more red tape. No more
runaround from the banks. A small fee on
the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won’t add to the deficit
and will give those banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a
deficit of trust. (Applause.)
Let’s never forget:
Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day
deserve a government and a financial system that do the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top to
bottom. No bailouts, no handouts, and no
copouts. An America built to last
insists on responsibility from everybody.
We’ve all paid the price for lenders who sold
mortgages to people who couldn’t afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn’t
afford them. That’s why we need smart
regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior.
(Applause.) Rules to prevent
financial fraud or toxic dumping or faulty medical devices -- these don’t
destroy the free market. They make the
free market work better.
There’s no question that some regulations are
outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In
fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency
than my Republican predecessor did in his.
(Applause.) I’ve ordered every
federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. We’ve already announced over 500 reforms, and
just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion
over the next five years. We got rid of
one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend
$10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill -- because milk was
somehow classified as an oil. With a
rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk. (Laughter and applause.)
Now, I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill
without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. (Applause.)
Absolutely. But I will not back
down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw
in the Gulf two years ago.
(Applause.) I will not back down
from protecting our kids from mercury poisoning, or making sure that our food
is safe and our water is clean. I will
not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to
cancel your policy, deny your coverage, or charge women differently than
men. (Applause.)
And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street
was allowed to play by its own set of rules.
The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system’s
core purpose: Getting funding to
entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families
who want to buy a home, or start a business, or send their kids to college.
So if you are a big bank or financial institution,
you’re no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re required to write out a “living will”
that details exactly how you’ll pay the bills if you fail –- because the rest
of us are not bailing you out ever again.
(Applause.) And if you’re a
mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of
signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and
deceptive practices -- those days are over.
Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray
with one job: To look out for them. (Applause.)
We’ll also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly
trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s
investments. Some financial firms
violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real penalty for being a
repeat offender. That’s bad for
consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service
professionals who do the right thing. So
pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.
And tonight, I’m asking my Attorney General to create
a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorney general to
expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky
mortgages that led to the housing crisis.
(Applause.) This new unit will
hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and
help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.
Now, a return to the American values of fair play and
shared responsibility will help protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay
down our debt and invest in our future.
Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a
tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still
fragile. (Applause.) People cannot afford losing $40 out of each
paycheck this year. There are plenty of
ways to get this done. So let’s agree
right here, right now: No side issues. No drama.
Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.
Let’s get it done. (Applause.)
When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to
more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings.
But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1
trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the
wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right
now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all
millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax
rate than his secretary.
Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest
Americans? Or do we want to keep our
investments in everything else –- like education and medical research; a strong
military and care for our veterans?
Because if we’re serious about paying down our debt, we can’t do both.
The American people know what the right choice
is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I’m
prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long-term costs of Medicare and
Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a
guarantee of security for seniors.
But in return, we need to change our tax code so that
people like me, and an awful lot of members of Congress, pay our fair share of
taxes. (Applause.)
Tax reform should follow the Buffett Rule. If you make more than $1 million a year, you
should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes.
And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing
millionaires. In fact, if you’re earning
a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or
deductions. On the other hand, if you
make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes
shouldn’t go up. (Applause.) You’re the ones struggling with rising costs
and stagnant wages. You’re the ones who
need relief.
Now, you can call this class warfare all you
want. But asking a billionaire to pay at
least as much as his secretary in taxes?
Most Americans would call that common sense.
We don’t begrudge financial success in this
country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me
paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get
a tax break I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the
deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference -- like a senior on a
fixed income, or a student trying to get through school, or a family trying to
make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know that’s not right. They know that this generation’s success is
only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and
to the future of their country, and they know our way of life will only endure
if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit. That’s an America built to last. (Applause.)
Now, I recognize that people watching tonight have
differing views about taxes and debt, energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I
bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right about now: Nothing will get done in Washington this
year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is
broken.
Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?
The greatest blow to our confidence in our economy
last year didn’t come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over
whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco?
I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between
Main Street and Wall Street. But the
divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad -- and
it seems to get worse every year.
Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of
money in politics. So together, let’s
take some steps to fix that. Send me a
bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress; I will sign it tomorrow. (Applause.)
Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they
impact. Let’s make sure people who
bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa
-- an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.
Some of what’s broken has to do with the way Congress
does its business these days. A simple
majority is no longer enough to get anything -– even routine business –- passed
through the Senate. (Applause.) Neither party has been blameless in these
tactics. Now both parties should put an
end to it. (Applause.) For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a
simple rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple
up or down vote within 90 days.
(Applause.)
The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and
remote. (Applause.) That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant
me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy, so that our government
is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people. (Applause.)
Finally, none of this can happen unless we also lower
the temperature in this town. We need to
end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of
mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead
of building consensus around common-sense ideas.
I’m a Democrat.
But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That government should do for people only
what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. (Applause.)
That’s why my education reform offers more competition, and more control
for schools and states. That’s why we’re
getting rid of regulations that don’t work.
That’s why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not
a government program.
On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain
the most about government spending have supported federally financed roads, and
clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home.
The point is, we should all want a smarter, more
effective government. And while we may
not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can
make real progress. With or without this
Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your
help. Because when we act together, there’s
nothing the United States of America can’t achieve. (Applause.)
That’s the lesson we’ve learned from our actions abroad over the last
few years.
Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive
blows against our enemies. From Pakistan
to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they
can’t escape the reach of the United States of America. (Applause.)
From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind
down the war in Afghanistan. Ten
thousand of our troops have come home.
Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue,
and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never
again a source of attacks against America.
(Applause.)
As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has
washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from
Sana’a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qaddafi
was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators -– a murderer with American
blood on his hands. Today, he is
gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that
the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be
reversed, and that human dignity cannot be denied. (Applause.)
How this incredible transformation will end remains
uncertain. But we have a huge stake in
the outcome. And while it’s ultimately
up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those
values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and
intimidation. We will stand for the
rights and dignity of all human beings –- men and women; Christians, Muslims
and Jews. We will support policies that
lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no
match for liberty.
And we will safeguard America’s own security against
those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran.
Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about
how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before;
its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their
responsibilities, this pressure will not relent.
Let there be no doubt:
America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and
I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. (Applause.)
But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still
possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations,
it can rejoin the community of nations.
The renewal of American leadership can be felt across
the globe. Our oldest alliances in
Europe and Asia are stronger than ever.
Our ties to the Americas are deeper.
Our ironclad commitment -- and I mean ironclad -- to Israel’s security
has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in
history. (Applause.)
We’ve made it clear that America is a Pacific power,
and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we’ve built to secure
nuclear materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from
the blows we’ve dealt to our enemies, to the enduring power of our moral
example, America is back.
Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you
that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what
they’re talking about. (Applause.)
That’s not the message we get from leaders around the
world who are eager to work with us.
That’s not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin, from Cape Town to Rio,
where opinions of America are higher than they’ve been in years. Yes, the world is changing. No, we can’t control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation
in world affairs –- and as long as I’m President, I intend to keep it that
way. (Applause.)
That’s why, working with our military leaders, I’ve
proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in
the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries,
I’ve already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from
the growing dangers of cyber-threats.
(Applause.)
Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and
women in uniform who defend it.
(Applause.) As they come home, we
must serve them as well as they’ve served us.
That includes giving them the care and the benefits they have earned –-
which is why we’ve increased annual VA spending every year I’ve been
President. (Applause.) And it means enlisting our veterans in the
work of rebuilding our nation.
With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we’re
providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with
American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their
families. And tonight, I’m proposing a
Veterans Jobs Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and
firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her. (Applause.)
Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve
can learn a thing or two from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t
matter if you’re black or white; Asian, Latino, Native American; conservative,
liberal; rich, poor; gay, straight. When
you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the
mission fails. When you’re in the thick
of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one nation, leaving no one
behind.
One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the
SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day in the
Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates -- a man who was George Bush’s defense
secretary -- and Hillary Clinton -- a woman who ran against me for president.
All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid
later told me that he didn’t deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every
single member of that unit did their job -- the pilot who landed the helicopter
that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the
compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the
SEALs who charged up the stairs. More
than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted
each other -- because you can’t charge up those stairs, into darkness and
danger, unless you know that there’s somebody behind you, watching your back.
So it is with America.
Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched
together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes. No one built this country on their own. This nation is great because we built it
together. This nation is great because
we worked as a team. This nation is
great because we get each other’s backs.
And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no
challenge too great; no mission too hard.
As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our
common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the
state of our Union will always be strong.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United
States of America. (Applause.)
END
10:16 P.M. ES
============
Michelle laughed at "crying over spilled milk"?
