Please, everybody, have a seat. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow Americans: Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this Chamber that "the Constitution makes us not rivals for power, but partners for progress." "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. After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over 6 million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in 5 years and less foreign oil than we have in 20. Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before. 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. 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 alltime 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. 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. 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. 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. Now, 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. And 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. 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. 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. Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs. 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. 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. 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. 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? Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. 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 hard-working 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. 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 a hundred percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, visit hardship on millions of hard-working 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. The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. 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. The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another. 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. A growing economy that creates good, middle class jobs, that must be the north star that guides our efforts. 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? Now, 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. 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. 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 3. 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. 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 3-D 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. 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 materials 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. 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. 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 4 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. 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. 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. 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. And 4 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 redtape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. 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. 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. [ ] 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. 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. Let's prove 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 6 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. Why are—why would we be against that? 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. 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 4-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. That's something we should be able to do. Every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save more than 7 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. 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. And 4 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. 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. And tomorrow my administration will release a new college scorecard that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criterion: 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. 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. Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done. [ ] Now is the time to get it done. Real reform means stronger 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. 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. 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. 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's Act" that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. And I now urge the House to do the same. 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. 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 an hour. We should be able to get that done. 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. 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 rundown 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. Now, 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. 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 Qaida. Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave service men 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. 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 Qaida and their affiliates. Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. It's true, different Al Qaida 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. 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. Of course, our challenges don't end with Al Qaida. 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. 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. Now, we know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate private e-mails. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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. 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 rights of a democracy: the right to vote. Now, when any American, no matter where they live or what their party, are denied that right because they can't afford to wait for 5 or 6 or 7 hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. 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. 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 2 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 commonsense reform, like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. 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. Now, if you want to vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the 2 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 3 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. [ ] They deserve a vote. Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. The families of Newtown deserve a vote. The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The families of Oak Creek and Tucson and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence, they deserve a simple vote. 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 6 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. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read, "I voted." [ ] There's Desiline. 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—and 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.
Please, everybody, have a seat. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow Americans: Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this Chamber that "the Constitution makes us not rivals for power, but partners for progress." "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. After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over 6 million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in 5 years and less foreign oil than we have in 20. Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before. 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. 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 cannot find full-time employment. Corporate profits have skyrocketed to alltime 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. 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. The American people do not expect government to solve every problem. They do not 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. 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. Now, 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 could not 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 would devastate priorities like education and energy and medical research. They would certainly slow our recovery and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. And that is 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. 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 cannot 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. We will not 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 cannot 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 is the approach I offer tonight. On Medicare, I am 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. Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs. And the reforms I am proposing go even further. We will reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. We will bring down costs by changing the way our Government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills should not 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. And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they do not violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our Government should not make promises we cannot keep, but we must keep the promises we have already made. 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? Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. 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 cannot work the system and pay a lower rate than their hard-working 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 is what tax reform can deliver. That is what we can do together. 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 a hundred percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, visit hardship on millions of hard-working Americans. So let us 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 us do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. We cannot do it. Let us 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. The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials because another. Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda. But let us be clear: Deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan. A growing economy that creates good, middle class jobs, that must be the north star that guides our efforts. 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? Now, 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. But tonight I will 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 am 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. That is 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 3. 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. 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 3-D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There is no reason this cannot happen in other towns. So tonight I am 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. 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 are developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs, devising new materials 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. Today, no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy. After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future. We produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years. 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 is energy bill is lower because of it. And over the last 4 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. Now, it is 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 is too late. 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 will not act soon to protect future generations, I will. 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. And 4 years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. And we have begun to change that. Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let us generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year; let us 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 is why my administration will keep cutting redtape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. That is 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 us take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we have put up with for far too long. I am also issuing a new goal for America: Let us cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years. We will 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 would 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 will bring even more jobs. And that is the attitude of a lot of companies all around the world. And I know you want these job-creating projects in your district. I have seen all those ribbon-cuttings. [ ] 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. And to make sure taxpayers do not shoulder the whole burden, I am 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. Let us prove there is no better place to do business than here in the United States of America, and let us 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 6 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 is holding our entire economy back. We need to fix it. Right now there is 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. Why are—why would we be against that? Why would that be a partisan issue, helping folks refinance? Right now overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home. What is holding us back? Let us 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. 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 4-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program. Most middle class parents cannot 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. That is something we should be able to do. Every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save more than 7 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 us do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. Let us give our kids that chance. Let us 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 are ready for a job when they graduate high school. They have 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. And 4 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 am 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 will 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 is a simple fact: The more education you have 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 have made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers cannot keep on subsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it is our job to make sure that they do. 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. And tomorrow my administration will release a new college scorecard that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criterion: 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 is willing to work—everybody who is 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. 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. Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done. [ ] Now is the time to get it done. Real reform means stronger 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. 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. 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 us 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. Let us get it done. [ ] Let us get it done. But we cannot 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's Act" that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. And I now urge the House to do the same. 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. 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 is wrong. That is why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 States have chosen to bump theirs even higher. Tonight let us 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 an hour. We should be able to get that done. 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 should not have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here is an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: Let us tie the minimum wage to the cost of living so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on. Tonight let us 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 is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them. Let us offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who have 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 us put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in rundown 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. Now, we will work with local leaders to target resources at public safety and education and housing. We will give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we will 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 is not the ability to conceive a child, it is having the courage to raise one. And we want to encourage that. We want to help that. 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 is 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 Qaida. Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave service men 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. Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We are 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 Qaida and their affiliates. Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. It is true, different Al Qaida 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 do not need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad or occupy other nations. Instead, we will 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. Now, as we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is 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 are 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. Of course, our challenges do not end with Al Qaida. 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. At the same time, we will 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. Now, we know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate private e-mails. 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 is 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. 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. 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 am 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. 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 is 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. 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 will 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. 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 will 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. These are the messages I will 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 am 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. We will 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. 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, 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. 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 rights of a democracy: the right to vote. Now, when any American, no matter where they live or what their party, are denied that right because they cannot afford to wait for 5 or 6 or 7 hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. So tonight I am announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And it definitely needs improvement. I am 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. Of course, what I have said tonight matters little if we do not come together to protect our most precious resource: our children. It has been 2 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 commonsense reform, like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. 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 are tired of seeing their guys and gals being outgunned. Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. Now, if you want to vote no, that is your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the 2 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 3 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. [ ] They deserve a vote. Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. The families of Newtown deserve a vote. The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The families of Oak Creek and Tucson and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence, they deserve a simple vote. 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 have 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 was not 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 6 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. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read, "I voted." [ ] There is Desiline. 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—and 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 is just the way we are made." That is just the way we are 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 is a word that does not just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we are 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.
please everybody have a seat speaker vice president members of congress fellow americans years ago john kennedy declared to this chamber that the constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress 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 after years of grueling recession our businesses have created over 6 million new jobs we buy more american cars than we have in 5 years and less foreign oil than we have in 20 our housing market is healing our stock market is rebounding and consumers patients and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before 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 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 not find employment corporate profits have skyrocketed to alltime highs but for more than a decade wages and incomes have barely budged it is our generation task then to reignite the true engine of america economic growth a rising thriving middle class 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 the american people do not expect government to solve every problem they do not expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue but they do expect us to put the nation interests before party 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 now 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 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 could not 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 would devastate priorities like education and energy and medical research they would certainly slow our recovery and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs and that is why democrats republicans business leaders and economists have already said that these here in washington as the 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 yes the biggest driver of our 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 not 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 we will not 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 republicans and that we can not just cut our way to prosperity they know that economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction with spending cuts and revenue and with everybody doing their fair share and that is the approach i offer tonight on medicare i am 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 commission already the affordable care act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs and the reforms i am proposing go even further we will reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors we will bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for medicare because our medical bills should not 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 and i am open to additional reforms from both parties so long as they do not violate the guarantee of a secure retirement our government should not make promises we can not keep but we must keep the promises we have already made 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 and the 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 now is our best chance for bipartisan comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit 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 accountants can not work the system and pay a lower rate than their 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 is what tax reform can deliver that is what we can do together 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 a hundred percent of what we want but the alternative will cost us jobs hurt our economy visit hardship on millions of americans so let us 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 us do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors the greatest nation on earth can not keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next we can not do it let us agree right here right now to keep the people government open and pay our bills on time and always uphold the full faith and credit of the united states of america the american people have worked too hard for too long rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials because another now most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda but let us be clear deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan a growing economy that creates good middle class jobs that must be the north star that guides our efforts 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 now 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 but tonight i will 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 am 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 growth that is 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 jobs over the past 3 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 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 warehouse is now a lab where new workers are mastering the printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything there is no reason this can not happen in other towns so tonight i am 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 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 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 dollar today our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to alzheimer they are developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs devising new materials to make batteries 10 times more powerful now is not the time to gut these 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 today no area holds more promise than our investments in american energy after years of talking about it we are finally poised to control our own energy future we produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years 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 is energy bill is lower because of it and over the last 4 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 now it is 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 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 is too late 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 solution to climate change like the one john mccain and joe lieberman worked on together a few years ago but if congress will not act soon to protect future generations i will 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 and 4 years ago other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it and we have begun to change that last year wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in america so let us generate even more solar energy gets cheaper by the year let us 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 is why my administration will keep cutting redtape and speeding up new oil and gas permits that is got to be part of an 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 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 us take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we have put up with for far too long i am also issuing a new goal for america let us cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years we will 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 energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair ask any ceo where they would rather locate and hire a country with deteriorating roads and bridges or one with rail and internet schools power grids the ceo of siemens company that brought hundreds of new jobs to north that if we upgrade our infrastructure they will bring even more jobs and that is the attitude of a lot of companies all around the world and i know you want these projects in your district i have seen all those so tonight i propose a program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs like the nearly structurally deficient bridges across the country and to make sure taxpayers do not shoulder the whole burden i am 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 let us prove there is no better place to do business than here in the united states of america and let us 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 6 years home purchases are up nearly 50 percent and construction is expanding again but even with mortgage rates near a 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 is holding our entire economy back we need to fix it right now there is a bill in this congress that would give every responsible homeowner in america the chance to save a year by refinancing at today rates democrats and republicans have supported it before so what are we waiting for take a vote and send me that bill why would we be against that why would that be a partisan issue helping folks refinance right now overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home what is holding us back let us streamline the process and help our economy grow these initiatives in manufacturing energy infrastructure housing all these things will help entrepreneurs and 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 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 are enrolled in a preschool program most middle class parents can not 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 preschool available to every single child in america that is something we should be able to do every dollar we invest in early childhood education can save more than 7 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 us do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind let us give our kids that chance let us 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 are ready for a job when they graduate high school they have been trained for the jobs that are there now at schools like 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 degree in computers or engineering we need to give every american student opportunities like this and 4 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 am announcing a new challenge to redesign america high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a economy and we will reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers and create classes that focus on science technology engineering and math the skills today 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 is a simple fact the more education you have 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 have made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years but taxpayers can not keep on subsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for higher education colleges must do their part to keep costs down and it is our job to make sure that they do 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 and tomorrow my administration will release a new college scorecard that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criterion 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 jobs require but we also have to make sure that america remains a place where everyone who is willing to who is willing to work the chance to get ahead our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving hopeful immigrants 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 now is the time to do it now is the time to get it done now is the time to get it done real reform means stronger 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 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 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 us 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 let us get it done let us get it done but we can not 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 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 we know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day work with honest wages but today a worker making the minimum wage earns 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 is wrong that is why since the last time this congress raised the minimum wage 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even higher tonight let us declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth no one who works should have to live in poverty and raise the federal minimum wage to 9 an hour we should be able to get that done 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 should not have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while ceo pay has never been higher so here is an idea that governor romney and i actually agreed on last year let us tie the minimum wage to the cost of living so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on tonight let us 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 is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them let us offer incentives to companies that hire americans who have 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 us put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in rundown 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 now we will work with local leaders to target resources at public safety and education and housing we will give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest and we will work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for couples and do more to encourage fatherhood because what makes you a man is not the ability to conceive a child it is having the courage to raise one and we want to encourage that we want to help that stronger families stronger communities a stronger america it is this kind of shared built on a thriving middle has always been the source of our progress at home it is 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 qaida already we have brought home of our brave service men 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 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 beyond 2014 america commitment to a unified and sovereign afghanistan will endure but the nature of our commitment will change we are 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 qaida and their affiliates today the organization that attacked us on is a shadow of its former self it is true different al qaida 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 do not need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad or occupy other nations instead we will 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 now as we do we must enlist our values in the fight that is 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 are 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 of course our challenges do not end with al qaida america will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world 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 at the same time we will 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 now we know hackers steal people identities and infiltrate private 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 can not 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 is 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 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 now even as we protect our people we should remember that today 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 partnership and tonight i am 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 american jobs 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 is 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 children from preventable deaths and by realizing the promise of an generation which is within our reach 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 will 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 we know the process will be messy and we can not 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 will 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 these are the messages i will 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 am 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 we will 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 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 mental health our wounded warriors 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 jill biden for their continued dedication to serving our military families as well as they have served us thank you honey thank you jill defending our freedom though is not just the job of our military alone we must all do our part to make sure our rights are protected here at home that includes one of the most fundamental rights of a democracy the right to vote now when any american no matter where they live or what their party are denied that right because they can not afford to wait for 5 or 6 or 7 hours just to cast their ballot we are betraying our ideals so tonight i am announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the voting experience in america and it definitely needs improvement i am asking two experts in the by the way recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for governor romney lead it we can fix this and we will the american people demand it and so does our democracy of course what i have said tonight matters little if we do not come together to protect our most precious resource our children it has been 2 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 who believe in the second come together around commonsense reform like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun 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 are tired of seeing their guys and gals being outgunned each of these proposals deserves a vote in congress now if you want to vote no that is your choice but these proposals deserve a vote because in the 2 months since newtown more than a thousand birthdays graduations anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a 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 3 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 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 they deserve a vote gabby giffords deserves a vote the families of newtown deserve a vote the families of aurora deserve a vote the families of oak creek and tucson and blacksburg and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence they deserve a simple vote 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 have 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 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 was not 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 6 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 and they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read i voted there is desiline 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 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 is just the way we are made that is just the way we are 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 is a word that does not just describe our nationality or legal status it describes the way we are 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
please everybody seat speaker vice president members congress fellow americans years ago john kennedy declared chamber constitution makes us rivals power partners progress task said report state union improve task us tonight thanks grit determination american people much progress report decade grinding war brave men women uniform coming home years grueling recession businesses created 6 million new jobs buy american cars 5 years less foreign oil 20 housing market healing stock market rebounding consumers patients homeowners enjoy stronger protections ever together cleared away rubble crisis say renewed confidence state union stronger gather knowing millions americans whose hard work dedication yet rewarded economy adding jobs many people still find employment corporate profits skyrocketed alltime highs decade wages incomes barely budged generation task reignite true engine america economic growth rising thriving middle class unfinished task restore basic bargain built country idea work hard meet responsibilities get ahead matter come matter look like love unfinished task make sure government works behalf many encourages free enterprise rewards individual initiative opens doors opportunity every child across great nation american people expect government solve every problem expect us chamber agree every issue expect us put nation interests party expect us forge reasonable compromise know america moves forward together responsibility improving union remains task us work must begin making basic decisions budget decisions huge impact strength recovery last years parties worked together reduce deficit trillion mostly spending cuts also raising tax rates wealthiest 1 percent americans result halfway towards goal 4 trillion deficit reduction economists say need stabilize finances need finish job question 2011 congress passed law saying parties could agree plan reach deficit goal trillion dollars worth budget cuts would automatically go effect year sudden harsh arbitrary cuts would jeopardize military readiness would devastate priorities like education energy medical research would certainly slow recovery cost us hundreds thousands jobs democrats republicans business leaders economists already said washington really bad idea congress proposed preventing defense cuts making even bigger cuts things like education job training medicare social security benefits idea even worse yes biggest driver debt rising cost health care aging population us care deeply programs like medicare must embrace need modest reforms otherwise retirement programs crowd investments need children jeopardize promise secure retirement future generations ask senior citizens working families shoulder entire burden deficit reduction asking nothing wealthiest powerful grow middle class simply shifting cost health care college onto families already struggling forcing communities lay teachers cops firefighters republicans cut way prosperity know economic growth requires balanced approach deficit reduction spending cuts revenue everybody fair share approach offer tonight medicare prepared enact reforms achieve amount health care savings beginning next decade reforms proposed bipartisan commission already affordable care act helping slow growth health care costs reforms proposing go even reduce taxpayer subsidies prescription drug companies ask wealthiest seniors bring costs changing way government pays medicare medical bills based number tests ordered days spent hospital based quality care seniors receive open additional reforms parties long violate guarantee secure retirement government make promises keep must keep promises already made hit rest deficit reduction target leaders parties already suggested save hundreds billions dollars getting rid tax loopholes deductions would choose make deeper cuts education medicare protect special interest tax breaks fair deficit reduction big emergency justifying making cuts social security benefits closing loopholes promote growth best chance bipartisan comprehensive tax reform encourages job creation helps bring deficit get done american people deserve tax code helps small businesses spend less time filling complicated forms time expanding hiring tax code ensures billionaires accountants work system pay lower rate secretaries tax code lowers incentives move jobs overseas lowers tax rates businesses manufacturers creating jobs right united states america tax reform deliver together realize tax reform entitlement reform easy politics hard sides none us get hundred percent want alternative cost us jobs hurt economy visit hardship millions americans let us set party interests aside work pass budget replaces reckless cuts smart savings wise investments future let us without brinksmanship stresses consumers scares investors greatest nation earth keep conducting business drifting one manufactured crisis next let us agree right right keep people government open pay bills time always uphold full faith credit united states america american people worked hard long rebuilding one crisis see elected officials another us agree plan reduce deficit must part agenda let us clear deficit reduction alone economic plan growing economy creates good middle class jobs must north star guides efforts every day ask three questions nation attract jobs shores equip people skills need get jobs make sure hard work leads decent living year half ago put forward american jobs act independent economists said would create 1 million new jobs thank last congress passing agenda urge congress pass rest tonight lay additional proposals fully paid fully consistent budget framework parties agreed 18 months ago let repeat nothing proposing tonight increase deficit single dime bigger government need smarter government sets priorities invests growth looking first priority making america magnet new jobs manufacturing shedding jobs 10 years manufacturers added jobs past 3 caterpillar bringing jobs back japan ford bringing jobs back mexico year apple start making macs america things right accelerate trend last year created first manufacturing innovation institute youngstown ohio warehouse lab new workers mastering printing potential revolutionize way make almost everything reason happen towns tonight announcing launch three manufacturing hubs businesses partner department defense energy turn regions left behind globalization global centers jobs ask congress help create network 15 hubs guarantee next revolution manufacturing made right america get done want make best products also invest best ideas every dollar invested map human genome returned 140 dollar today scientists mapping human brain unlock answers alzheimer developing drugs regenerate damaged organs devising new materials make batteries 10 times powerful time gut investments science innovation time reach level research development seen since height space race need make investments today area holds promise investments american energy years talking finally poised control energy future produce oil home 15 years doubled distance cars go gallon gas amount renewable energy generate sources like wind solar tens thousands good american jobs show produce natural gas ever nearly everyone energy bill lower last 4 years emissions dangerous carbon pollution threatens planet actually fallen sake children future must combat climate change true single event makes trend fact 12 hottest years record come last 15 heat waves droughts wildfires frequent intense choose believe superstorm sandy severe drought decades worst wildfires states ever seen freak coincidence choose believe overwhelming judgment science act late good news make meaningful progress issue driving strong economic growth urge congress get together pursue bipartisan solution climate change like one john mccain joe lieberman worked together years ago congress act soon protect future generations direct cabinet come executive actions take future reduce pollution prepare communities consequences climate change speed transition sustainable sources energy 4 years ago countries dominated clean energy market jobs came begun change last year wind energy added nearly half new power capacity america let us generate even solar energy gets cheaper year let us drive costs even long countries like china keep going clean energy must meantime natural gas boom led cleaner power greater energy independence need encourage administration keep cutting redtape speeding new oil gas permits got part plan also want work congress encourage research technology helps natural gas burn even cleaner protects air water fact much energy drawn lands waters public together tonight propose use oil gas revenues fund energy security trust drive new research technology shift cars trucks oil good nonpartisan coalition ceos retired generals admirals get behind idea let us take advice free families businesses painful spikes gas prices put far long also issuing new goal america let us cut half energy wasted homes businesses next 20 years work states states best ideas create jobs lower energy bills constructing efficient buildings receive federal support help make happen america energy sector one part aging infrastructure badly need repair ask ceo would rather locate hire country deteriorating roads bridges one rail internet schools power grids ceo siemens company brought hundreds new jobs north upgrade infrastructure bring even jobs attitude lot companies around world know want projects district seen tonight propose program put people work soon possible urgent repairs like nearly structurally deficient bridges across country make sure taxpayers shoulder whole burden also proposing partnership rebuild america attracts private capital upgrade businesses need modern ports move goods modern pipelines withstand storm modern schools worthy children let us prove better place business united states america let us start right away get done part rebuilding effort must also involve housing sector good news housing market finally healing collapse 2007 home prices rising fastest pace 6 years home purchases nearly 50 percent construction expanding even mortgage rates near low many families solid credit want buy home rejected many families never missed payment want refinance told holding entire economy back need fix right bill congress would give every responsible homeowner america chance save year refinancing today rates democrats republicans supported waiting take vote send bill would would partisan issue helping folks refinance right overlapping regulations keep responsible young families buying first home holding us back let us streamline process help economy grow initiatives manufacturing energy infrastructure housing things help entrepreneurs owners expand create new jobs none matter unless also equip citizens skills training fill jobs start earliest possible age study study shows sooner child begins learning better road today fewer 3 10 enrolled preschool program middle class parents afford hundred bucks week private preschool poor kids need help lack access preschool education shadow rest lives tonight propose working states make preschool available every single child america something able every dollar invest early childhood education save 7 dollars later boosting graduation rates reducing teen pregnancy even reducing violent crime states make priority educate youngest children like georgia oklahoma studies show students grow likely read math grade level graduate high school hold job form stable families know works let us works make sure none children start race life already behind let us give kids chance let us also make sure high school diploma puts kids path good job right countries like germany focus graduating high school students equivalent technical degree one community colleges german kids ready job graduate high school trained jobs schools like brooklyn collaboration new york public schools city university new york ibm students graduate high school diploma associate degree computers engineering need give every american student opportunities like 4 years ago started race top competition convinced almost every state develop smarter curricula higher standards 1 percent spend education year tonight announcing new challenge redesign america high schools better equip graduates demands economy reward schools develop new partnerships colleges employers create classes focus science technology engineering math skills today employers looking fill jobs right future even better high schools young people need higher education simple fact education got likely good job work way middle class today skyrocketing costs price many young people higher education saddle unsustainable debt tax credits grants better loans made college affordable millions students families last years taxpayers keep subsidizing higher higher higher costs higher education colleges must part keep costs job make sure tonight ask congress change higher education act affordability value included determining colleges receive certain types federal aid tomorrow administration release new college scorecard parents students use compare schools based simple criterion get bang educational buck grow middle class citizens access education training today jobs require also make sure america remains place everyone willing willing work chance get ahead economy stronger harness talents ingenuity striving hopeful immigrants right leaders business labor law enforcement faith communities agree time come pass comprehensive immigration reform time time get done time get done real reform means stronger border security build progress administration already made putting boots southern border time history reducing illegal crossings lowest levels 40 years real reform means establishing responsible pathway earned citizenship path includes passing background check paying taxes meaningful penalty learning english going back line behind folks trying come legally real reform means fixing legal immigration system cut waiting periods attract highly skilled entrepreneurs engineers help create jobs grow economy words know needs done speak bipartisan groups chambers working diligently draft bill applaud efforts let us get done send comprehensive immigration reform bill next months sign right away america better let us get done let us get done stop know economy stronger wives mothers daughters live lives free discrimination workplace free fear domestic violence today senate passed violence women act joe biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago urge house good job joe ask congress declare women earn living equal efforts finally pass paycheck fairness act year know economy stronger reward honest day work honest wages today worker making minimum wage earns year even tax relief put place family two kids earns minimum wage still lives poverty line wrong since last time congress raised minimum wage 19 states chosen bump even higher tonight let us declare wealthiest nation earth one works live poverty raise federal minimum wage 9 hour able get done single step would raise incomes millions working families could mean difference groceries food bank rent eviction scraping finally getting ahead businesses across country would mean customers money pockets whole lot folks would probably need less help government fact working folks wait year year minimum wage go ceo pay never higher idea governor romney actually agreed last year let us tie minimum wage cost living finally becomes wage live tonight let us also recognize communities country matter hard work virtually impossible get ahead factory towns decimated years plants packing inescapable pockets poverty urban rural young adults still fighting first job america place chance birth circumstance decide destiny need build new ladders opportunity middle class willing climb let us offer incentives companies hire americans got takes fill job opening work long one give chance anymore let us put people back work rebuilding vacant homes rundown neighborhoods year administration begin partner 20 hardest hit towns america get communities back feet work local leaders target resources public safety education housing give new tax credits businesses hire invest work strengthen families removing financial deterrents marriage couples encourage fatherhood makes man ability conceive child courage raise one want encourage want help stronger families stronger communities stronger america kind shared built thriving middle always source progress home also foundation power influence throughout world tonight stand united saluting troops civilians sacrifice every day protect us say confidence america complete mission afghanistan achieve objective defeating core al qaida already brought home brave service men women spring forces move support role afghan security forces take lead tonight announce next year another american troops come home afghanistan drawdown continue end next year war afghanistan beyond 2014 america commitment unified sovereign afghanistan endure nature commitment change negotiating agreement afghan government focuses two missions training equipping afghan forces country slip chaos counterterrorism efforts allow us pursue remnants al qaida affiliates today organization attacked us shadow former self true different al qaida affiliates extremist groups emerged arabian peninsula africa threat groups pose evolving meet threat need send tens thousands sons daughters abroad occupy nations instead need help countries like yemen libya somalia provide security help allies take fight terrorists mali necessary range capabilities continue take direct action terrorists pose gravest threat americans must enlist values fight administration worked tirelessly forge durable legal policy framework guide counterterrorism efforts throughout kept congress fully informed efforts recognize democracy one take word things right way months ahead continue engage congress ensure targeting detention prosecution terrorists remains consistent laws system checks balances efforts even transparent american people world course challenges end al qaida america continue lead effort prevent spread world dangerous weapons regime north korea must know achieve security prosperity meeting international obligations provocations sort saw last night isolate stand allies strengthen missile defense lead world taking firm action response threats likewise leaders iran must recognize time diplomatic solution coalition stands united demanding meet obligations necessary prevent getting nuclear weapon time engage russia seek reductions nuclear arsenals continue leading global effort secure nuclear materials could fall wrong hands ability influence others depends willingness lead meet obligations america must also face rapidly growing threat cyber attacks know hackers steal people identities infiltrate private know foreign countries companies swipe corporate secrets enemies also seeking ability sabotage power grid financial institutions air traffic control systems look back years wonder nothing face real threats security economy earlier today signed new executive order strengthen cyber defenses increasing information sharing developing standards protect national security jobs privacy congress must act well passing legislation give government greater capacity secure networks deter attacks something able get done bipartisan basis even protect people remember today world presents dangers threats presents opportunities boost american exports support american jobs level playing field growing markets asia intend complete negotiations partnership tonight announcing launch talks comprehensive transatlantic trade investment partnership european union trade fair free across atlantic supports millions american jobs also know progress impoverished parts world enriches us creates new markets stable order certain regions world also right thing many places people live little dollar day united states join allies eradicate extreme poverty next two decades connecting people global economy empowering women giving young brightest minds new opportunities serve helping communities feed power educate saving world children preventable deaths realizing promise generation within reach see america must remain beacon seek freedom period historic change saw power hope last year rangoon burma aung san suu kyi welcomed american president home imprisoned years thousands burmese lined streets waving american flags including man said justice law united states want country like defense freedom remain anchor strong alliances americas africa europe asia middle east stand citizens demand universal rights support stable transitions democracy know process messy presume dictate course change countries like egypt insist respect fundamental rights people keep pressure syrian regime murdered people support opposition leaders respect rights every syrian stand steadfast israel pursuit security lasting peace messages deliver travel middle east next month work depends courage sacrifice serve dangerous places great personal risk diplomats intelligence officers men women united states armed forces long commander chief whatever must protect serve country abroad maintain best military world ever known invest new capabilities even reduce waste wartime spending ensure equal treatment servicemembers equal benefits families gay straight draw upon courage skills sisters daughters moms women proven fire ready combat keep faith veterans investing mental health wounded warriors supporting military families giving veterans benefits education job opportunities earned want thank wife michelle jill biden continued dedication serving military families well served us thank honey thank jill defending freedom though job military alone must part make sure rights protected home includes one fundamental rights democracy right vote american matter live party denied right afford wait 5 6 7 hours cast ballot betraying ideals tonight announcing nonpartisan commission improve voting experience america definitely needs improvement asking two experts way recently served top attorneys campaign governor romney lead fix american people demand democracy course said tonight matters little come together protect precious resource children 2 months since newtown know first time country debated reduce gun violence time different overwhelming majorities believe second come together around commonsense reform like background checks make harder criminals get hands gun senators parties working together tough new laws prevent anyone buying guns resale criminals police chiefs asking help get weapons war massive ammunition magazines streets police chiefs tired seeing guys gals outgunned proposals deserves vote congress want vote choice proposals deserve vote 2 months since newtown thousand birthdays graduations anniversaries stolen lives bullet thousand one lost young girl named hadiya pendleton 15 years old loved fig newtons lip gloss majorette good friends thought best friend 3 weeks ago washington classmates performing country inauguration week later shot killed chicago park school mile away house hadiya parents nate cleo chamber tonight along two dozen americans whose lives torn apart gun violence deserve vote deserve vote deserve vote gabby giffords deserves vote families newtown deserve vote families aurora deserve vote families oak creek tucson blacksburg countless communities ripped open gun violence deserve simple vote deserve simple vote actions prevent every senseless act violence country fact laws initiatives administrative acts perfectly solve challenges outlined tonight never sent perfect sent make difference secure nation expand opportunity uphold ideals hard often frustrating absolutely necessary work sent look fellow americans way look one another every single day usually without fanfare across country follow example follow example new york city nurse named menchu sanchez hurricane sandy plunged hospital darkness thinking home faring mind 20 precious newborns care rescue plan devised kept safe follow example north miami woman named desiline victor desiline arrived polling place told wait vote might 6 hours time ticked concern tired body aching feet whether folks like would get say hour hour throng people stayed line support desiline 102 years old erupted cheers finally put sticker read voted desiline follow example police officer named brian murphy gunman opened fire sikh temple wisconsin brian first consider safety fought back help arrived ordered fellow officers protect safety americans worshiping inside even lay bleeding 12 bullet wounds asked brian said way made way made may different jobs wear different uniforms hold different views person beside us americans share proud title citizens word describe nationality legal status describes way made describes believe captures enduring idea country works accept certain obligations one another future generations rights wrapped rights others well third century nation remains task us citizens united states authors next great chapter american story thank god bless god bless united states america
please everybody seat speaker vice president member congress fellow american year ago john kennedy declare chamber constitution make u rival power partner progress task say report state union improve task u tonight thanks grit determination american people much progress report decade grind war brave men woman uniform come home year grueling recession business create 6 million new job buy american car 5 year less foreign oil 20 housing market heal stock market rebound consumer patient homeowner enjoy strong protection ever together clear away rubble crisis say renew confidence state union strong gather know million american whose hard work dedication yet reward economy add job many people still find employment corporate profit skyrocket alltime high decade wage incomes barely budge generation task reignite true engine america economic growth rise thrive middle class unfinished task restore basic bargain built country idea work hard meet responsibility get ahead matter come matter look like love unfinished task make sure government work behalf many encourages free enterprise reward individual initiative open door opportunity every child across great nation american people expect government solve every problem expect u chamber agree every issue expect u put nation interest party expect u forge reasonable compromise know america move forward together responsibility improve union remain task u work must begin make basic decision budget decision huge impact strength recovery last year party work together reduce deficit trillion mostly spending cut also raise tax rate wealthiest 1 percent american result halfway towards goal 4 trillion deficit reduction economist say need stabilize finance need finish job question 2011 congress pass law say party could agree plan reach deficit goal trillion dollar worth budget cut would automatically go effect year sudden harsh arbitrary cut would jeopardize military readiness would devastate priority like education energy medical research would certainly slow recovery cost u hundreds thousand job democrat republicans business leader economist already say washington really bad idea congress propose prevent defense cut make even big cut thing like education job train medicare social security benefit idea even bad yes big driver debt rise cost health care age population u care deeply program like medicare must embrace need modest reform otherwise retirement program crowd investment need child jeopardize promise secure retirement future generation ask senior citizen work family shoulder entire burden deficit reduction ask nothing wealthy powerful grow middle class simply shift cost health care college onto family already struggle force community lay teacher cop firefighter republican cut way prosperity know economic growth require balance approach deficit reduction spending cut revenue everybody fair share approach offer tonight medicare prepare enact reform achieve amount health care saving begin next decade reform propose bipartisan commission already affordable care act help slow growth health care cost reform propose go even reduce taxpayer subsidy prescription drug company ask wealthy senior bring cost change way government pay medicare medical bill base number test order day spend hospital base quality care senior receive open additional reform party long violate guarantee secure retirement government make promise keep must keep promise already make hit rest deficit reduction target leader party already suggest save hundred billion dollar get rid tax loophole deduction would choose make deep cut education medicare protect special interest tax break fair deficit reduction big emergency justify make cut social security benefit closing loophole promote growth best chance bipartisan comprehensive tax reform encourage job creation help bring deficit get do american people deserve tax code help small business spend less time fill complicate form time expand hire tax code ensure billionaires accountant work system pay low rate secretary tax code lower incentive move job overseas lower tax rate business manufacturer create job right united state america tax reform deliver together realize tax reform entitlement reform easy politics hard side none u get hundred percent want alternative cost u job hurt economy visit hardship million americans let u set party interest aside work pas budget replaces reckless cut smart saving wise investment future let u without brinksmanship stress consumer scare investor great nation earth keep conducting business drift one manufacture crisis next let u agree right right keep people government open pay bill time always uphold full faith credit united state america american people work hard long rebuild one crisis see elect official another u agree plan reduce deficit must part agenda let u clear deficit reduction alone economic plan grow economy create good middle class job must north star guide effort every day ask three question nation attract job shore equip people skill need get job make sure hard work lead decent live year half ago put forward american job act independent economist say would create 1 million new job thank last congress pass agenda urge congress pas rest tonight lay additional proposal fully pay fully consistent budget framework party agree 18 month ago let repeat nothing propose tonight increase deficit single dime big government need smart government set priorities invest growth look first priority making america magnet new job manufacture shed job 10 year manufacturer add job past 3 caterpillar bring job back japan ford bring job back mexico year apple start make mac america thing right accelerate trend last year create first manufacturing innovation institute youngstown ohio warehouse lab new worker master print potential revolutionize way make almost everything reason happen town tonight announce launch three manufacturing hub business partner department defense energy turn region leave behind globalization global center job ask congress help create network 15 hub guarantee next revolution manufacturing make right america get do want make best product also invest best idea every dollar invest map human genome return 140 dollar today scientist map human brain unlock answer alzheimer develop drug regenerate damage organ devise new material make battery 10 time powerful time gut investment science innovation time reach level research development see since height space race need make investment today area hold promise investment american energy year talk finally poise control energy future produce oil home 15 year double distance car go gallon gas amount renewable energy generate source like wind solar ten thousand good american job show produce natural gas ever nearly everyone energy bill lower last 4 year emissions dangerous carbon pollution threaten planet actually fall sake child future must combat climate change true single event make trend fact 12 hot year record come last 15 heat wave drought wildfire frequent intense choose believe superstorm sandy severe drought decade worst wildfire state ever see freak coincidence choose believe overwhelm judgment science act late good news make meaningful progress issue drive strong economic growth urge congress get together pursue bipartisan solution climate change like one john mccain joe lieberman work together year ago congress act soon protect future generation direct cabinet come executive action take future reduce pollution prepare community consequence climate change speed transition sustainable source energy 4 year ago country dominate clean energy market job come begin change last year wind energy add nearly half new power capacity america let u generate even solar energy get cheap year let u drive cost even long country like china keep go clean energy must meantime natural gas boom lead clean power great energy independence need encourage administration keep cut redtape speed new oil gas permit get part plan also want work congress encourage research technology help natural gas burn even clean protects air water fact much energy drawn land water public together tonight propose use oil gas revenue fund energy security trust drive new research technology shift car truck oil good nonpartisan coalition ceo retire general admiral get behind idea let u take advice free family business painful spike gas price put far long also issue new goal america let u cut half energy waste home business next 20 year work state state best idea create job low energy bill construct efficient building receive federal support help make happen america energy sector one part age infrastructure badly need repair ask ceo would rather locate hire country deteriorate road bridge one rail internet school power grid ceo siemens company bring hundred new job north upgrade infrastructure bring even job attitude lot company around world know want project district see tonight propose program put people work soon possible urgent repair like nearly structurally deficient bridge across country make sure taxpayer shoulder whole burden also propose partnership rebuild america attracts private capital upgrade business need modern port move good modern pipeline withstand storm modern school worthy child let u prove well place business unite state america let u start right away get do part rebuild effort must also involve housing sector good news housing market finally heal collapse 2007 home price rise fast pace 6 year home purchase nearly 50 percent construction expand even mortgage rate near low many family solid credit want buy home reject many family never miss payment want refinance tell hold entire economy back need fix right bill congress would give every responsible homeowner america chance save year refinancing today rate democrats republican support wait take vote send bill would would partisan issue help folk refinance right overlap regulation keep responsible young family buy first home hold u back let u streamline process help economy grow initiative manufacture energy infrastructure housing thing help entrepreneurs owner expand create new job none matter unless also equip citizen skill train fill job start early possible age study study show sooner child begin learn well road today few 3 10 enrolled preschool program middle class parent afford hundred buck week private preschool poor kid need help lack access preschool education shadow rest live tonight propose work state make preschool available every single child america something able every dollar invest early childhood education save 7 dollar later boost graduation rate reduce teen pregnancy even reduce violent crime state make priority educate young child like georgia oklahoma study show student grow likely read math grade level graduate high school hold job form stable family know work let u work make sure none child start race life already behind let u give kid chance let u also make sure high school diploma put kid path good job right country like germany focus graduate high school student equivalent technical degree one community colleges german kid ready job graduate high school train job school like brooklyn collaboration new york public school city university new york ibm student graduate high school diploma associate degree computer engineering need give every american student opportunity like 4 year ago start race top competition convince almost every state develop smarter curriculum high standard 1 percent spend education year tonight announce new challenge redesign america high school well equip graduate demand economy reward school develop new partnership colleges employer create class focus science technology engineering math skill today employer look fill job right future even well high school young people need high education simple fact education get likely good job work way middle class today skyrocket cost price many young people high education saddle unsustainable debt tax credit grant good loan make college affordable million student family last year taxpayer keep subsidize high high high cost high education college must part keep cost job make sure tonight ask congress change high education act affordability value include determine college receive certain type federal aid tomorrow administration release new college scorecard parent student use compare school base simple criterion get bang educational buck grow middle class citizen access education train today job require also make sure america remain place everyone willing willing work chance get ahead economy strong harness talent ingenuity strive hopeful immigrant right leader business labor law enforcement faith community agree time come pas comprehensive immigration reform time time get do time get do real reform mean strong border security build progress administration already make put boot southern border time history reduce illegal crossing low level 40 year real reform mean establish responsible pathway earn citizenship path include pass background check pay tax meaningful penalty learn english go back line behind folk try come legally real reform mean fixing legal immigration system cut wait period attract highly skilled entrepreneur engineer help create job grow economy word know need do speak bipartisan group chamber work diligently draft bill applaud effort let u get do send comprehensive immigration reform bill next month sign right away america well let u get do let u get do stop know economy strong wive mother daughter live life free discrimination workplace free fear domestic violence today senate pass violence woman act joe biden originally write almost 20 year ago urge house good job joe ask congress declare woman earn live equal effort finally pass paycheck fairness act year know economy strong reward honest day work honest wage today worker make minimum wage earn year even tax relief put place family two kid earn minimum wage still live poverty line wrong since last time congress raise minimum wage 19 state choose bump even high tonight let u declare wealthy nation earth one work live poverty raise federal minimum wage 9 hour able get do single step would raise income million work family could mean difference grocery food bank rent eviction scrap finally get ahead business across country would mean customer money pocket whole lot folk would probably need less help government fact work folk wait year year minimum wage go ceo pay never high idea governor romney actually agree last year let u tie minimum wage cost living finally become wage live tonight let u also recognize community country matter hard work virtually impossible get ahead factory town decimate year plant pack inescapable pocket poverty urban rural young adult still fight first job america place chance birth circumstance decide destiny need build new ladder opportunity middle class willing climb let u offer incentives company hire american get take fill job open work long one give chance anymore let u put people back work rebuild vacant home rundown neighborhood year administration begin partner 20 hardest hit town america get community back foot work local leader target resource public safety education housing give new tax credit business hire invest work strengthen family remove financial deterrent marriage couple encourage fatherhood make man ability conceive child courage raise one want encourage want help strong family strong community stronger america kind share build thrive middle always source progress home also foundation power influence throughout world tonight stand united saluting troop civilian sacrifice every day protect u say confidence america complete mission afghanistan achieve objective defeat core al qaida already bring home brave service men woman spring force move support role afghan security force take lead tonight announce next year another american troop come home afghanistan drawdown continue end next year war afghanistan beyond 2014 america commitment unify sovereign afghanistan endure nature commitment change negotiate agreement afghan government focus two mission train equip afghan force country slip chaos counterterrorism effort allow u pursue remnant al qaida affiliate today organization attack u shadow former self true different al qaida affiliate extremist group emerge arabian peninsula africa threat group pose evolve meet threat need send ten thousand son daughter abroad occupy nation instead need help country like yemen libya somalia provide security help ally take fight terrorist mali necessary range capability continue take direct action terrorist pose grave threat american must enlist value fight administration work tirelessly forge durable legal policy framework guide counterterrorism effort throughout keep congress fully inform effort recognize democracy one take word thing right way month ahead continue engage congress ensure target detention prosecution terrorist remain consistent law system check balance effort even transparent american people world course challenge end al qaida america continue lead effort prevent spread world dangerous weapon regime north korea must know achieve security prosperity meeting international obligation provocation sort saw last night isolate stand ally strengthen missile defense lead world take firm action response threat likewise leader iran must recognize time diplomatic solution coalition stand united demand meet obligation necessary prevent get nuclear weapon time engage russia seek reduction nuclear arsenal continue lead global effort secure nuclear material could fall wrong hand ability influence others depend willingness lead meet obligation america must also face rapidly grow threat cyber attack know hacker steal people identity infiltrate private know foreign country company swipe corporate secret enemies also seek ability sabotage power grid financial institution air traffic control system look back year wonder nothing face real threat security economy earlier today sign new executive order strengthen cyber defense increase information share developing standard protect national security job privacy congress must act well pass legislation give government great capacity secure network deter attack something able get do bipartisan basis even protect people remember today world present danger threat present opportunity boost american export support american job level play field grow market asia intend complete negotiation partnership tonight announce launch talk comprehensive transatlantic trade investment partnership european union trade fair free across atlantic support million american job also know progress impoverish part world enrich u create new market stable order certain region world also right thing many place people live little dollar day unite state join ally eradicate extreme poverty next two decade connect people global economy empower woman give young bright mind new opportunity serve help community fee power educate saving world child preventable death realize promise generation within reach see america must remain beacon seek freedom period historic change saw power hope last year rangoon burma aung san suu kyi welcome american president home imprison year thousand burmese line street wave american flag include man say justice law united state want country like defense freedom remain anchor strong alliance americas africa europe asia middle east stand citizen demand universal right support stable transition democracy know process messy presume dictate course change country like egypt insist respect fundamental right people keep pressure syrian regime murder people support opposition leader respect right every syrian stand steadfast israel pursuit security last peace message deliver travel middle east next month work depend courage sacrifice serve dangerous place great personal risk diplomat intelligence officer men woman unite state arm force long commander chief whatever must protect serve country abroad maintain best military world ever know invest new capability even reduce waste wartime spending ensure equal treatment servicemembers equal benefit family gay straight draw upon courage skill sisters daughter mom woman proven fire ready combat keep faith veteran invest mental health wound warrior support military family give veteran benefit education job opportunity earn want thank wife michelle jill biden continue dedication serve military family well serve u thank honey thank jill defend freedom though job military alone must part make sure right protect home include one fundamental right democracy right vote american matter live party deny right afford wait 5 6 7 hour cast ballot betraying ideal tonight announce nonpartisan commission improve voting experience america definitely need improvement ask two expert way recently serve top attorney campaign governor romney lead fix american people demand democracy course say tonight matter little come together protect precious resource child 2 month since newtown know first time country debate reduce gun violence time different overwhelming majority believe second come together around commonsense reform like background check make hard criminal get hand gun senator party work together tough new law prevent anyone buying gun resale criminal police chief ask help get weapon war massive ammunition magazine street police chief tire see guys gal outgunned proposal deserves vote congress want vote choice proposal deserve vote 2 month since newtown thousand birthday graduation anniversary steal life bullet thousand one lose young girl name hadiya pendleton 15 year old love fig newton lip gloss majorette good friend think best friend 3 week ago washington classmate perform country inauguration week later shoot kill chicago park school mile away house hadiya parent nate cleo chamber tonight along two dozen american whose life tear apart gun violence deserve vote deserve vote deserve vote gabby giffords deserve vote family newtown deserve vote family aurora deserve vote family oak creek tucson blacksburg countless community rip open gun violence deserve simple vote deserve simple vote action prevent every senseless act violence country fact law initiatives administrative act perfectly solve challenge outline tonight never send perfect send make difference secure nation expand opportunity uphold ideal hard often frustrate absolutely necessary work send look fellow american way look one another every single day usually without fanfare across country follow example follow example new york city nurse name menchu sanchez hurricane sandy plunge hospital darkness think home faring mind 20 precious newborn care rescue plan devise kept safe follow example north miami woman name desiline victor desiline arrive polling place tell wait vote might 6 hour time tick concern tire body ache foot whether folk like would get say hour hour throng people stay line support desiline 102 year old erupt cheer finally put sticker read vote desiline follow example police officer name brian murphy gunman open fire sikh temple wisconsin brian first consider safety fight back help arrive ordered fellow officer protect safety american worship inside even lay bleed 12 bullet wound ask brian say way make way make may different job wear different uniform hold different view person beside u americans share proud title citizen word describe nationality legal status describe way make describes believe capture endure idea country work accept certain obligation one another future generation right wrap right others well third century nation remain task u citizen united state author next great chapter american story thank god bless god bless united state america