Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans: Tonight marks the eighth year that I've come here to report on the State of the Union. And for this final one, I'm going to try to make it a little shorter. I know some of you are antsy to get back to Iowa. [ ] I've been there. I'll be shaking hands afterwards if you want some tips. [ ] Now, I understand that because it's an election season, expectations for what we will achieve this year are low. But, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the constructive approach that you and other leaders took at the end of last year to pass a budget and make tax cuts permanent for working families. So I hope we can work together this year on some bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse. So, who knows, we might surprise the cynics again. But tonight I want to go easy on the traditional list of proposals for the year ahead. Don't worry, I've got plenty—[ ]—from helping students learn to write computer code to personalizing medical treatments for patients. And I will keep pushing for progress on the work that I believe still needs to be done: fixing a broken immigration system, protecting our kids from gun violence, equal pay for equal work, paid leave, raising the minimum wage. All these things still matter to hard-working families. They're still the right thing to do. And I won't let up until they get done. But for my final address to this Chamber, I don't want to just talk about next year. I want to focus on the next 5 years, the next 10 years, and beyond. I want to focus on our future. We live in a time of extraordinary change, change that's reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet, our place in the world. It's change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs, but also economic disruptions that strain working families. It promises this education for girls in the most remote villages, but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away. It's change that can broaden opportunity or widen inequality. And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate. America has been through big changes before: wars and depression, the influx of new immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal, movements to expand civil rights. Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change; who promised to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. And each time, we overcame those fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the "dogmas of the quiet past." Instead, we thought anew and acted anew. We made change work for us, always extending America's promise outward, to the next frontier, to more people. And because we did, because we saw opportunity with a—where others saw peril, we emerged stronger and better than before. What was true then can be true now. Our unique strengths as a nation—our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery, our diversity, our commitment to rule of law—these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come. In fact, it's in that spirit that we have made progress these past 7 years. That's how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations. That's how we reformed our health care system and reinvented our energy sector. That's how we delivered more care and benefits to our troops coming home and our veterans. That's how we secured the freedom in every State to marry the person we love. But such progress is not inevitable. It's the result of choices we make together. And we face such choices right now. Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, turning against each other as a people? Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, in what we stand for, in the incredible things that we can do together? So let's talk about the future and four big questions that I believe we as a country have to answer, regardless of who the next President is or who controls the next Congress. First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy? Second, how do we make technology work for us and not against us, especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change? Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman? And finally, how can we make our politics reflect what's best in us and not what's worst? Let me start with the economy and a basic fact: The United States of America right now has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We're in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs, the strongest 2 years of job growth since the 1990s, an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry just had its best year ever. That's just part of a manufacturing surge that's created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past 6 years. And we've done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters. Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction. Now, what is true—and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious—is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the great recession hit, changes that have not let up. Today, technology doesn't just replace jobs on the assembly line, but any job where work can be automated. Companies in a global economy can locate anywhere, and they face tougher competition. As a result, workers have less leverage for a raise. Companies have less loyalty to their communities. And more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top. All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs, even when the economy is growing. It's made it harder for a hard-working family to pull itself out of poverty, harder for young people to start their careers, tougher for workers to retire when they want to. And although none of these trends are unique to America, they do offend our uniquely American belief that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot. For the past 7 years, our goal has been a growing economy that also works better for everybody. We've made progress, but we need to make more. And despite all the political arguments that we've had these past few years, there are actually some areas where Americans broadly agree. We agree that real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start, and together, we've increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, boosted graduates in fields like engineering. In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by providing pre-K for all and offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one. We should recruit and support more great teachers for our kids. And we have to make college affordable for every American. No hard-working student should be stuck in the red. We've already reduced student loan payments by—to 10 percent of a borrower's income. And that's good. But now we've actually got to cut the cost of college. Providing 2 years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I'm going to keep fighting to get that started this year. It's the right thing to do. But a great education isn't all we need in this new economy. We also need benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security. It's not too much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in America who are going to work the same job, in the same place, with a health and retirement package for 30 years are sitting in this Chamber. [ ] For everyone else, especially folks in their forties and fifties, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher. Americans understand that at some point in their careers, in this new economy, they may have to retool, they may have to retrain. But they shouldn't lose what they've already worked so hard to build in the process. That's why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever. We shouldn't weaken them, we should strengthen them. And for Americans short of retirement, basic benefits should be just as mobile as everything else is today. That, by the way, is what the Affordable Care Act is all about. It's about filling the gaps in employer-based care so that when you lose a job or you go back to school or you strike out and launch that new business, you'll still have coverage. Nearly 18 million people have gained coverage so far. And in the process, health care inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law. Now, I'm guessing we won't agree on health care anytime soon, but—[ ]—a little applause back there. [ ] Just a guess. But there should be other ways parties can work together to improve economic security. Say a hard-working American loses his job. We shouldn't just make sure that he can get unemployment insurance, we should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business that's ready to hire him. If that new job doesn't pay as much, there should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay his bills. And even if he's going from job to job, he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him. That's the way we make the new economy work better for everybody. I also know Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty. America is about giving everybody willing to work a chance, a hand up. And I'd welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers who don't have children. But there are some areas where—we just have to be honest—it has been difficult to find agreement over the last 7 years. And a lot of them fall under the category of what role the Government should play in making sure the system's not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations. And it's an honest disagreement, and the American people have a choice to make. I believe a thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy. I think there are outdated regulations that need to be changed. There is redtape that needs to be cut. [ ] There you go! Yes! See? But after years now of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity or bigger paychecks just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody else's expense. Middle class families are not going to feel more secure because we allowed attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered. Food stamp recipients did not cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did. Immigrants aren't the principal reason wages haven't gone up; those decisions are made in the boardrooms that all too often put quarterly earnings over long-term returns. It's sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts. [ ] The point is, I believe that in this new economy, workers and startups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And I'm not alone in this. This year, I plan to lift up the many businesses who have figured out that doing right by their workers or their customers or their communities ends up being good for their shareholders. And I want to spread those best practices across America. That's part of a brighter future. In fact, it turns, out many of our best corporate citizens are also our most creative. And this brings me to the second big question we as a country have to answer: How do we reignite that spirit of innovation to meet our biggest challenges? Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we didn't deny Sputnik was up there. [ ] We didn't argue about the science or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight. And 12 years later, we were walking on the Moon. Now, that spirit of discovery is in our DNA. America is Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers and George Washington Carver. America is Grace Hopper and Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride. America is every immigrant and entrepreneur from Boston to Austin to Silicon Valley, racing to shape a better future. That's who we are. And over the past 7 years, we've nurtured that spirit. We've protected an open Internet and taken bold new steps to get more students and low-income Americans online. We've launched next-generation manufacturing hubs and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day. But we can do so much more. Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they've had in over a decade. Well—so tonight I'm announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he's gone to the mat for all of us on so many issues over the past 40 years, I'm putting Joe in charge of mission control. For the loved ones we've all lost, for the families that we can still save, let's make America the country that cures cancer once and for all. What do you say, Joe? Let's make it happen. Now, medical research is critical. We need the same level of commitment when it comes to developing clean energy sources. Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. [ ] You will be pretty lonely, because you'll be debating our military, most of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it's a problem and intend to solve it. But even if the planet wasn't at stake, even if 2014 wasn't the warmest year on record—until 2015 turned out to be even hotter—why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future? Listen, 7 years ago, we made the single biggest investment in clean energy in our history. Here are the results. In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York, solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills and employs more Americans than coal in jobs that pay better than average. We're taking steps to give homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy, something, by the way, that environmentalists and Tea Partiers have teamed up to support. And meanwhile, we've cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly 60 percent and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth. Gas under 2 bucks a gallon ain't bad either. [ ] Now we've got to accelerate the transition away from old, dirtier energy sources. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future, especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. We do them no favor when we don't show them where the trends are going. And that's why I'm going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet. And that way, we put money back into those communities and put tens of thousands of Americans to work building a 21st-century transportation system. Now, none of this is going to happen overnight. And yes, there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo. But the jobs we'll create, the money we'll save, the planet we'll preserve—that is the kind of future our kids and our grandkids deserve. And it's within our grasp. Now, climate change is just one of many issues where our security is linked to the rest of the world. And that's why the third big question that we have to answer together is how to keep America safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying to nation-build everywhere there's a problem. Now, I told you earlier all the talk of America's economic decline is political hot air. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker. Let me tell you something: The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. [ ] Period. It's not even close. [ ] It's not even close. It's not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined. Our troops are the finest fighting force in the history of the world. [ ] All right. No nation attacks us directly, or our allies, because they know that's the path to ruin. Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office, and when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead. They call us. So I think it's useful to level set here, because when we don't, we don't make good decisions. Now, as someone who begins every day with an intelligence briefing, I know this is a dangerous time. But that's not primarily because of some looming superpower out there, and it's certainly not because of diminished American strength. In today's world, we're threatened less by evil empires and more by failing states. The Middle East is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation, rooted in conflicts that date back millennia. Economic headwinds are blowing in from a Chinese economy that is in significant transition. Even as their economy severely contracts, Russia is pouring resources in to prop up Ukraine and Syria, client states that they saw slipping away from their orbit. And the international system we built after World War II is now struggling to keep pace with this new reality. It's up to us, the United States of America, to help remake that system. And to do that well, it means that we've got to set priorities. Priority number one is protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks. Both Al Qaida and now ISIL pose a direct threat to our people, because in today's world, even a handful of terrorists who place no value on human life, including their own, can do a lot of damage. They use the Internet to poison the minds of individuals inside our country. Their actions undermine and destabilize our allies. We have to take them out. But as we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is world war III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages, they pose an enormous danger to civilians; they have to be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That is the story ISIL wants to tell. That's the kind of propaganda they use to recruit. We don't need to build them up to show that we're serious, and we sure don't need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that ISIL is somehow representative of one of the world's largest religions. We just need to call them what they are: killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed. And that's exactly what we're doing. For more than a year, America has led a coalition of more than 60 countries to cut off ISIL's financing, disrupt their plots, stop the flow of terrorist fighters, and stamp out their vicious ideology. With nearly 10,000 airstrikes, we're taking out their leadership, their oil, their training camps, their weapons. We're training, arming, and supporting forces who are steadily reclaiming territory in Iraq and Syria. If this Congress is serious about winning this war and wants to send a message to our troops and the world, authorize the use of military force against ISIL. Take a vote. [ ] Take a vote. But the American people should know that with or without congressional action, ISIL will learn the same lessons as terrorists before them. If you doubt America's commitment—or mine—to see that justice is done, just ask Usama bin Laden. Ask the leader of Al Qaida in Yemen, who was taken out last year, or the perpetrator of the Benghazi attacks, who sits in a prison cell. When you come after Americans, we go after you. And it may take time, but we have long memories, and our reach has no limits. Our foreign policy has to be focused on the threat from ISIL and Al Qaida, but it can't stop there. For even without ISIL, even without Al Qaida, instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world: in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, in parts of Central America, in Africa and Asia. Some of these places may become safe havens for new terrorist networks. Others will just fall victim to ethnic conflict or famine, feeding the next wave of refugees. The world will look to us to help solve these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet-bomb civilians. That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn't pass muster on the world stage. We also can't try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis, even if it's done with the best of intentions. That's not leadership; that's a recipe for quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately will weaken us. It's the lesson of Vietnam; it's the lesson of Iraq. And we should have learned it by now. Now, fortunately there is a smarter approach: a patient and disciplined strategy that uses every element of our national power. It says America will always act, alone if necessary, to protect our people and our allies, but on issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us and make sure other countries pull their own weight. That's our approach to conflicts like Syria, where we're partnering with local forces and leading international efforts to help that broken society pursue a lasting peace. That's why we built a global coalition, with sanctions and principled diplomacy, to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. And as we speak, Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile, and the world has avoided another war. That's how we stopped the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Our military, our doctors, our development workers—they were heroic; they set up the platform that then allowed other countries to join in behind us and stamp out that epidemic. Hundreds of thousands, maybe a couple million, lives were saved. That's how we forged a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open markets and protect workers and the environment and advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes on products made in America, which will then support more good jobs here in America. With TPP, China does not set the rules in that region, we do. You want to show our strength in this new century? Approve this agreement. Give us the tools to enforce it. It's the right thing to do. Let me give you another example. Fifty years of isolating Cuba had failed to promote democracy. It set us back in Latin America. That's why we restored diplomatic relations, opened the door to travel and commerce, positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the Cuban people. So if you want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere, recognize that the cold war is over. Lift the embargo. The point is, American leadership in the 21st century is not a choice between ignoring the rest of the world—except when we kill terrorists—or occupying and rebuilding whatever society is unraveling. Leadership means a wise application of military power and rallying the world behind causes that are right. It means seeing our foreign assistance as a part of our national security, not something separate, not charity. When we lead nearly 200 nations to the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change, yes, that helps vulnerable countries, but it also protects our kids. When we help Ukraine defend its democracy or Colombia resolve a decades-long war, that strengthens the international order we depend on. When we help African countries feed their people and care for the sick, it's the right thing to do, and it prevents the next pandemic from reaching our shores. Right now we're on track to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS. That's within our grasp. And we have the chance to accomplish the same thing with malaria, something I'll be pushing this Congress to fund this year. That's American strength. That's American leadership. And that kind of leadership depends on the power of our example. That's why I will keep working to shut down the prison at Guantanamo. It is expensive, it is unnecessary, and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies. There's a better way. And that's why we need to reject any politics—any politics—that targets people because of race or religion. Let me just say this. This is not a matter of political correctness, this is a matter of understanding just what it is that makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal, it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith. His Holiness Pope Francis told this body from the very spot that I'm standing on tonight that "to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place." When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized or a kid is called names, that doesn't make us safer. That's not telling it what—telling it like it is. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country. "We the People." Our Constitution begins with those three simple words, words we've come to recognize mean all the people, not just some; words that insist we rise and fall together, that that's how we might perfect our Union. And that brings me to the fourth and maybe most important thing that I want to say tonight. The future we want—all of us want—opportunity and security for our families, a rising standard of living, a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids—all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates. It will only happen if we fix our politics. A better politics doesn't mean we have to agree on everything. This is a big country: different regions, different attitudes, different interests. That's one of our strengths too. Our Founders distributed power between States and branches of government and expected us to argue, just as they did, fiercely, over the size and shape of government, over commerce and foreign relations, over the meaning of liberty and the imperatives of security. But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesn't work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice. It doesn't work if we think that our political opponents are unpatriotic or trying to weaken America. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise or when even basic facts are contested or when we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get all the attention. And most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn't matter, that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some special interest. Too many Americans feel that way right now. It's one of the few regrets of my Presidency: that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. I have no doubt, a President with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee, I'll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office. But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task—or any President's—alone. There are a whole lot of folks in this Chamber, good people, who would like to see more cooperation, would like to see a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the imperatives of getting elected, by the noise coming out of your base. I know; you've told me. It's the worst kept secret in Washington. And a lot of you aren't enjoying being trapped in that kind of rancor. But that means if we want a better politics—and I'm addressing the American people now—if we want a better politics, it's not enough just to change a Congressman or change a Senator or even change a President. We have to change the system to reflect our better selves. I think we've got to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters and not the other way around. Let a bipartisan group do it. I believe we've got to reduce the influence of money in our politics so that a handful of families or hidden interests can't bankroll our elections. And if our existing approach to campaign finance reform can't pass muster in the courts, we need to work together to find a real solution. Because it's a problem. And most of you don't like raising money. [ ] I know. I've done it. We've got to make it easier to vote, not harder. We need to modernize it for the way we live now. This is America: We want to make it easier for people to participate. And over the course of this year, I intend to travel the country to push for reforms that do just that. But I can't do these things on my own. Changes in our political process—in not just who gets elected, but how they get elected—that will only happen when the American people demand it. It depends on you. That's what's meant by a government of, by, and for the people. What I'm suggesting is hard. It's a lot easier to be cynical; to accept that change is not possible and politics is hopeless and the problem is, all the folks who are elected don't care; and to believe that our voices and our actions don't matter. But if we give up now, then we forsake a better future. Those with money and power will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young soldier to war or allow another economic disaster or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of Americans have fought, even died, to secure. And then, as frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into our respective tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don't look like us or pray like us or vote like we do or share the same background. We can't afford to go down that path. It won't deliver the economy we want. It will not produce the security we want. But most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world. So, my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, whether you prefer one party or no party, whether you supported my agenda or fought as hard as you could against it, our collective futures depends on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen. To vote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us. We need every American to stay active in our public life—and not just during election time—so that our public life reflects the goodness and the decency that I see in the American people every single day. It is not easy. Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a little over a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I will be right there with you as a citizen, inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness, that have helped America travel so far. Voices that help us see ourselves not, first and foremost, as Black or White or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born, not Democrat or Republican, but as Americans first, bound by a common creed. Voices Dr. King believed would have the final word: voices of "unarmed truth and unconditional love." And they're out there, those voices. They don't get a lot of attention; they don't seek a lot of fanfare; but they're busy doing the work this country needs doing. I see them everywhere I travel in this incredible country of ours. I see you, the American people. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I see our future unfolding. I see it in the worker on the assembly line who clocked extra shifts to keep his company open and the boss who pays him higher wages instead of laying him off. I see it in the dreamer who stays up late at night to finish her science project and the teacher who comes in early, maybe with some extra supplies that she bought because she knows that that young girl might someday cure a disease. I see it in the American who served his time, made bad mistakes as a child, but now is dreaming of starting over. And I see it in the business owner who gives him that second chance. The protester determined to prove that justice matters and the young cop walking the beat, treating everybody with respect, doing the brave, quiet work of keeping us safe. I see it in the soldier who gives almost everything to save his brothers, the nurse who tends to him till he can run a marathon, the community that lines up to cheer him on. It's the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he's been taught. I see it in the elderly woman who will wait in line to cast her vote as long as she has to, the new citizen who casts his vote for the first time, the volunteers at the polls who believe every vote should count. Because each of them, in different ways, know how much that precious right is worth. That's the America I know. That's the country we love: clear eyed, big hearted, undaunted by challenge. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That's what makes me so hopeful about our future. I believe in change because I believe in you, the American people. And that's why I stand here as confident as I have ever been that the state of our Union is strong. Thank you. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans: Tonight marks the eighth year that I have come here to report on the State of the Union. And for this final one, I am going to try to make it a little shorter. I know some of you are antsy to get back to Iowa. [ ] I have been there. I will be shaking hands afterwards if you want some tips. [ ] Now, I understand that because it is an election season, expectations for what we will achieve this year are low. But, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the constructive approach that you and other leaders took at the end of last year to pass a budget and make tax cuts permanent for working families. So I hope we can work together this year on some bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse. So, who knows, we might surprise the cynics again. But tonight I want to go easy on the traditional list of proposals for the year ahead. Do not worry, I have got plenty—[ ]—from helping students learn to write computer code to personalizing medical treatments for patients. And I will keep pushing for progress on the work that I believe still needs to be done: fixing a broken immigration system, protecting our kids from gun violence, equal pay for equal work, paid leave, raising the minimum wage. All these things still matter to hard-working families. They are still the right thing to do. And I will not let up until they get done. But for my final address to this Chamber, I do not want to just talk about next year. I want to focus on the next 5 years, the next 10 years, and beyond. I want to focus on our future. We live in a time of extraordinary change, change that is reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet, our place in the world. It is change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs, but also economic disruptions that strain working families. It promises this education for girls in the most remote villages, but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away. It is change that can broaden opportunity or widen inequality. And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate. America has been through big changes before: wars and depression, the influx of new immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal, movements to expand civil rights. Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change; who promised to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. And each time, we overcame those fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the "dogmas of the quiet past." Instead, we thought anew and acted anew. We made change work for us, always extending America's promise outward, to the next frontier, to more people. And because we did, because we saw opportunity with a—where others saw peril, we emerged stronger and better than before. What was true then can be true now. Our unique strengths as a nation—our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery, our diversity, our commitment to rule of law—these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come. In fact, it is in that spirit that we have made progress these past 7 years. That is how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations. That is how we reformed our health care system and reinvented our energy sector. That is how we delivered more care and benefits to our troops coming home and our veterans. That is how we secured the freedom in every State to marry the person we love. But such progress is not inevitable. It is the result of choices we make together. And we face such choices right now. Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, turning against each other as a people? Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, in what we stand for, in the incredible things that we can do together? So let us talk about the future and four big questions that I believe we as a country have to answer, regardless of who the next President is or who controls the next Congress. First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy? Second, how do we make technology work for us and not against us, especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change? Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman? And finally, how can we make our politics reflect what is best in us and not what is worst? Let me start with the economy and a basic fact: The United States of America right now has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We are in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs, the strongest 2 years of job growth since the 1990s, an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry just had its best year ever. That is just part of a manufacturing surge that is created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past 6 years. And we have done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters. Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction. Now, what is true—and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious—is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the great recession hit, changes that have not let up. Today, technology does not just replace jobs on the assembly line, but any job where work can be automated. Companies in a global economy can locate anywhere, and they face tougher competition. As a result, workers have less leverage for a raise. Companies have less loyalty to their communities. And more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top. All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs, even when the economy is growing. It is made it harder for a hard-working family to pull itself out of poverty, harder for young people to start their careers, tougher for workers to retire when they want to. And although none of these trends are unique to America, they do offend our uniquely American belief that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot. For the past 7 years, our goal has been a growing economy that also works better for everybody. We have made progress, but we need to make more. And despite all the political arguments that we have had these past few years, there are actually some areas where Americans broadly agree. We agree that real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start, and together, we have increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, boosted graduates in fields like engineering. In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by providing pre-K for all and offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one. We should recruit and support more great teachers for our kids. And we have to make college affordable for every American. No hard-working student should be stuck in the red. We have already reduced student loan payments by—to 10 percent of a borrower's income. And that is good. But now we have actually got to cut the cost of college. Providing 2 years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I am going to keep fighting to get that started this year. It is the right thing to do. But a great education is not all we need in this new economy. We also need benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security. It is not too much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in America who are going to work the same job, in the same place, with a health and retirement package for 30 years are sitting in this Chamber. [ ] For everyone else, especially folks in their forties and fifties, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher. Americans understand that at some point in their careers, in this new economy, they may have to retool, they may have to retrain. But they should not lose what they have already worked so hard to build in the process. That is why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever. We should not weaken them, we should strengthen them. And for Americans short of retirement, basic benefits should be just as mobile as everything else is today. That, by the way, is what the Affordable Care Act is all about. It is about filling the gaps in employer-based care so that when you lose a job or you go back to school or you strike out and launch that new business, you will still have coverage. Nearly 18 million people have gained coverage so far. And in the process, health care inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law. Now, I am guessing we will not agree on health care anytime soon, but—[ ]—a little applause back there. [ ] Just a guess. But there should be other ways parties can work together to improve economic security. Say a hard-working American loses his job. We should not just make sure that he can get unemployment insurance, we should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business that is ready to hire him. If that new job does not pay as much, there should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay his bills. And even if he is going from job to job, he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him. That is the way we make the new economy work better for everybody. I also know Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty. America is about giving everybody willing to work a chance, a hand up. And I would welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers who do not have children. But there are some areas where—we just have to be honest—it has been difficult to find agreement over the last 7 years. And a lot of them fall under the category of what role the Government should play in making sure the system's not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations. And it is an honest disagreement, and the American people have a choice to make. I believe a thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy. I think there are outdated regulations that need to be changed. There is redtape that needs to be cut. [ ] There you go! Yes! See? But after years now of record corporate profits, working families will not get more opportunity or bigger paychecks just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody else's expense. Middle class families are not going to feel more secure because we allowed attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered. Food stamp recipients did not because the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did. Immigrants are not the principal reason wages have not gone up; those decisions are made in the boardrooms that all too often put quarterly earnings over long-term returns. It is sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts. [ ] The point is, I believe that in this new economy, workers and startups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And I am not alone in this. This year, I plan to lift up the many businesses who have figured out that doing right by their workers or their customers or their communities ends up being good for their shareholders. And I want to spread those best practices across America. That is part of a brighter future. In fact, it turns, out many of our best corporate citizens are also our most creative. And this brings me to the second big question we as a country have to answer: How do we reignite that spirit of innovation to meet our biggest challenges? Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we did not deny Sputnik was up there. [ ] We did not argue about the science or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight. And 12 years later, we were walking on the Moon. Now, that spirit of discovery is in our DNA. America is Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers and George Washington Carver. America is Grace Hopper and Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride. America is every immigrant and entrepreneur from Boston to Austin to Silicon Valley, racing to shape a better future. That is who we are. And over the past 7 years, we have nurtured that spirit. We have protected an open Internet and taken bold new steps to get more students and low-income Americans online. We have launched next-generation manufacturing hubs and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day. But we can do so much more. Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they have had in over a decade. Well—so tonight I am announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he is gone to the mat for all of us on so many issues over the past 40 years, I am putting Joe in charge of mission control. For the loved ones we have all lost, for the families that we can still save, let us make America the country that cures cancer once and for all. What do you say, Joe? Let us make it happen. Now, medical research is critical. We need the same level of commitment when it comes to developing clean energy sources. Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. [ ] You will be pretty lonely, because you will be debating our military, most of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it is a problem and intend to solve it. But even if the planet was not at stake, even if 2014 was not the warmest year on record—until 2015 turned out to be even hotter—why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future? Listen, 7 years ago, we made the single biggest investment in clean energy in our history. Here are the results. In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York, solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills and employs more Americans than coal in jobs that pay better than average. We are taking steps to give homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy, something, by the way, that environmentalists and Tea Partiers have teamed up to support. And meanwhile, we have cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly 60 percent and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth. Gas under 2 bucks a gallon are not bad either. [ ] Now we have got to accelerate the transition away from old, dirtier energy sources. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future, especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. We do them no favor when we do not show them where the trends are going. And that is why I am going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet. And that way, we put money back into those communities and put tens of thousands of Americans to work building a 21st-century transportation system. Now, none of this is going to happen overnight. And yes, there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo. But the jobs we will create, the money we will save, the planet we will preserve—that is the kind of future our kids and our grandkids deserve. And it is within our grasp. Now, climate change is just one of many issues where our security is linked to the rest of the world. And that is why the third big question that we have to answer together is how to keep America safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying to nation-build everywhere there is a problem. Now, I told you earlier all the talk of America's economic decline is political hot air. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker. Let me tell you something: The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. [ ] Period. It is not even close. [ ] It is not even close. It is not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined. Our troops are the finest fighting force in the history of the world. [ ] All right. No nation attacks us directly, or our allies, because they know that is the path to ruin. Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office, and when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead. They call us. So I think it is useful to level set here, because when we do not, we do not make good decisions. Now, as someone who begins every day with an intelligence briefing, I know this is a dangerous time. But that is not primarily because of some looming superpower out there, and it is certainly not because of diminished American strength. In today's world, we are threatened less by evil empires and more by failing states. The Middle East is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation, rooted in conflicts that date back millennia. Economic headwinds are blowing in from a Chinese economy that is in significant transition. Even as their economy severely contracts, Russia is pouring resources in to prop up Ukraine and Syria, client states that they saw slipping away from their orbit. And the international system we built after World War II is now struggling to keep pace with this new reality. It is up to us, the United States of America, to help remake that system. And to do that well, it means that we have got to set priorities. Priority number one is protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks. Both Al Qaida and now ISIL pose a direct threat to our people, because in today's world, even a handful of terrorists who place no value on human life, including their own, can do a lot of damage. They use the Internet to poison the minds of individuals inside our country. Their actions undermine and destabilize our allies. We have to take them out. But as we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is world war III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages, they pose an enormous danger to civilians; they have to be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That is the story ISIL wants to tell. That is the kind of propaganda they use to recruit. We do not need to build them up to show that we are serious, and we sure do not need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that ISIL is somehow representative of one of the world's largest religions. We just need to call them what they are: killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed. And that is exactly what we are doing. For more than a year, America has led a coalition of more than 60 countries to cut off ISIL's financing, disrupt their plots, stop the flow of terrorist fighters, and stamp out their vicious ideology. With nearly 10,000 airstrikes, we are taking out their leadership, their oil, their training camps, their weapons. We are training, arming, and supporting forces who are steadily reclaiming territory in Iraq and Syria. If this Congress is serious about winning this war and wants to send a message to our troops and the world, authorize the use of military force against ISIL. Take a vote. [ ] Take a vote. But the American people should know that with or without congressional action, ISIL will learn the same lessons as terrorists before them. If you doubt America's commitment—or mine—to see that justice is done, just ask Usama bin Laden. Ask the leader of Al Qaida in Yemen, who was taken out last year, or the perpetrator of the Benghazi attacks, who sits in a prison cell. When you come after Americans, we go after you. And it may take time, but we have long memories, and our reach has no limits. Our foreign policy has to be focused on the threat from ISIL and Al Qaida, but it cannot stop there. For even without ISIL, even without Al Qaida, instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world: in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, in parts of Central America, in Africa and Asia. Some of these places may become safe havens for new terrorist networks. Others will just fall victim to ethnic conflict or famine, feeding the next wave of refugees. The world will look to us to help solve these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet-bomb civilians. That may work as a TV sound bite, but it does not pass muster on the world stage. We also cannot try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis, even if it is done with the best of intentions. That is not leadership; that is a recipe for quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately will weaken us. It is the lesson of Vietnam; it is the lesson of Iraq. And we should have learned it by now. Now, fortunately there is a smarter approach: a patient and disciplined strategy that uses every element of our national power. It says America will always act, alone if necessary, to protect our people and our allies, but on issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us and make sure other countries pull their own weight. That is our approach to conflicts like Syria, where we are partnering with local forces and leading international efforts to help that broken society pursue a lasting peace. That is why we built a global coalition, with sanctions and principled diplomacy, to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. And as we speak, Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile, and the world has avoided another war. That is how we stopped the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Our military, our doctors, our development workers—they were heroic; they set up the platform that then allowed other countries to join in behind us and stamp out that epidemic. Hundreds of thousands, maybe a couple million, lives were saved. That is how we forged a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open markets and protect workers and the environment and advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes on products made in America, which will then support more good jobs here in America. With TPP, China does not set the rules in that region, we do. You want to show our strength in this new century? Approve this agreement. Give us the tools to enforce it. It is the right thing to do. Let me give you another example. Fifty years of isolating Cuba had failed to promote democracy. It set us back in Latin America. That is why we restored diplomatic relations, opened the door to travel and commerce, positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the Cuban people. So if you want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere, recognize that the cold war is over. Lift the embargo. The point is, American leadership in the 21st century is not a choice between ignoring the rest of the world—except when we kill terrorists—or occupying and rebuilding whatever society is unraveling. Leadership means a wise application of military power and rallying the world behind causes that are right. It means seeing our foreign assistance as a part of our national security, not something separate, not charity. When we lead nearly 200 nations to the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change, yes, that helps vulnerable countries, but it also protects our kids. When we help Ukraine defend its democracy or Colombia resolve a decades-long war, that strengthens the international order we depend on. When we help African countries feed their people and care for the sick, it is the right thing to do, and it prevents the next pandemic from reaching our shores. Right now we are on track to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS. That is within our grasp. And we have the chance to accomplish the same thing with malaria, something I will be pushing this Congress to fund this year. That is American strength. That is American leadership. And that kind of leadership depends on the power of our example. That is why I will keep working to shut down the prison at Guantanamo. It is expensive, it is unnecessary, and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies. There is a better way. And that is why we need to reject any politics—any politics—that targets people because of race or religion. Let me just say this. This is not a matter of political correctness, this is a matter of understanding just what it is that makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal, it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith. His Holiness Pope Francis told this body from the very spot that I am standing on tonight that "to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place." When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized or a kid is called names, that does not make us safer. That is not telling it what—telling it like it is. It is just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country. "We the People." Our Constitution begins with those three simple words, words we have come to recognize mean all the people, not just some; words that insist we rise and fall together, that that is how we might perfect our Union. And that brings me to the fourth and maybe most important thing that I want to say tonight. The future we want—all of us want—opportunity and security for our families, a rising standard of living, a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids—all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates. It will only happen if we fix our politics. A better politics does not mean we have to agree on everything. This is a big country: different regions, different attitudes, different interests. That is one of our strengths too. Our Founders distributed power between States and branches of government and expected us to argue, just as they did, fiercely, over the size and shape of government, over commerce and foreign relations, over the meaning of liberty and the imperatives of security. But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It does not work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice. It does not work if we think that our political opponents are unpatriotic or trying to weaken America. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise or when even basic facts are contested or when we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get all the attention. And most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice does not matter, that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some special interest. Too many Americans feel that way right now. It is one of the few regrets of my Presidency: that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. I have no doubt, a President with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee, I will keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office. But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task—or any President's—alone. There are a whole lot of folks in this Chamber, good people, who would like to see more cooperation, would like to see a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the imperatives of getting elected, by the noise coming out of your base. I know; you have told me. It is the worst kept secret in Washington. And a lot of you are not enjoying being trapped in that kind of rancor. But that means if we want a better politics—and I am addressing the American people now—if we want a better politics, it is not enough just to change a Congressman or change a Senator or even change a President. We have to change the system to reflect our better selves. I think we have got to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters and not the other way around. Let a bipartisan group do it. I believe we have got to reduce the influence of money in our politics so that a handful of families or hidden interests cannot bankroll our elections. And if our existing approach to campaign finance reform cannot pass muster in the courts, we need to work together to find a real solution. Because it is a problem. And most of you do not like raising money. [ ] I know. I have done it. We have got to make it easier to vote, not harder. We need to modernize it for the way we live now. This is America: We want to make it easier for people to participate. And over the course of this year, I intend to travel the country to push for reforms that do just that. But I cannot do these things on my own. Changes in our political process—in not just who gets elected, but how they get elected—that will only happen when the American people demand it. It depends on you. That is what is meant by a government of, by, and for the people. What I am suggesting is hard. It is a lot easier to be cynical; to accept that change is not possible and politics is hopeless and the problem is, all the folks who are elected do not care; and to believe that our voices and our actions do not matter. But if we give up now, then we forsake a better future. Those with money and power will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young soldier to war or allow another economic disaster or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of Americans have fought, even died, to secure. And then, as frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into our respective tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who do not look like us or pray like us or vote like we do or share the same background. We cannot afford to go down that path. It will not deliver the economy we want. It will not produce the security we want. But most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world. So, my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, whether you prefer one party or no party, whether you supported my agenda or fought as hard as you could against it, our collective futures depends on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen. To vote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us. We need every American to stay active in our public life—and not just during election time—so that our public life reflects the goodness and the decency that I see in the American people every single day. It is not easy. Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a little over a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I will be right there with you as a citizen, inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness, that have helped America travel so far. Voices that help us see ourselves not, first and foremost, as Black or White or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born, not Democrat or Republican, but as Americans first, bound by a common creed. Voices Dr. King believed would have the final word: voices of "unarmed truth and unconditional love." And they are out there, those voices. They do not get a lot of attention; they do not seek a lot of fanfare; but they are busy doing the work this country needs doing. I see them everywhere I travel in this incredible country of ours. I see you, the American people. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I see our future unfolding. I see it in the worker on the assembly line who clocked extra shifts to keep his company open and the boss who pays him higher wages instead of laying him off. I see it in the dreamer who stays up late at night to finish her science project and the teacher who comes in early, maybe with some extra supplies that she bought because she knows that that young girl might someday cure a disease. I see it in the American who served his time, made bad mistakes as a child, but now is dreaming of starting over. And I see it in the business owner who gives him that second chance. The protester determined to prove that justice matters and the young cop walking the beat, treating everybody with respect, doing the brave, quiet work of keeping us safe. I see it in the soldier who gives almost everything to save his brothers, the nurse who tends to him till he can run a marathon, the community that lines up to cheer him on. It is the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he is been taught. I see it in the elderly woman who will wait in line to cast her vote as long as she has to, the new citizen who casts his vote for the first time, the volunteers at the polls who believe every vote should count. Because each of them, in different ways, know how much that precious right is worth. That is the America I know. That is the country we love: clear eyed, big hearted, undaunted by challenge. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That is what makes me so hopeful about our future. I believe in change because I believe in you, the American people. And that is why I stand here as confident as I have ever been that the state of our Union is strong. Thank you. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
thank you speaker vice president members of congress my fellow americans tonight marks the eighth year that i have come here to report on the state of the union and for this final one i am going to try to make it a little shorter i know some of you are antsy to get back to iowa i have been there i will be shaking hands afterwards if you want some tips now i understand that because it is an election season expectations for what we will achieve this year are low but speaker i appreciate the constructive approach that you and other leaders took at the end of last year to pass a budget and make tax cuts permanent for working families so i hope we can work together this year on some bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse so who knows we might surprise the cynics again but tonight i want to go easy on the traditional list of proposals for the year ahead do not worry i have got helping students learn to write computer code to personalizing medical treatments for patients and i will keep pushing for progress on the work that i believe still needs to be done fixing a broken immigration system protecting our kids from gun violence equal pay for equal work paid leave raising the minimum wage all these things still matter to families they are still the right thing to do and i will not let up until they get done but for my final address to this chamber i do not want to just talk about next year i want to focus on the next 5 years the next 10 years and beyond i want to focus on our future we live in a time of extraordinary change change that is reshaping the way we live the way we work our planet our place in the world it is change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs but also economic disruptions that strain working families it promises this education for girls in the most remote villages but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away it is change that can broaden opportunity or widen inequality and whether we like it or not the pace of this change will only accelerate america has been through big changes before wars and depression the influx of new immigrants workers fighting for a fair deal movements to expand civil rights each time there have been those who told us to fear the future who claimed we could slam the brakes on change who promised to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening america under control and each time we overcame those fears we did not in the words of lincoln adhere to the dogmas of the quiet past instead we thought anew and acted anew we made change work for us always extending america promise outward to the next frontier to more people and because we did because we saw opportunity with others saw peril we emerged stronger and better than before what was true then can be true now our unique strengths as a optimism and work ethic our spirit of discovery our diversity our commitment to rule of things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come in fact it is in that spirit that we have made progress these past 7 years that is how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations that is how we reformed our health care system and reinvented our energy sector that is how we delivered more care and benefits to our troops coming home and our veterans that is how we secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love but such progress is not inevitable it is the result of choices we make together and we face such choices right now will we respond to the changes of our time with fear turning inward as a nation turning against each other as a people or will we face the future with confidence in who we are in what we stand for in the incredible things that we can do together so let us talk about the future and four big questions that i believe we as a country have to answer regardless of who the next president is or who controls the next congress first how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy second how do we make technology work for us and not against us especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change third how do we keep america safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman and finally how can we make our politics reflect what is best in us and not what is worst let me start with the economy and a basic fact the united states of america right now has the strongest most durable economy in the world we are in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history more than 14 million new jobs the strongest 2 years of job growth since the 1990s an unemployment rate cut in half our auto industry just had its best year ever that is just part of a manufacturing surge that is created nearly new jobs in the past 6 years and we have done all this while cutting our deficits by almost anyone claiming that america economy is in decline is peddling fiction now what is the reason that a lot of americans feel that the economy has been changing in profound ways changes that started long before the great recession hit changes that have not let up today technology does not just replace jobs on the assembly line but any job where work can be automated companies in a global economy can locate anywhere and they face tougher competition as a result workers have less leverage for a raise companies have less loyalty to their communities and more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top all these trends have squeezed workers even when they have jobs even when the economy is growing it is made it harder for a family to pull itself out of poverty harder for young people to start their careers tougher for workers to retire when they want to and although none of these trends are unique to america they do offend our uniquely american belief that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot for the past 7 years our goal has been a growing economy that also works better for everybody we have made progress but we need to make more and despite all the political arguments that we have had these past few years there are actually some areas where americans broadly agree we agree that real opportunity requires every american to get the education and training they need to land a job the bipartisan reform of no child left behind was an important start and together we have increased early childhood education lifted high school graduation rates to new highs boosted graduates in fields like engineering in the coming years we should build on that progress by providing for all and offering every student the computer science and math classes that make them on day one we should recruit and support more great teachers for our kids and we have to make college affordable for every american no student should be stuck in the red we have already reduced student loan payments 10 percent of a borrower income and that is good but now we have actually got to cut the cost of college providing 2 years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that and i am going to keep fighting to get that started this year it is the right thing to do but a great education is not all we need in this new economy we also need benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security it is not too much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in america who are going to work the same job in the same place with a health and retirement package for 30 years are sitting in this chamber for everyone else especially folks in their forties and fifties saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher americans understand that at some point in their careers in this new economy they may have to retool they may have to retrain but they should not lose what they have already worked so hard to build in the process that is why social security and medicare are more important than ever we should not weaken them we should strengthen them and for americans short of retirement basic benefits should be just as mobile as everything else is today that by the way is what the affordable care act is all about it is about filling the gaps in care so that when you lose a job or you go back to school or you strike out and launch that new business you will still have coverage nearly 18 million people have gained coverage so far and in the process health care inflation has slowed and our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law now i am guessing we will not agree on health care anytime soon little applause back there just a guess but there should be other ways parties can work together to improve economic security say a american loses his job we should not just make sure that he can get unemployment insurance we should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business that is ready to hire him if that new job does not pay as much there should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay his bills and even if he is going from job to job he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him that is the way we make the new economy work better for everybody i also know speaker ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty america is about giving everybody willing to work a chance a hand up and i would welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support like expanding tax cuts for workers who do not have children but there are some areas just have to be has been difficult to find agreement over the last 7 years and a lot of them fall under the category of what role the government should play in making sure the system not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations and it is an honest disagreement and the american people have a choice to make i believe a thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy i think there are outdated regulations that need to be changed there is redtape that needs to be cut there you go yes see but after years now of record corporate profits working families will not get more opportunity or bigger paychecks just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody else expense middle class families are not going to feel more secure because we allowed attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered food stamp recipients did not because the financial crisis recklessness on wall street did immigrants are not the principal reason wages have not gone up those decisions are made in the boardrooms that all too often put quarterly earnings over returns it is sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts the point is i believe that in this new economy workers and startups and small businesses need more of a voice not less the rules should work for them and i am not alone in this this year i plan to lift up the many businesses who have figured out that doing right by their workers or their customers or their communities ends up being good for their shareholders and i want to spread those best practices across america that is part of a brighter future in fact it turns out many of our best corporate citizens are also our most creative and this brings me to the second big question we as a country have to answer how do we reignite that spirit of innovation to meet our biggest challenges sixty years ago when the russians beat us into space we did not deny sputnik was up there we did not argue about the science or shrink our research and development budget we built a space program almost overnight and 12 years later we were walking on the moon now that spirit of discovery is in our dna america is thomas edison and the wright brothers and george washington carver america is grace hopper and katherine johnson and sally ride america is every immigrant and entrepreneur from boston to austin to silicon valley racing to shape a better future that is who we are and over the past 7 years we have nurtured that spirit we have protected an open internet and taken bold new steps to get more students and americans online we have launched manufacturing hubs and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day but we can do so much more last year vice president biden said that with a new moonshot america can cure cancer last month he worked with this congress to give scientists at the national institutes of health the strongest resources that they have had in over a decade tonight i am announcing a new national effort to get it done and because he is gone to the mat for all of us on so many issues over the past 40 years i am putting joe in charge of mission control for the loved ones we have all lost for the families that we can still save let us make america the country that cures cancer once and for all what do you say joe let us make it happen now medical research is critical we need the same level of commitment when it comes to developing clean energy sources look if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change have at it you will be pretty lonely because you will be debating our military most of america business leaders the majority of the american people almost the entire scientific community and 200 nations around the world who agree it is a problem and intend to solve it but even if the planet was not at stake even if 2014 was not the warmest year on 2015 turned out to be even would we want to pass up the chance for american businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future listen 7 years ago we made the single biggest investment in clean energy in our history here are the results in fields from iowa to texas wind power is now cheaper than dirtier conventional power on rooftops from arizona to new york solar is saving americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills and employs more americans than coal in jobs that pay better than average we are taking steps to give homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy something by the way that environmentalists and tea partiers have teamed up to support and meanwhile we have cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly 60 percent and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on earth gas under 2 bucks a gallon are not bad either now we have got to accelerate the transition away from old dirtier energy sources rather than subsidize the past we should invest in the future especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels we do them no favor when we do not show them where the trends are going and that is why i am going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet and that way we put money back into those communities and put tens of thousands of americans to work building a transportation system now none of this is going to happen overnight and yes there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo but the jobs we will create the money we will save the planet we will is the kind of future our kids and our grandkids deserve and it is within our grasp now climate change is just one of many issues where our security is linked to the rest of the world and that is why the third big question that we have to answer together is how to keep america safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying to everywhere there is a problem now i told you earlier all the talk of america economic decline is political hot air well so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and america getting weaker let me tell you something the united states of america is the most powerful nation on earth period period it is not even close it is not even close it is not even close we spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined our troops are the finest fighting force in the history of the world all right no nation attacks us directly or our allies because they know that is the path to ruin surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when i was elected to this office and when it comes to every important international issue people of the world do not look to beijing or moscow to lead they call us so i think it is useful to level set here because when we do not we do not make good decisions now as someone who begins every day with an intelligence briefing i know this is a dangerous time but that is not primarily because of some looming superpower out there and it is certainly not because of diminished american strength in today world we are threatened less by evil empires and more by failing states the middle east is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation rooted in conflicts that date back millennia economic headwinds are blowing in from a chinese economy that is in significant transition even as their economy severely contracts russia is pouring resources in to prop up ukraine and syria client states that they saw slipping away from their orbit and the international system we built after world war ii is now struggling to keep pace with this new reality it is up to us the united states of america to help remake that system and to do that well it means that we have got to set priorities priority number one is protecting the american people and going after terrorist networks both al qaida and now isil pose a direct threat to our people because in today world even a handful of terrorists who place no value on human life including their own can do a lot of damage they use the internet to poison the minds of individuals inside our country their actions undermine and destabilize our allies we have to take them out but as we focus on destroying isil claims that this is world war iii just play into their hands masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages they pose an enormous danger to civilians they have to be stopped but they do not threaten our national existence that is the story isil wants to tell that is the kind of propaganda they use to recruit we do not need to build them up to show that we are serious and we sure do not need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that isil is somehow representative of one of the world largest religions we just need to call them what they are killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out hunted down and destroyed and that is exactly what we are doing for more than a year america has led a coalition of more than 60 countries to cut off isil financing disrupt their plots stop the flow of terrorist fighters and stamp out their vicious ideology with nearly airstrikes we are taking out their leadership their oil their training camps their weapons we are training arming and supporting forces who are steadily reclaiming territory in iraq and syria if this congress is serious about winning this war and wants to send a message to our troops and the world authorize the use of military force against isil take a vote take a vote but the american people should know that with or without congressional action isil will learn the same lessons as terrorists before them if you doubt america see that justice is done just ask usama bin laden ask the leader of al qaida in yemen who was taken out last year or the perpetrator of the benghazi attacks who sits in a prison cell when you come after americans we go after you and it may take time but we have long memories and our reach has no limits our foreign policy has to be focused on the threat from isil and al qaida but it can not stop there for even without isil even without al qaida instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world in the middle east in afghanistan and parts of pakistan in parts of central america in africa and asia some of these places may become safe havens for new terrorist networks others will just fall victim to ethnic conflict or famine feeding the next wave of refugees the world will look to us to help solve these problems and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to civilians that may work as a tv sound bite but it does not pass muster on the world stage we also can not try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis even if it is done with the best of intentions that is not leadership that is a recipe for quagmire spilling american blood and treasure that ultimately will weaken us it is the lesson of vietnam it is the lesson of iraq and we should have learned it by now now fortunately there is a smarter approach a patient and disciplined strategy that uses every element of our national power it says america will always act alone if necessary to protect our people and our allies but on issues of global concern we will mobilize the world to work with us and make sure other countries pull their own weight that is our approach to conflicts like syria where we are partnering with local forces and leading international efforts to help that broken society pursue a lasting peace that is why we built a global coalition with sanctions and principled diplomacy to prevent a iran and as we speak iran has rolled back its nuclear program shipped out its uranium stockpile and the world has avoided another war that is how we stopped the spread of ebola in west africa our military our doctors our development were heroic they set up the platform that then allowed other countries to join in behind us and stamp out that epidemic hundreds of thousands maybe a couple million lives were saved that is how we forged a partnership to open markets and protect workers and the environment and advance american leadership in asia it cuts taxes on products made in america which will then support more good jobs here in america with tpp china does not set the rules in that region we do you want to show our strength in this new century approve this agreement give us the tools to enforce it it is the right thing to do let me give you another example fifty years of isolating cuba had failed to promote democracy it set us back in latin america that is why we restored diplomatic relations opened the door to travel and commerce positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the cuban people so if you want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere recognize that the cold war is over lift the embargo the point is american leadership in the 21st century is not a choice between ignoring the rest of the when we kill occupying and rebuilding whatever society is unraveling leadership means a wise application of military power and rallying the world behind causes that are right it means seeing our foreign assistance as a part of our national security not something separate not charity when we lead nearly 200 nations to the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change yes that helps vulnerable countries but it also protects our kids when we help ukraine defend its democracy or colombia resolve a war that strengthens the international order we depend on when we help african countries feed their people and care for the sick it is the right thing to do and it prevents the next pandemic from reaching our shores right now we are on track to end the scourge of that is within our grasp and we have the chance to accomplish the same thing with malaria something i will be pushing this congress to fund this year that is american strength that is american leadership and that kind of leadership depends on the power of our example that is why i will keep working to shut down the prison at guantanamo it is expensive it is unnecessary and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies there is a better way and that is why we need to reject any targets people because of race or religion let me just say this this is not a matter of political correctness this is a matter of understanding just what it is that makes us strong the world respects us not just for our arsenal it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith his holiness pope francis told this body from the very spot that i am standing on tonight that to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place when politicians insult muslims whether abroad or our fellow citizens when a mosque is vandalized or a kid is called names that does not make us safer that is not telling it it like it is it is just wrong it diminishes us in the eyes of the world it makes it harder to achieve our goals it betrays who we are as a country we the people our constitution begins with those three simple words words we have come to recognize mean all the people not just some words that insist we rise and fall together that that is how we might perfect our union and that brings me to the fourth and maybe most important thing that i want to say tonight the future we of us and security for our families a rising standard of living a sustainable peaceful planet for our that is within our reach but it will only happen if we work together it will only happen if we can have rational constructive debates it will only happen if we fix our politics a better politics does not mean we have to agree on everything this is a big country different regions different attitudes different interests that is one of our strengths too our founders distributed power between states and branches of government and expected us to argue just as they did fiercely over the size and shape of government over commerce and foreign relations over the meaning of liberty and the imperatives of security but democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens it does not work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice it does not work if we think that our political opponents are unpatriotic or trying to weaken america democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise or when even basic facts are contested or when we listen only to those who agree with us our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get all the attention and most of all democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice does not matter that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some special interest too many americans feel that way right now it is one of the few regrets of my presidency that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better i have no doubt a president with the gifts of lincoln or roosevelt might have better bridged the divide and i guarantee i will keep trying to be better so long as i hold this office but my fellow americans this can not be my any there are a whole lot of folks in this chamber good people who would like to see more cooperation would like to see a more elevated debate in washington but feel trapped by the imperatives of getting elected by the noise coming out of your base i know you have told me it is the worst kept secret in washington and a lot of you are not enjoying being trapped in that kind of rancor but that means if we want a better i am addressing the american people we want a better politics it is not enough just to change a congressman or change a senator or even change a president we have to change the system to reflect our better selves i think we have got to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters and not the other way around let a bipartisan group do it i believe we have got to reduce the influence of money in our politics so that a handful of families or hidden interests can not bankroll our elections and if our existing approach to campaign finance reform can not pass muster in the courts we need to work together to find a real solution because it is a problem and most of you do not like raising money i know i have done it we have got to make it easier to vote not harder we need to modernize it for the way we live now this is america we want to make it easier for people to participate and over the course of this year i intend to travel the country to push for reforms that do just that but i can not do these things on my own changes in our political not just who gets elected but how they get will only happen when the american people demand it it depends on you that is what is meant by a government of by and for the people what i am suggesting is hard it is a lot easier to be cynical to accept that change is not possible and politics is hopeless and the problem is all the folks who are elected do not care and to believe that our voices and our actions do not matter but if we give up now then we forsake a better future those with money and power will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young soldier to war or allow another economic disaster or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of americans have fought even died to secure and then as frustration grows there will be voices urging us to fall back into our respective tribes to scapegoat fellow citizens who do not look like us or pray like us or vote like we do or share the same background we can not afford to go down that path it will not deliver the economy we want it will not produce the security we want but most of all it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world so my fellow americans whatever you may believe whether you prefer one party or no party whether you supported my agenda or fought as hard as you could against it our collective futures depends on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen to vote to speak out to stand up for others especially the weak especially the vulnerable knowing that each of us is only here because somebody somewhere stood up for us we need every american to stay active in our public not just during election that our public life reflects the goodness and the decency that i see in the american people every single day it is not easy our brand of democracy is hard but i can promise that a little over a year from now when i no longer hold this office i will be right there with you as a citizen inspired by those voices of fairness and vision of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped america travel so far voices that help us see ourselves not first and foremost as black or white or asian or latino not as gay or straight immigrant or native born not democrat or republican but as americans first bound by a common creed voices king believed would have the final word voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love and they are out there those voices they do not get a lot of attention they do not seek a lot of fanfare but they are busy doing the work this country needs doing i see them everywhere i travel in this incredible country of ours i see you the american people and in your daily acts of citizenship i see our future unfolding i see it in the worker on the assembly line who clocked extra shifts to keep his company open and the boss who pays him higher wages instead of laying him off i see it in the dreamer who stays up late at night to finish her science project and the teacher who comes in early maybe with some extra supplies that she bought because she knows that that young girl might someday cure a disease i see it in the american who served his time made bad mistakes as a child but now is dreaming of starting over and i see it in the business owner who gives him that second chance the protester determined to prove that justice matters and the young cop walking the beat treating everybody with respect doing the brave quiet work of keeping us safe i see it in the soldier who gives almost everything to save his brothers the nurse who tends to him till he can run a marathon the community that lines up to cheer him on it is the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he is been taught i see it in the elderly woman who will wait in line to cast her vote as long as she has to the new citizen who casts his vote for the first time the volunteers at the polls who believe every vote should count because each of them in different ways know how much that precious right is worth that is the america i know that is the country we love clear eyed big hearted undaunted by challenge optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word that is what makes me so hopeful about our future i believe in change because i believe in you the american people and that is why i stand here as confident as i have ever been that the state of our union is strong thank you god bless you god bless the united states of america thank you
thank speaker vice president members congress fellow americans tonight marks eighth year come report state union final one going try make little shorter know antsy get back iowa shaking hands afterwards want tips understand election season expectations achieve year low speaker appreciate constructive approach leaders took end last year pass budget make tax cuts permanent working families hope work together year bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform helping people battling prescription drug abuse heroin abuse knows might surprise cynics tonight want go easy traditional list proposals year ahead worry got helping students learn write computer code personalizing medical treatments patients keep pushing progress work believe still needs done fixing broken immigration system protecting kids gun violence equal pay equal work paid leave raising minimum wage things still matter families still right thing let get done final address chamber want talk next year want focus next 5 years next 10 years beyond want focus future live time extraordinary change change reshaping way live way work planet place world change promises amazing medical breakthroughs also economic disruptions strain working families promises education girls remote villages also connects terrorists plotting ocean away change broaden opportunity widen inequality whether like pace change accelerate america big changes wars depression influx new immigrants workers fighting fair deal movements expand civil rights time told us fear future claimed could slam brakes change promised restore past glory got group idea threatening america control time overcame fears words lincoln adhere dogmas quiet past instead thought anew acted anew made change work us always extending america promise outward next frontier people saw opportunity others saw peril emerged stronger better true true unique strengths optimism work ethic spirit discovery diversity commitment rule things give us everything need ensure prosperity security generations come fact spirit made progress past 7 years recovered worst economic crisis generations reformed health care system reinvented energy sector delivered care benefits troops coming home veterans secured freedom every state marry person love progress inevitable result choices make together face choices right respond changes time fear turning inward nation turning people face future confidence stand incredible things together let us talk future four big questions believe country answer regardless next president controls next congress first give everyone fair shot opportunity security new economy second make technology work us us especially comes solving urgent challenges like climate change third keep america safe lead world without becoming policeman finally make politics reflect best us worst let start economy basic fact united states america right strongest durable economy world middle longest streak private sector job creation history 14 million new jobs strongest 2 years job growth since 1990s unemployment rate cut half auto industry best year ever part manufacturing surge created nearly new jobs past 6 years done cutting deficits almost anyone claiming america economy decline peddling fiction reason lot americans feel economy changing profound ways changes started long great recession hit changes let today technology replace jobs assembly line job work automated companies global economy locate anywhere face tougher competition result workers less leverage raise companies less loyalty communities wealth income concentrated top trends squeezed workers even jobs even economy growing made harder family pull poverty harder young people start careers tougher workers retire want although none trends unique america offend uniquely american belief everybody works hard get fair shot past 7 years goal growing economy also works better everybody made progress need make despite political arguments past years actually areas americans broadly agree agree real opportunity requires every american get education training need land job bipartisan reform child left behind important start together increased early childhood education lifted high school graduation rates new highs boosted graduates fields like engineering coming years build progress providing offering every student computer science math classes make day one recruit support great teachers kids make college affordable every american student stuck red already reduced student loan payments 10 percent borrower income good actually got cut cost college providing 2 years community college cost every responsible student one best ways going keep fighting get started year right thing great education need new economy also need benefits protections provide basic measure security much stretch say people america going work job place health retirement package 30 years sitting chamber everyone else especially folks forties fifties saving retirement bouncing back job loss gotten lot tougher americans understand point careers new economy may retool may retrain lose already worked hard build process social security medicare important ever weaken strengthen americans short retirement basic benefits mobile everything else today way affordable care act filling gaps care lose job go back school strike launch new business still coverage nearly 18 million people gained coverage far process health care inflation slowed businesses created jobs every single month since became law guessing agree health care anytime soon little applause back guess ways parties work together improve economic security say american loses job make sure get unemployment insurance make sure program encourages retrain business ready hire new job pay much system wage insurance place still pay bills even going job job still able save retirement take savings way make new economy work better everybody also know speaker ryan talked interest tackling poverty america giving everybody willing work chance hand would welcome serious discussion strategies support like expanding tax cuts workers children areas difficult find agreement last 7 years lot fall category role government play making sure system rigged favor wealthiest biggest corporations honest disagreement american people choice make believe thriving private sector lifeblood economy think outdated regulations need changed redtape needs cut go yes see years record corporate profits working families get opportunity bigger paychecks letting big banks big oil hedge funds make rules everybody else expense middle class families going feel secure allowed attacks collective bargaining go unanswered food stamp recipients financial crisis recklessness wall street immigrants principal reason wages gone decisions made boardrooms often put quarterly earnings returns sure average family watching tonight avoids paying taxes offshore accounts point believe new economy workers startups small businesses need voice less rules work alone year plan lift many businesses figured right workers customers communities ends good shareholders want spread best practices across america part brighter future fact turns many best corporate citizens also creative brings second big question country answer reignite spirit innovation meet biggest challenges sixty years ago russians beat us space deny sputnik argue science shrink research development budget built space program almost overnight 12 years later walking moon spirit discovery dna america thomas edison wright brothers george washington carver america grace hopper katherine johnson sally ride america every immigrant entrepreneur boston austin silicon valley racing shape better future past 7 years nurtured spirit protected open internet taken bold new steps get students americans online launched manufacturing hubs online tools give entrepreneur everything needs start business single day much last year vice president biden said new moonshot america cure cancer last month worked congress give scientists national institutes health strongest resources decade tonight announcing new national effort get done gone mat us many issues past 40 years putting joe charge mission control loved ones lost families still save let us make america country cures cancer say joe let us make happen medical research critical need level commitment comes developing clean energy sources look anybody still wants dispute science around climate change pretty lonely debating military america business leaders majority american people almost entire scientific community 200 nations around world agree problem intend solve even planet stake even 2014 warmest year 2015 turned even would want pass chance american businesses produce sell energy future listen 7 years ago made single biggest investment clean energy history results fields iowa texas wind power cheaper dirtier conventional power rooftops arizona new york solar saving americans tens millions dollars year energy bills employs americans coal jobs pay better average taking steps give homeowners freedom generate store energy something way environmentalists tea partiers teamed support meanwhile cut imports foreign oil nearly 60 percent cut carbon pollution country earth gas 2 bucks gallon bad either got accelerate transition away old dirtier energy sources rather subsidize past invest future especially communities rely fossil fuels favor show trends going going push change way manage oil coal resources better reflect costs impose taxpayers planet way put money back communities put tens thousands americans work building transportation system none going happen overnight yes plenty entrenched interests want protect status quo jobs create money save planet kind future kids grandkids deserve within grasp climate change one many issues security linked rest world third big question answer together keep america safe strong without either isolating trying everywhere problem told earlier talk america economic decline political hot air well rhetoric hear enemies getting stronger america getting weaker let tell something united states america powerful nation earth period period even close even close even close spend military next eight nations combined troops finest fighting force history world right nation attacks us directly allies know path ruin surveys show standing around world higher elected office comes every important international issue people world look beijing moscow lead call us think useful level set make good decisions someone begins every day intelligence briefing know dangerous time primarily looming superpower certainly diminished american strength today world threatened less evil empires failing states middle east going transformation play generation rooted conflicts date back millennia economic headwinds blowing chinese economy significant transition even economy severely contracts russia pouring resources prop ukraine syria client states saw slipping away orbit international system built world war ii struggling keep pace new reality us united states america help remake system well means got set priorities priority number one protecting american people going terrorist networks al qaida isil pose direct threat people today world even handful terrorists place value human life including lot damage use internet poison minds individuals inside country actions undermine destabilize allies take focus destroying isil claims world war iii play hands masses fighters back pickup trucks twisted souls plotting apartments garages pose enormous danger civilians stopped threaten national existence story isil wants tell kind propaganda use recruit need build show serious sure need push away vital allies fight echoing lie isil somehow representative one world largest religions need call killers fanatics rooted hunted destroyed exactly year america led coalition 60 countries cut isil financing disrupt plots stop flow terrorist fighters stamp vicious ideology nearly airstrikes taking leadership oil training camps weapons training arming supporting forces steadily reclaiming territory iraq syria congress serious winning war wants send message troops world authorize use military force isil take vote take vote american people know without congressional action isil learn lessons terrorists doubt america see justice done ask usama bin laden ask leader al qaida yemen taken last year perpetrator benghazi attacks sits prison cell come americans go may take time long memories reach limits foreign policy focused threat isil al qaida stop even without isil even without al qaida instability continue decades many parts world middle east afghanistan parts pakistan parts central america africa asia places may become safe havens new terrorist networks others fall victim ethnic conflict famine feeding next wave refugees world look us help solve problems answer needs tough talk calls civilians may work tv sound bite pass muster world stage also try take rebuild every country falls crisis even done best intentions leadership recipe quagmire spilling american blood treasure ultimately weaken us lesson vietnam lesson iraq learned fortunately smarter approach patient disciplined strategy uses every element national power says america always act alone necessary protect people allies issues global concern mobilize world work us make sure countries pull weight approach conflicts like syria partnering local forces leading international efforts help broken society pursue lasting peace built global coalition sanctions principled diplomacy prevent iran speak iran rolled back nuclear program shipped uranium stockpile world avoided another war stopped spread ebola west africa military doctors development heroic set platform allowed countries join behind us stamp epidemic hundreds thousands maybe couple million lives saved forged partnership open markets protect workers environment advance american leadership asia cuts taxes products made america support good jobs america tpp china set rules region want show strength new century approve agreement give us tools enforce right thing let give another example fifty years isolating cuba failed promote democracy set us back latin america restored diplomatic relations opened door travel commerce positioned improve lives cuban people want consolidate leadership credibility hemisphere recognize cold war lift embargo point american leadership 21st century choice ignoring rest kill occupying rebuilding whatever society unraveling leadership means wise application military power rallying world behind causes right means seeing foreign assistance part national security something separate charity lead nearly 200 nations ambitious agreement history fight climate change yes helps vulnerable countries also protects kids help ukraine defend democracy colombia resolve war strengthens international order depend help african countries feed people care sick right thing prevents next pandemic reaching shores right track end scourge within grasp chance accomplish thing malaria something pushing congress fund year american strength american leadership kind leadership depends power example keep working shut prison guantanamo expensive unnecessary serves recruitment brochure enemies better way need reject targets people race religion let say matter political correctness matter understanding makes us strong world respects us arsenal respects us diversity openness way respect every faith holiness pope francis told body spot standing tonight imitate hatred violence tyrants murderers best way take place politicians insult muslims whether abroad fellow citizens mosque vandalized kid called names make us safer telling like wrong diminishes us eyes world makes harder achieve goals betrays country people constitution begins three simple words words come recognize mean people words insist rise fall together might perfect union brings fourth maybe important thing want say tonight future us security families rising standard living sustainable peaceful planet within reach happen work together happen rational constructive debates happen fix politics better politics mean agree everything big country different regions different attitudes different interests one strengths founders distributed power states branches government expected us argue fiercely size shape government commerce foreign relations meaning liberty imperatives security democracy require basic bonds trust citizens work think people disagree us motivated malice work think political opponents unpatriotic trying weaken america democracy grinds halt without willingness compromise even basic facts contested listen agree us public life withers extreme voices get attention democracy breaks average person feels voice matter system rigged favor rich powerful special interest many americans feel way right one regrets presidency rancor suspicion parties gotten worse instead better doubt president gifts lincoln roosevelt might better bridged divide guarantee keep trying better long hold office fellow americans whole lot folks chamber good people would like see cooperation would like see elevated debate washington feel trapped imperatives getting elected noise coming base know told worst kept secret washington lot enjoying trapped kind rancor means want better addressing american people want better politics enough change congressman change senator even change president change system reflect better selves think got end practice drawing congressional districts politicians pick voters way around let bipartisan group believe got reduce influence money politics handful families hidden interests bankroll elections existing approach campaign finance reform pass muster courts need work together find real solution problem like raising money know done got make easier vote harder need modernize way live america want make easier people participate course year intend travel country push reforms things changes political gets elected get happen american people demand depends meant government people suggesting hard lot easier cynical accept change possible politics hopeless problem folks elected care believe voices actions matter give forsake better future money power gain greater control decisions could send young soldier war allow another economic disaster roll back equal rights voting rights generations americans fought even died secure frustration grows voices urging us fall back respective tribes scapegoat fellow citizens look like us pray like us vote like share background afford go path deliver economy want produce security want contradicts everything makes us envy world fellow americans whatever may believe whether prefer one party party whether supported agenda fought hard could collective futures depends willingness uphold duties citizen vote speak stand others especially weak especially vulnerable knowing us somebody somewhere stood us need every american stay active public election public life reflects goodness decency see american people every single day easy brand democracy hard promise little year longer hold office right citizen inspired voices fairness vision grit good humor kindness helped america travel far voices help us see first foremost black white asian latino gay straight immigrant native born democrat republican americans first bound common creed voices king believed would final word voices unarmed truth unconditional love voices get lot attention seek lot fanfare busy work country needs see everywhere travel incredible country see american people daily acts citizenship see future unfolding see worker assembly line clocked extra shifts keep company open boss pays higher wages instead laying see dreamer stays late night finish science project teacher comes early maybe extra supplies bought knows young girl might someday cure disease see american served time made bad mistakes child dreaming starting see business owner gives second chance protester determined prove justice matters young cop walking beat treating everybody respect brave quiet work keeping us safe see soldier gives almost everything save brothers nurse tends till run marathon community lines cheer son finds courage come father whose love son overrides everything taught see elderly woman wait line cast vote long new citizen casts vote first time volunteers polls believe every vote count different ways know much precious right worth america know country love clear eyed big hearted undaunted challenge optimistic unarmed truth unconditional love final word makes hopeful future believe change believe american people stand confident ever state union strong thank god bless god bless united states america thank
thank speaker vice president member congress fellow american tonight mark eighth year come report state union final one go try make little short know antsy get back iowa shake hand afterwards want tip understand election season expectation achieve year low speaker appreciate constructive approach leader take end last year pas budget make tax cut permanent work family hope work together year bipartisan priority like criminal justice reform help people battle prescription drug abuse heroin abuse know might surprise cynic tonight want go easy traditional list proposal year ahead worry get help student learn write computer code personalize medical treatment patient keep push progress work believe still need do fix break immigration system protect kid gun violence equal pay equal work pay leave raise minimum wage thing still matter family still right thing let get do final address chamber want talk next year want focus next 5 year next 10 year beyond want focus future live time extraordinary change change reshape way live way work planet place world change promise amazing medical breakthrough also economic disruption strain work family promise education girl remote village also connect terrorist plot ocean away change broaden opportunity widen inequality whether like pace change accelerate america big change war depression influx new immigrant worker fight fair deal movement expand civil right time tell u fear future claim could slam brake change promise restore past glory get group idea threaten america control time overcame fear word lincoln adhere dogmas quiet past instead think anew act anew make change work u always extend america promise outward next frontier people saw opportunity others saw peril emerge strong well true true unique strength optimism work ethic spirit discovery diversity commitment rule thing give u everything need ensure prosperity security generation come fact spirit make progress past 7 year recover bad economic crisis generation reform health care system reinvent energy sector deliver care benefit troop come home veteran secure freedom every state marry person love progress inevitable result choice make together face choice right respond change time fear turn inward nation turn people face future confidence stand incredible thing together let u talk future four big question believe country answer regardless next president control next congress first give everyone fair shot opportunity security new economy second make technology work u u especially come solve urgent challenge like climate change third keep america safe lead world without become policeman finally make politics reflect best u bad let start economy basic fact united state america right strong durable economy world middle long streak private sector job creation history 14 million new job strong 2 year job growth since 1990s unemployment rate cut half auto industry best year ever part manufacturing surge create nearly new job past 6 year do cut deficit almost anyone claim america economy decline peddle fiction reason lot american feel economy change profound way change start long great recession hit change let today technology replace job assembly line job work automate company global economy locate anywhere face tougher competition result worker less leverage raise company less loyalty community wealth income concentrate top trend squeezed worker even job even economy grow make hard family pull poverty harder young people start career tougher worker retire want although none trend unique america offend uniquely american belief everybody work hard get fair shot past 7 year goal grow economy also work well everybody make progress need make despite political argument past year actually area american broadly agree agree real opportunity require every american get education train need land job bipartisan reform child leave behind important start together increase early childhood education lift high school graduation rate new high boost graduate field like engineering come year build progress provide offer every student computer science math class make day one recruit support great teacher kid make college affordable every american student stick red already reduce student loan payment 10 percent borrower income good actually get cut cost college provide 2 year community college cost every responsible student one best way go keep fight get start year right thing great education need new economy also need benefit protection provide basic measure security much stretch say people america go work job place health retirement package 30 year sit chamber everyone else especially folks forty fifty save retirement bounce back job loss gotten lot tough american understand point career new economy may retool may retrain lose already work hard build process social security medicare important ever weaken strengthen american short retirement basic benefit mobile everything else today way affordable care act fill gap care lose job go back school strike launch new business still coverage nearly 18 million people gain coverage far process health care inflation slow business create job every single month since become law guess agree health care anytime soon little applause back guess way party work together improve economic security say american loses job make sure get unemployment insurance make sure program encourage retrain business ready hire new job pay much system wage insurance place still pay bill even go job job still able save retirement take saving way make new economy work well everybody also know speaker ryan talk interest tackle poverty america give everybody willing work chance hand would welcome serious discussion strategy support like expand tax cut worker child area difficult find agreement last 7 year lot fall category role government play make sure system rig favor wealthy big corporation honest disagreement american people choice make believe thrive private sector lifeblood economy think outdated regulation need change redtape need cut go yes see year record corporate profit work family get opportunity big paycheck let big bank big oil hedge fund make rule everybody else expense middle class family go feel secure allow attack collective bargaining go unanswered food stamp recipient financial crisis recklessness wall street immigrant principal reason wage go decision make boardroom often put quarterly earnings return sure average family watch tonight avoids pay tax offshore account point believe new economy worker startups small business need voice less rule work alone year plan lift many business figure right worker customer community end good shareholder want spread best practice across america part brighter future fact turn many best corporate citizen also creative brings second big question country answer reignite spirit innovation meet big challenge sixty year ago russians beat u space deny sputnik argue science shrink research development budget built space program almost overnight 12 year later walk moon spirit discovery dna america thomas edison wright brother george washington carver america grace hopper katherine johnson sally ride america every immigrant entrepreneur boston austin silicon valley race shape well future past 7 year nurture spirit protect open internet take bold new step get student american online launch manufacturing hub online tool give entrepreneur everything need start business single day much last year vice president biden say new moonshot america cure cancer last month work congress give scientist national institute health strong resource decade tonight announce new national effort get do go mat u many issue past 40 year put joe charge mission control love one lose family still save let u make america country cure cancer say joe let u make happen medical research critical need level commitment come develop clean energy source look anybody still want dispute science around climate change pretty lonely debate military america business leader majority american people almost entire scientific community 200 nation around world agree problem intend solve even planet stake even 2014 warm year 2015 turn even would want pas chance american business produce sell energy future listen 7 year ago make single big investment clean energy history result field iowa texas wind power cheap dirtier conventional power rooftop arizona new york solar save american ten million dollar year energy bill employ american coal job pay good average take step give homeowner freedom generate store energy something way environmentalist tea partiers team support meanwhile cut import foreign oil nearly 60 percent cut carbon pollution country earth gas 2 buck gallon bad either get accelerate transition away old dirtier energy source rather subsidize past invest future especially communities rely fossil fuel favor show trend go go push change way manage oil coal resource well reflect cost impose taxpayer planet way put money back community put ten thousand american work build transportation system none go happen overnight yes plenty entrench interest want protect status quo job create money save planet kind future kid grandkids deserve within grasp climate change one many issue security link rest world third big question answer together keep america safe strong without either isolate try everywhere problem tell early talk america economic decline political hot air well rhetoric hear enemy get strong america get weak let tell something united state america powerful nation earth period period even close even close even close spend military next eight nation combine troop fine fight force history world right nation attack u directly ally know path ruin survey show stand around world high elect office come every important international issue people world look beijing moscow lead call u think useful level set make good decision someone begin every day intelligence brief know dangerous time primarily loom superpower certainly diminish american strength today world threaten less evil empire fail state middle east go transformation play generation root conflict date back millennia economic headwind blow chinese economy significant transition even economy severely contract russia pour resource prop ukraine syria client state saw slip away orbit international system build world war ii struggle keep pace new reality u united state america help remake system well mean get set priority priority number one protecting american people go terrorist network al qaida isil pose direct threat people today world even handful terrorist place value human life include lot damage use internet poison mind individual inside country action undermine destabilize ally take focus destroy isil claim world war iii play hand mass fighter back pickup truck twist souls plotting apartment garage pose enormous danger civilian stop threaten national existence story isil want tell kind propaganda use recruit need build show serious sure need push away vital ally fight echo lie isil somehow representative one world large religion need call killer fanatic root hunted destroyed exactly year america lead coalition 60 country cut isil financing disrupt plot stop flow terrorist fighter stamp vicious ideology nearly airstrikes take leadership oil training camp weapon train arm support force steadily reclaim territory iraq syria congress serious win war want send message troop world authorize use military force isil take vote take vote american people know without congressional action isil learn lesson terrorists doubt america see justice do ask usama bin laden ask leader al qaida yemen take last year perpetrator benghazi attack sits prison cell come american go may take time long memory reach limit foreign policy focus threat isil al qaida stop even without isil even without al qaida instability continue decade many part world middle east afghanistan part pakistan part central america africa asia place may become safe havens new terrorist network others fall victim ethnic conflict famine feed next wave refugee world look u help solve problem answer need tough talk call civilian may work tv sound bite pas muster world stage also try take rebuild every country fall crisis even do best intention leadership recipe quagmire spill american blood treasure ultimately weaken u lesson vietnam lesson iraq learn fortunately smart approach patient discipline strategy use every element national power say america always act alone necessary protect people ally issue global concern mobilize world work u make sure country pull weight approach conflict like syria partner local force lead international effort help break society pursue last peace build global coalition sanction principled diplomacy prevent iran speak iran roll back nuclear program ship uranium stockpile world avoid another war stop spread ebola west africa military doctor development heroic set platform allow country join behind u stamp epidemic hundred thousand maybe couple million live save forge partnership open market protect worker environment advance american leadership asia cut tax product make america support good job america tpp china set rule region want show strength new century approve agreement give u tool enforce right thing let give another example fifty year isolate cuba fail promote democracy set u back latin america restore diplomatic relation open door travel commerce position improve life cuban people want consolidate leadership credibility hemisphere recognize cold war lift embargo point american leadership 21st century choice ignore rest kill occupy rebuild whatever society unravel leadership mean wise application military power rally world behind cause right mean see foreign assistance part national security something separate charity lead nearly 200 nation ambitious agreement history fight climate change yes help vulnerable country also protect kid help ukraine defend democracy colombia resolve war strengthens international order depend help african country fee people care sick right thing prevents next pandemic reaching shore right track end scourge within grasp chance accomplish thing malaria something push congress fund year american strength american leadership kind leadership depend power example keep work shut prison guantanamo expensive unnecessary serf recruitment brochure enemy well way need reject target people race religion let say matter political correctness matter understand make u strong world respect u arsenal respect u diversity openness way respect every faith holiness pope francis tell body spot stand tonight imitate hatred violence tyrant murderer best way take place politician insult muslim whether abroad fellow citizen mosque vandalize kid call name make u safer tell like wrong diminishes u eye world make hard achieve goal betrays country people constitution begin three simple word word come recognize mean people word insist rise fall together might perfect union brings fourth maybe important thing want say tonight future u security family rise standard live sustainable peaceful planet within reach happen work together happen rational constructive debate happen fix politics well politics mean agree everything big country different region different attitude different interest one strengths founder distribute power state branch government expect u argue fiercely size shape government commerce foreign relation mean liberty imperative security democracy require basic bond trust citizen work think people disagree u motivated malice work think political opponent unpatriotic try weaken america democracy grind halt without willingness compromise even basic fact contest listen agree u public life withers extreme voice get attention democracy breaks average person feels voice matter system rig favor rich powerful special interest many american feel way right one regret presidency rancor suspicion party get bad instead well doubt president gift lincoln roosevelt might better bridge divide guarantee keep try well long hold office fellow americans whole lot folk chamber good people would like see cooperation would like see elevated debate washington feel trap imperative get elected noise come base know tell bad kept secret washington lot enjoy trap kind rancor mean want good address american people want good politics enough change congressman change senator even change president change system reflect good self think get end practice draw congressional district politician pick voter way around let bipartisan group believe get reduce influence money politics handful family hide interest bankroll election exist approach campaign finance reform pas muster court need work together find real solution problem like raise money know do get make easy vote hard need modernize way live america want make easy people participate course year intend travel country push reform thing change political get elect get happen american people demand depend meant government people suggest hard lot easy cynical accept change possible politics hopeless problem folk elect care believe voice action matter give forsake good future money power gain great control decision could send young soldier war allow another economic disaster roll back equal right vote right generation american fight even died secure frustration grow voice urge u fall back respective tribe scapegoat fellow citizen look like u pray like u vote like share background afford go path deliver economy want produce security want contradicts everything make u envy world fellow american whatever may believe whether prefer one party party whether supported agenda fight hard could collective future depend willingness uphold duty citizen vote speak stand others especially weak especially vulnerable know u somebody somewhere stand u need every american stay active public election public life reflect goodness decency see american people every single day easy brand democracy hard promise little year longer hold office right citizen inspired voice fairness vision grit good humor kindness help america travel far voice help u see first foremost black white asian latino gay straight immigrant native bear democrat republican american first bound common creed voice king believe would final word voice unarm truth unconditional love voice get lot attention seek lot fanfare busy work country need see everywhere travel incredible country see american people daily act citizenship see future unfold see worker assembly line clock extra shift keep company open bos pay high wage instead lay see dreamer stay late night finish science project teacher come early maybe extra supply buy know young girl might someday cure disease see american serve time make bad mistake child dream start see business owner give second chance protester determine prove justice matter young cop walk beat treat everybody respect brave quiet work keep u safe see soldier give almost everything save brother nurse tends till run marathon community line cheer son find courage come father whose love son override everything taught see elderly woman wait line cast vote long new citizen cast vote first time volunteer poll believe every vote count different way know much precious right worth america know country love clear eye big hearted undaunted challenge optimistic unarm truth unconditional love final word make hopeful future believe change believe american people stand confident ever state union strong thank god bless god bless united state america thank