Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought and several thousand gave their lives.
 We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in 9 years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Usama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of Al Qaida's top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.
 These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America's Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.
 Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: a country that leads the world in educating its people; an America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs; a future where we're in control of our own energy and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world; an economy built to last, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded.
 We can do this. I know we can, because we've done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton's army, got the chance to go to college on the GI bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.
 The two of them shared the optimism of a nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger, that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share, the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.
 The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What's at stake aren't Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. And we have to reclaim them.
 Let's remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hard-working Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren't, and personal debt that kept piling up.
 In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn't afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. Regulators had looked the other way or didn't have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
 It was wrong, it was irresponsible, and it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the 6 months before I took office, we lost nearly 4 million jobs. And we lost another 4 million before our policies were in full effect.
 Those are the facts. But so are these: In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than 3 million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we've agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we've put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable so a crisis like this never happens again.
 The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we've come too far to turn back now. As long as I'm President, I will work with anyone in this Chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.
 No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight I want to speak about how we move forward and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last, an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.
 Now, this blueprint begins with American manufacturing.
 On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number-one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.
 We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.
 What's happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can't bring every job back that's left our shore. But right now it's getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in 15 years, Master Lock's unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.
 So we have a huge opportunity at this moment to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.
 We should start with our Tax Code. Right now companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. So let's change it.
 First, if you're a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.
 Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here in America.
 Third, if you're an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you're a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making your products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.
 So my message is simple: It is time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I will sign them right away.
 We're also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over 5 years. With the bipartisan trade agreements we signed into law, we're on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule. And soon there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit and Toledo and Chicago.
 I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules. We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration, and it's made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It's not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're heavily subsidized.
 Tonight I'm announcing the creation of a trade enforcement unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trading practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing financing or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you, America will always win.
 I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States, but can't find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that: openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work. It's inexcusable, and we know how to fix it.
 Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then, Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.
 I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train 2 million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte and Orlando and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers, places that teach people skills that businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.
 And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help that they need. It is time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.
 These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.
 For less than 1 percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we've convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning, the first time that's happened in a generation. But challenges remain, and we know how to solve them.
 At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this Chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies, just to make a difference.
 Teachers matter. So, instead of bashing them or defending the status quo, let's offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job and reward the best ones. And in return, grant schools flexibility to teach with creativity and passion, to stop teaching to the test, and to replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn. That's a bargain worth making.
 We also know that when students don't walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. When students are not allowed to drop out, they do better. So tonight I am proposing that every State--every State--requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.
 When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July.
 Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves millions of middle class families thousands of dollars, and give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next 5 years.
 Of course, it's not enough for us to increase student aid. We can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we'll run out of money. States also need to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down.
 Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who have done just that. Some schools redesign courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it's possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can't be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.
 Let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hard-working students in this country face another challenge: the fact that they aren't yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else. That doesn't make sense.
 I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That's why my administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office. The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now.
 But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.
 You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who's willing to work and every risk taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.
 After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in startups and small businesses. So let's pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill and get it on my desk this year.
 Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched, new lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don't gut these investments in our budget. Don't let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet, to new American jobs and new American industries.
 And nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last 3 years, we've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight I'm directing my administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now--right now--American oil production is the highest that it's been in 8 years. That's right, 8 years. Not only that, last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past 16 years.
 But with only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, oil isn't enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy, a strategy that's cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.
 We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years. And my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I'm requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. Because America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.
 The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don't have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of 30 years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock, reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.
 Now, what's true for natural gas is just as true for clean energy. In 3 years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of Federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled, and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.
 When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55 no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it's hiring workers like Bryan, who said, "I'm proud to be working in the industry of the future."
 Our experience with shale gas, our experience with natural gas, shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don't always come right away. Some technologies don't pan out, some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.
 We've subsidized oil companies for a century. That's long enough. It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable and double down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits. Create these jobs.
 We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this Chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there's no reason why Congress shouldn't at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven't acted. Well, tonight I will. I'm directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million homes. And I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense, working with us, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history, with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.
 Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here's a proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be a hundred billion dollars lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.
 Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America's infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We've got crumbling roads and bridges, a power grid that wastes too much energy, an incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small-business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.
 During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.
 In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive order clearing away the redtape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.
 There's never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren't the only ones who were hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who've seen their home values decline. And while Government can't fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn't have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.
 And that's why I'm sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low rates. No more redtape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won't add to the deficit and will give those banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.
 Let's never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom. No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.
 We've all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn't afford them and buyers who knew they couldn't afford them. That's why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud or toxic dumping or faulty medical devices, these don't destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.
 There's no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I've approved fewer regulations in the first 3 years of my Presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I've ordered every Federal agency to eliminate rules that don't make sense. We've already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next 5 years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill, because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk. [ ]
 Now, I'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a Federal agency looking over his shoulder. Absolutely. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf 2 years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury poisoning or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your coverage, or charge women differently than men.
 And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system's core purpose: getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home or start a business or send their kids to college.
 So, if you are a big bank or financial institution, you're no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers' deposits. You're required to write out a "living will" that details exactly how you'll pay the bills if you fail, because the rest of us are not bailing you out ever again. And if you're a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can't afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices, those days are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray, with one job: to look out for them.
 We'll also establish a financial crimes unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people's investments. Some financial firms violate major antifraud laws because there's no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That's bad for consumers, and it's bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.
 And tonight I'm asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of Federal prosecutors and leading State attorney general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.
 Now, a return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.
 Right now our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let's agree right here, right now. No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay. Let's get it done.
 When it comes to the deficit, we've already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now we're poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the Tax Code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle class households. Right now Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
 Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else, like education and medical research, a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we're serious about paying down our debt, we can't do both.
 The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I'm prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long-term costs of Medicare and Medicaid and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors. But in return, we need to change our Tax Code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes.
 Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule. If you make more than a million dollars a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you're earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn't get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn't go up. You're the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You're the ones who need relief.
 Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.
 We don't begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's not because they envy the rich. It's because they understand that when I get a tax break I don't need and the country can't afford, it either adds to the deficit or somebody else has to make up the difference, like a senior on a fixed income or a student trying to get through school or a family trying to make ends meet. That's not right. Americans know that's not right. They know that this generation's success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other and to the future of their country, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That's how we'll reduce our deficit. That's an America built to last.
 Now, I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt, energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right about now: Nothing will get done in Washington this year or next year or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.
 Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?
 The greatest blow to our confidence in our economy last year didn't come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco?
 I've talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad, and it seems to get worse every year.
 Now, some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let's take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress. I will sign it tomorrow. Let's limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let's make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can't lobby Congress and vice versa, an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.
 Some of what's broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything--even routine business--passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a simple rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up-or-down vote within 90 days.
 The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it's inefficient, outdated, and remote. That's why I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the Federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.
 Finally, none of this can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction, that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around commonsense ideas.
 I'm a Democrat, but I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: that Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves and no more. That's why my education reform offers more competition and more control for schools and States. That's why we're getting rid of regulations that don't work. That's why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.
 On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally financed roads and clean energy projects and Federal offices for the folks back home.
 The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there's nothing the United States of America can't achieve.
 That's the lesson we've learned from our actions abroad over the last few years. Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the Al Qaida operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can't escape the reach of the United States of America.
 From this position of strength, we've begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.
 As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo, from Sana'a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world's longest serving dictators, a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Asad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed and that human dignity cannot be denied.
 How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it's ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings: men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.
 And we will safeguard America's own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran's nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before. Its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent.
 Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better. And if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.
 The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our ironclad commitment--and I mean ironclad--to Israel's security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history.
 We've made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we've built to secure nuclear materials to the missions we've led against hunger and disease, from the blows we've dealt to our enemies to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.
 Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about. That's not the message we get from leaders around the world who are eager to work with us. That's not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin, from Cape Town to Rio, where opinions of America are higher than they've been in years. Yes, the world is changing. No, we can't control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs, and as long as I'm President, I intend to keep it that way.
 That's why, working with our military leaders, I've proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I've already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing dangers of cyber threats.
 Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they've served us. That includes giving them the care and the benefits they have earned, which is why we've increased annual VA spending every year I've been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.
 With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we're providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight I'm proposing a veterans jobs corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her.
 Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who've been sent here to serve can learn a thing or two from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn't matter if you're Black or White, Asian, Latino, Native American; conservative, liberal; rich, poor; gay, straight. When you're marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you or the mission fails. When you're in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.
 You know, one of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats, some may be Republicans, but that doesn't matter. Just like it didn't matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates, a man who was George Bush's Defense Secretary, and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for President.
 All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn't deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job: the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control, the translator who kept others from entering the compound, the troops who separated the women and children from the fight, the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other. Because you can't charge up those stairs into darkness and danger unless you know that there's somebody behind you, watching your back.
 So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I'm reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other's backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great, no mission too hard. As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.
 Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought and several thousand gave their lives. We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in 9 years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Usama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of Al Qaida's top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home. These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America's Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They are not consumed with personal ambition. They do not obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together. Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: a country that leads the world in educating its people; an America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs; a future where we are in control of our own energy and our security and prosperity are not so tied to unstable parts of the world; an economy built to last, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded. We can do this. I know we can, because we have done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton's army, got the chance to go to college on the GI bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth. The two of them shared the optimism of a nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger, that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share, the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement. The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What is at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. And we have to reclaim them. Let us remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hard-working Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that were not, and personal debt that kept piling up. In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who could not afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. Regulators had looked the other way or did not have the authority to stop the bad behavior. It was wrong, it was irresponsible, and it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the 6 months before I took office, we lost nearly 4 million jobs. And we lost another 4 million before our policies were in full effect. Those are the facts. But so are these: In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than 3 million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we have agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we have put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable so a crisis like this never happens again. The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we have come too far to turn back now. As long as I am President, I will work with anyone in this Chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight I want to speak about how we move forward and lay out a blueprint for an economy that is built to last, an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. Now, this blueprint begins with American manufacturing. On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number-one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the YOU.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in YOU.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs. We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back. What is happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We cannot bring every job back that is left our shore. But right now it is getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in 15 years, Master Lock's unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity. So we have a huge opportunity at this moment to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed. We should start with our Tax Code. Right now companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. So let us change it. First, if you are a business that wants to outsource jobs, you should not get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home. Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here in America. Third, if you are an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you are a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making your products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers. So my message is simple: It is time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I will sign them right away. We are also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling YOU.S. exports over 5 years. With the bipartisan trade agreements we signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule. And soon there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit and Toledo and Chicago. I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors do not play by the rules. We have brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration, and it is made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It is not right when another country let us our movies, music, and software be pirated. It is not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they are heavily subsidized. Tonight I am announcing the creation of a trade enforcement unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trading practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing financing or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you, America will always win. I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States, but cannot find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that: openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work. It is inexcusable, and we know how to fix it. Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then, Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant. I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train 2 million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte and Orlando and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers, places that teach people skills that businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing. And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help that they need. It is time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work. These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier. For less than 1 percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we have convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning, the first time that is happened in a generation. But challenges remain, and we know how to solve them. At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this Chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies, just to make a difference. Teachers matter. So, instead of bashing them or defending the status quo, let us offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job and reward the best ones. And in return, grant schools flexibility to teach with creativity and passion, to stop teaching to the test, and to replace teachers who just are not helping kids learn. That is a bargain worth making. We also know that when students do not walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. When students are not allowed to drop out, they do better. So tonight I am proposing that every State--every State--requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18. When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves millions of middle class families thousands of dollars, and give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next 5 years. Of course, it is not enough for us to increase student aid. We cannot just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we will run out of money. States also need to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who have done just that. Some schools redesign courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it is possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you cannot stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education cannot be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford. Let us also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hard-working students in this country face another challenge: the fact that they are not yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else. That does not make sense. I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That is why my administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That is why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office. The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let us at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away. You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who is willing to work and every risk taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs. After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in startups and small businesses. So let us pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill and get it on my desk this year. Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched, new lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Do not gut these investments in our budget. Do not let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet, to new American jobs and new American industries. And nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last 3 years, we have opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight I am directing my administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now--right now--American oil production is the highest that it is been in 8 years. That is right, 8 years. Not only that, last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past 16 years. But with only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, oil is not enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy, a strategy that is cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs. We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years. And my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I am requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. Because America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk. The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we do not have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of 30 years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock, reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground. Now, what is true for natural gas is just as true for clean energy. In 3 years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of Federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled, and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it. When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55 no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it is hiring workers like Bryan, who said, "I am proud to be working in the industry of the future." Our experience with shale gas, our experience with natural gas, shows us that the payoffs on these public investments do not always come right away. Some technologies do not pan out, some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That is long enough. It is time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable and double down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits. Create these jobs. We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this Chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there is no reason why Congress should not at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you have not acted. Well, tonight I will. I am directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million homes. And I am proud to announce that the Department of Defense, working with us, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history, with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year. Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here is a proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be a hundred billion dollars lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs. Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America's infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We have got crumbling roads and bridges, a power grid that wastes too much energy, an incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small-business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world. During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today. In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive order clearing away the redtape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we are no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home. There is never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers were not the only ones who were hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who have seen their home values decline. And while Government cannot fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners should not have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief. And that is why I am sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low rates. No more redtape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it will not add to the deficit and will give those banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust. Let us never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It is time to apply the same rules from top to bottom. No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody. We have all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who could not afford them and buyers who knew they could not afford them. That is why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud or toxic dumping or faulty medical devices, these do not destroy the free market. They make the free market work better. There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I have approved fewer regulations in the first 3 years of my Presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I have ordered every Federal agency to eliminate rules that do not make sense. We have already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next 5 years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill, because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk. [ ] Now, I am confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a Federal agency looking over his shoulder. Absolutely. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf 2 years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury poisoning or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your coverage, or charge women differently than men. And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system's core purpose: getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home or start a business or send their kids to college. So, if you are a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers' deposits. You are required to write out a "living will" that details exactly how you will pay the bills if you fail, because the rest of us are not bailing you out ever again. And if you are a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they cannot afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices, those days are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray, with one job: to look out for them. We will also establish a financial crimes unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people's investments. Some financial firms violate major antifraud laws because there is no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That is bad for consumers, and it is bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count. And tonight I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of Federal prosecutors and leading State attorney general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans. Now, a return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future. Right now our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let us agree right here, right now. No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay. Let us get it done. When it comes to the deficit, we have already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now we are poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the Tax Code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle class households. Right now Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else, like education and medical research, a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we are serious about paying down our debt, we cannot do both. The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I am prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long-term costs of Medicare and Medicaid and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors. But in return, we need to change our Tax Code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule. If you make more than a million dollars a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you are earning a million dollars a year, you should not get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes should not go up. You are the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You are the ones who need relief. Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense. We do not begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it is not because they envy the rich. It is because they understand that when I get a tax break I do not need and the country cannot afford, it either adds to the deficit or somebody else has to make up the difference, like a senior on a fixed income or a student trying to get through school or a family trying to make ends meet. That is not right. Americans know that is not right. They know that this generation's success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other and to the future of their country, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That is how we will reduce our deficit. That is an America built to last. Now, I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt, energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right about now: Nothing will get done in Washington this year or next year or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken. Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical? The greatest blow to our confidence in our economy last year did not come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco? I have talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad, and it seems to get worse every year. Now, some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let us take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress. I will sign it tomorrow. Let us limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let us make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress cannot lobby Congress and vice versa, an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington. Some of what is broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything--even routine business--passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a simple rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up-or-down vote within 90 days. The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it is inefficient, outdated, and remote. That is why I have asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the Federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people. Finally, none of this can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction, that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around commonsense ideas. I am a Democrat, but I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: that Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves and no more. That is why my education reform offers more competition and more control for schools and States. That is why we are getting rid of regulations that do not work. That is why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program. On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally financed roads and clean energy projects and Federal offices for the folks back home. The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States of America cannot achieve. That is the lesson we have learned from our actions abroad over the last few years. Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the Al Qaida operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they cannot escape the reach of the United States of America. From this position of strength, we have begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan so that it is never again a source of attacks against America. As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo, from Sana'a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world's longest serving dictators, a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Asad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed and that human dignity cannot be denied. How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings: men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty. And we will safeguard America's own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran's nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before. Its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better. And if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations. The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our ironclad commitment--and I mean ironclad--to Israel's security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history. We have made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we have built to secure nuclear materials to the missions we have led against hunger and disease, from the blows we have dealt to our enemies to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back. Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, does not know what they are talking about. That is not the message we get from leaders around the world who are eager to work with us. That is not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin, from Cape Town to Rio, where opinions of America are higher than they have been in years. Yes, the world is changing. No, we cannot control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs, and as long as I am President, I intend to keep it that way. That is why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing dangers of cyber threats. Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they have served us. That includes giving them the care and the benefits they have earned, which is why we have increased annual VA spending every year I have been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation. With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight I am proposing a veterans jobs corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her. Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who have been sent here to serve can learn a thing or two from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it does not matter if you are Black or White, Asian, Latino, Native American; conservative, liberal; rich, poor; gay, straight. When you are marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you or the mission fails. When you are in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind. You know, one of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats, some may be Republicans, but that does not matter. Just like it did not matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates, a man who was George Bush's Defense Secretary, and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for President. All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he did not deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job: the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control, the translator who kept others from entering the compound, the troops who separated the women and children from the fight, the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other. Because you cannot charge up those stairs into darkness and danger unless you know that there is somebody behind you, watching your back. So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I am reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other's backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great, no mission too hard. As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
speaker vice president members of congress distinguished guests and fellow americans last month i went to andrews air force base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in iraq together we offered a final proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought and several thousand gave their lives we gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the united states safer and more respected around the world for the first time in 9 years there are no americans fighting in iraq for the first time in two decades usama bin laden is not a threat to this country most of al qaida top lieutenants have been defeated the taliban momentum has been broken and some troops in afghanistan have begun to come home these achievements are a testament to the courage selflessness and teamwork of america armed forces at a time when too many of our institutions have let us down they exceed all expectations they are not consumed with personal ambition they do not obsess over their differences they focus on the mission at hand they work together imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example think about the america within our reach a country that leads the world in educating its people an america that attracts a new generation of manufacturing and jobs a future where we are in control of our own energy and our security and prosperity are not so tied to unstable parts of the world an economy built to last where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded we can do this i know we can because we have done it before at the end of world war ii when another generation of heroes returned home from combat they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known my grandfather a veteran of patton army got the chance to go to college on the gi bill my grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on earth the two of them shared the optimism of a nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism they understood they were part of something larger that they were contributing to a story of success that every american had a chance to share the basic american promise that if you worked hard you could do well enough to raise a family own a home send your kids to college and put a little away for retirement the defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive no challenge is more urgent no debate is more important we can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of americans barely get by or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules what is at stake are not democratic values or republican values but american values and we have to reclaim them let us remember how we got here long before the recession jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores technology made businesses more efficient but also made some jobs obsolete folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before but most americans struggled with costs that were growing paychecks that were not and personal debt that kept piling up in 2008 the house of cards collapsed we learned that mortgages had been sold to people who could not afford or understand them banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people money regulators had looked the other way or did not have the authority to stop the bad behavior it was wrong it was irresponsible and it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work saddled us with more debt and left innocent americans holding the bag in the 6 months before i took office we lost nearly 4 million jobs and we lost another 4 million before our policies were in full effect those are the facts but so are these in the last 22 months businesses have created more than 3 million jobs last year they created the most jobs since 2005 american manufacturers are hiring again creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s together we have agreed to cut the deficit by more than 2 trillion and we have put in place new rules to hold wall street accountable so a crisis like this never happens again the state of our union is getting stronger and we have come too far to turn back now as long as i am president i will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum but i intend to fight obstruction with action and i will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place no we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing bad debt and phony financial profits tonight i want to speak about how we move forward and lay out a blueprint for an economy that is built to last an economy built on american manufacturing american energy skills for american workers and a renewal of american values now this blueprint begins with american manufacturing on the day i took office our auto industry was on the verge of collapse some even said we should let it die with a million jobs at stake i refused to let that happen in exchange for help we demanded responsibility we got workers and automakers to settle their differences we got the industry to retool and restructure today general motors is back on top as the world automaker chrysler has grown faster in the than any major car company ford is investing billions in plants and factories and together the entire industry added nearly jobs we bet on american workers we bet on american ingenuity and tonight the american auto industry is back what is happening in detroit can happen in other industries it can happen in cleveland and pittsburgh and raleigh we can not bring every job back that is left our shore but right now it is getting more expensive to do business in places like china meanwhile america is more productive a few weeks ago the ceo of master lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home today for the first time in 15 years master lock unionized plant in milwaukee is running at full capacity so we have a huge opportunity at this moment to bring manufacturing back but we have to seize it tonight my message to business leaders is simple ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed we should start with our tax code right now companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas meanwhile companies that choose to stay in america get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world it makes no sense and everyone knows it so let us change it first if you are a business that wants to outsource jobs you should not get a tax deduction for doing it that money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like master lock that decide to bring jobs home second no american company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas from now on every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax and every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here in america third if you are an american manufacturer you should get a bigger tax cut if you are a manufacturer we should double the tax deduction you get for making your products here and if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town you should get help financing a new plant equipment or training for new workers so my message is simple it is time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in america send me these tax reforms and i will sign them right away we are also making it easier for american businesses to sell products all over the world two years ago i set a goal of doubling exports over 5 years with the bipartisan trade agreements we signed into law we are on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule and soon there will be millions of new customers for american goods in panama colombia and south korea soon there will be new cars on the streets of seoul imported from detroit and toledo and chicago i will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for american products and i will not stand by when our competitors do not play by the rules we have brought trade cases against china at nearly twice the rate as the last administration and it is made a difference over a thousand americans are working today because we stopped a surge in chinese tires but we need to do more it is not right when another country let us our movies music and software be pirated it is not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they are heavily subsidized tonight i am announcing the creation of a trade enforcement unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trading practices in countries like china there will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders and this congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over american manufacturing when it comes to accessing financing or new markets like russia our workers are the most productive on earth and if the playing field is level i promise you america will always win i also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the united states but can not find workers with the right skills growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job think about that openings at a time when millions of americans are looking for work it is inexcusable and we know how to fix it jackie bray is a single mom from north carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic then siemens opened a gas turbine factory in charlotte and formed a partnership with central piedmont community college the company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training it paid jackie tuition then hired her to help operate their plant i want every american looking for work to have the same opportunity as jackie did join me in a national commitment to train 2 million americans with skills that will lead directly to a job my administration has already lined up more companies that want to help model partnerships between businesses like siemens and community colleges in places like charlotte and orlando and louisville are up and running now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers places that teach people skills that businesses are looking for right now from data management to manufacturing and i want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs so that from now on people like jackie have one program one website and one place to go for all the information and help that they need it is time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work these reforms will help people get jobs that are open today but to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier for less than 1 percent of what our nation spends on education each year we have convinced nearly every state in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning the first time that is happened in a generation but challenges remain and we know how to solve them at a time when other countries are doubling down on education tight budgets have forced states to lay off thousands of teachers we know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over a great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives most teachers work tirelessly with modest pay sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies just to make a difference teachers matter so instead of bashing them or defending the status quo let us offer schools a deal give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job and reward the best ones and in return grant schools flexibility to teach with creativity and passion to stop teaching to the test and to replace teachers who just are not helping kids learn that is a bargain worth making we also know that when students do not walk away from their education more of them walk the stage to get their diploma when students are not allowed to drop out they do better so tonight i am proposing that every state every state requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18 when kids do graduate the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college at a time when americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt this congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in july extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves millions of middle class families thousands of dollars and give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of jobs in the next 5 years of course it is not enough for us to increase student aid we can not just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition we will run out of money states also need to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets and colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down recently i spoke with a group of college presidents who have done just that some schools redesign courses to help students finish more quickly some use better technology the point is it is possible so let me put colleges and universities on notice if you can not stop tuition from going up the funding you get from taxpayers will go down higher education can not be a luxury it is an economic imperative that every family in america should be able to afford let us also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented students in this country face another challenge the fact that they are not yet american citizens many were brought here as small children are american through and through yet they live every day with the threat of deportation others came more recently to study business and science and engineering but as soon as they get their degree we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else that does not make sense i believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration that is why my administration has put more boots on the border than ever before that is why there are fewer illegal crossings than when i took office the opponents of action are out of excuses we should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now but if politics keeps congress from acting on a comprehensive plan let us at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs start new businesses defend this country send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship i will sign it right away you see an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country that means women should earn equal pay for equal work it means we should support everyone who is willing to work and every risk taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next steve jobs after all innovation is what america has always been about most new jobs are created in startups and small businesses so let us pass an agenda that helps them succeed tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs both parties agree on these ideas so put them in a bill and get it on my desk this year innovation also demands basic research today the discoveries taking place in our federally financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched new lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet do not gut these investments in our budget do not let other countries win the race for the future support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the internet to new american jobs and new american industries and nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in energy over the last 3 years we have opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration and tonight i am directing my administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources right now right now american oil production is the highest that it is been in 8 years that is right 8 years not only that last year we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past 16 years but with only 2 percent of the world oil reserves oil is not enough this country needs an strategy that develops every available source of american energy a strategy that is cleaner cheaper and full of new jobs we have a supply of natural gas that can last america nearly 100 years and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy experts believe this will support more than jobs by the end of the decade and i am requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use because america will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk the development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper proving that we do not have to choose between our environment and our economy and by the way it was public research dollars over the course of 30 years that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock reminding us that government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground now what is true for natural gas is just as true for clean energy in 3 years our partnership with the private sector has already positioned america to be the world leading manufacturer of batteries because of federal investments renewable energy use has nearly doubled and thousands of americans have jobs because of it when bryan ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture he said he worried that at 55 no one would give him a second chance but he found work at energetx a wind turbine manufacturer in michigan before the recession the factory only made luxury yachts today it is hiring workers like bryan who said i am proud to be working in the industry of the future our experience with shale gas our experience with natural gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments do not always come right away some technologies do not pan out some companies fail but i will not walk away from the promise of clean energy i will not walk away from workers like bryan i will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to china or germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here we have subsidized oil companies for a century that is long enough it is time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable and double down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising pass clean energy tax credits create these jobs we can also spur energy innovation with new incentives the differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change but there is no reason why congress should not at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation so far you have not acted well tonight i will i am directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million homes and i am proud to announce that the department of defense working with us the world largest consumer of energy will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history with the navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year of course the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy so here is a proposal help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings their energy bills will be a hundred billion dollars lower over the next decade and america will have less pollution more manufacturing more jobs for construction workers who need them send me a bill that creates these jobs building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair america infrastructure so much of america needs to be rebuilt we have got crumbling roads and bridges a power grid that wastes too much energy an incomplete broadband network that prevents a owner in rural america from selling her products all over the world during the great depression america built the hoover dam and the golden gate bridge after world war ii we connected our states with a system of highways democratic and republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today in the next few weeks i will sign an executive order clearing away the redtape that slows down too many construction projects but you need to fund these projects take the money we are no longer spending at war use half of it to pay down our debt and use the rest to do some right here at home there is never been a better time to build especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest hit when the housing bubble burst of course construction workers were not the only ones who were hurt so were millions of innocent americans who have seen their home values decline and while government can not fix the problem on its own responsible homeowners should not have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief and that is why i am sending this congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about a year on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low rates no more redtape no more runaround from the banks a small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it will not add to the deficit and will give those banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust let us never forget millions of americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that do the same it is time to apply the same rules from top to bottom no bailouts no handouts and no copouts an america built to last insists on responsibility from everybody we have all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who could not afford them and buyers who knew they could not afford them that is why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior rules to prevent financial fraud or toxic dumping or faulty medical devices these do not destroy the free market they make the free market work better there is no question that some regulations are outdated unnecessary or too costly in fact i have approved fewer regulations in the first 3 years of my presidency than my republican predecessor did in his i have ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that do not make sense we have already announced over 500 reforms and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than 10 billion over the next 5 years we got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend a year proving that they could contain a spill because milk was somehow classified as an oil with a rule like that i guess it was worth crying over spilled milk now i am confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder absolutely but i will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the gulf 2 years ago i will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury poisoning or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean i will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy deny your coverage or charge women differently than men and i will not go back to the days when wall street was allowed to play by its own set of rules the new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system core purpose getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home or start a business or send their kids to college so if you are a big bank or financial institution you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers deposits you are required to write out a living will that details exactly how you will pay the bills if you fail because the rest of us are not bailing you out ever again and if you are a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company the days of signing people up for products they can not afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices those days are over today american consumers finally have a watchdog in richard cordray with one job to look out for them we will also establish a financial crimes unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on fraud and protect people investments some financial firms violate major antifraud laws because there is no real penalty for being a repeat offender that is bad for consumers and it is bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing so pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count and tonight i am asking my attorney general to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorney general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis this new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law speed assistance to homeowners and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many americans now a return to the american values of fair play and shared responsibility will help protect our people and our economy but it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future right now our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working americans while the recovery is still fragile people can not afford losing 40 out of each paycheck this year there are plenty of ways to get this done so let us agree right here right now no side issues no drama pass the payroll tax cut without delay let us get it done when it comes to the deficit we have already agreed to more than 2 trillion in cuts and savings but we need to do more and that means making choices right now we are poised to spend nearly 1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of americans right now because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle class households right now warren buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest americans or do we want to keep our investments in everything else like education and medical research a strong military and care for our veterans because if we are serious about paying down our debt we can not do both the american people know what the right choice is so do i as i told the speaker this summer i am prepared to make more reforms that rein in the costs of medicare and medicaid and strengthen social security so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors but in return we need to change our tax code so that people like me and an awful lot of members of congress pay our fair share of taxes tax reform should follow the buffett rule if you make more than a million dollars a year you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes and my republican friend tom coburn is right washington should stop subsidizing millionaires in fact if you are earning a million dollars a year you should not get special tax subsidies or deductions on the other hand if you make under a year like 98 percent of american families your taxes should not go up you are the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages you are the ones who need relief now you can call this class warfare all you want but asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes most americans would call that common sense we do not begrudge financial success in this country we admire it when americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes it is not because they envy the rich it is because they understand that when i get a tax break i do not need and the country can not afford it either adds to the deficit or somebody else has to make up the difference like a senior on a fixed income or a student trying to get through school or a family trying to make ends meet that is not right americans know that is not right they know that this generation success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other and to the future of their country and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility that is how we will reduce our deficit that is an america built to last now i recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt energy and health care but no matter what party they belong to i bet most americans are thinking the same thing right about now nothing will get done in washington this year or next year or maybe even the year after that because washington is broken can you blame them for feeling a little cynical the greatest blow to our confidence in our economy last year did not come from events beyond our control it came from a debate in washington over whether the united states would pay its bills or not who benefited from that fiasco i have talked tonight about the deficit of trust between main street and wall street but the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad and it seems to get worse every year now some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics so together let us take some steps to fix that send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of congress i will sign it tomorrow let us limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact let us make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for congress can not lobby congress and vice versa an idea that has bipartisan support at least outside of washington some of what is broken has to do with the way congress does its business these days a simple majority is no longer enough to get anything even routine business passed through the senate neither party has been blameless in these tactics now both parties should put an end to it for starters i ask the senate to pass a simple rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple vote within 90 days the executive branch also needs to change too often it is inefficient outdated and remote that is why i have asked this congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our government is leaner quicker and more responsive to the needs of the american people finally none of this can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town we need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around commonsense ideas i am a democrat but i believe what republican abraham lincoln believed that government should do for people only what they can not do better by themselves and no more that is why my education reform offers more competition and more control for schools and states that is why we are getting rid of regulations that do not work that is why our health care law relies on a reformed private market not a government program on the other hand even my republican friends who complain the most about government spending have supported federally financed roads and clean energy projects and federal offices for the folks back home the point is we should all want a smarter more effective government and while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year we can make real progress with or without this congress i will keep taking actions that help the economy grow but i can do a whole lot more with your help because when we act together there is nothing the united states of america can not achieve that is the lesson we have learned from our actions abroad over the last few years ending the iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies from pakistan to yemen the al qaida operatives who remain are scrambling knowing that they can not escape the reach of the united states of america from this position of strength we have begun to wind down the war in afghanistan ten thousand of our troops have come home thousand more will leave by the end of this summer this transition to afghan lead will continue and we will build an enduring partnership with afghanistan so that it is never again a source of attacks against america as the tide of war recedes a wave of change has washed across the middle east and north africa from tunis to cairo from sana a to tripoli a year ago qadhafi was one of the world longest serving dictators a murderer with american blood on his hands today he is gone and in syria i have no doubt that the asad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can not be reversed and that human dignity can not be denied how this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain but we have a huge stake in the outcome and while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well we will stand against violence and intimidation we will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings men and women christians muslims and jews we will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets because tyranny is no match for liberty and we will safeguard america own security against those who threaten our citizens our friends and our interests look at iran through the power of our diplomacy a world that was once divided about how to deal with iran nuclear program now stands as one the regime is more isolated than ever before its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions and as long as they shirk their responsibilities this pressure will not relent let there be no doubt america is determined to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon and i will take no options off the table to achieve that goal but a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible and far better and if iran changes course and meets its obligations it can rejoin the community of nations the renewal of american leadership can be felt across the globe our oldest alliances in europe and asia are stronger than ever our ties to the americas are deeper our ironclad commitment and i mean ironclad to israel security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history we have made it clear that america is a pacific power and a new beginning in burma has lit a new hope from the coalitions we have built to secure nuclear materials to the missions we have led against hunger and disease from the blows we have dealt to our enemies to the enduring power of our moral example america is back anyone who tells you otherwise anyone who tells you that america is in decline or that our influence has waned does not know what they are talking about that is not the message we get from leaders around the world who are eager to work with us that is not how people feel from tokyo to berlin from cape town to rio where opinions of america are higher than they have been in years yes the world is changing no we can not control every event but america remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs and as long as i am president i intend to keep it that way that is why working with our military leaders i have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget to stay one step ahead of our adversaries i have already sent this congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing dangers of cyber threats above all our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it as they come home we must serve them as well as they have served us that includes giving them the care and the benefits they have earned which is why we have increased annual va spending every year i have been president and it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our nation with the bipartisan support of this congress we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets michelle and jill biden have worked with american businesses to secure a pledge of jobs for veterans and their families and tonight i am proposing a veterans jobs corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters so that america is as strong as those who defend her which brings me back to where i began those of us who have been sent here to serve can learn a thing or two from the service of our troops when you put on that uniform it does not matter if you are black or white asian latino native american conservative liberal rich poor gay straight when you are marching into battle you look out for the person next to you or the mission fails when you are in the thick of the fight you rise or fall as one unit serving one nation leaving no one behind you know one of my proudest possessions is the flag that the seal team took with them on the mission to get bin laden on it are each of their names some may be democrats some may be republicans but that does not matter just like it did not matter that day in the situation room when i sat next to bob gates a man who was george bush defense secretary and hillary clinton a woman who ran against me for president all that mattered that day was the mission no one thought about politics no one thought about themselves one of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he did not deserve credit for the mission it only succeeded he said because every single member of that unit did their job the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control the translator who kept others from entering the compound the troops who separated the women and children from the fight the seals who charged up the stairs more than that the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other because you can not charge up those stairs into darkness and danger unless you know that there is somebody behind you watching your back so it is with america each time i look at that flag i am reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes no one built this country on their own this nation is great because we built it together this nation is great because we worked as a team this nation is great because we get each other backs and if we hold fast to that truth in this moment of trial there is no challenge too great no mission too hard as long as we are joined in common purpose as long as we maintain our common resolve our journey moves forward and our future is hopeful and the state of our union will always be strong thank you god bless you and god bless the united states of america
speaker vice president members congress distinguished guests fellow americans last month went andrews air force base welcomed home last troops serve iraq together offered final proud salute colors million fellow citizens fought several thousand gave lives gather tonight knowing generation heroes made united states safer respected around world first time 9 years americans fighting iraq first time two decades usama bin laden threat country al qaida top lieutenants defeated taliban momentum broken troops afghanistan begun come home achievements testament courage selflessness teamwork america armed forces time many institutions let us exceed expectations consumed personal ambition obsess differences focus mission hand work together imagine could accomplish followed example think america within reach country leads world educating people america attracts new generation manufacturing jobs future control energy security prosperity tied unstable parts world economy built last hard work pays responsibility rewarded know done end world war ii another generation heroes returned home combat built strongest economy middle class world ever known grandfather veteran patton army got chance go college gi bill grandmother worked bomber assembly line part workforce turned best products earth two shared optimism nation triumphed depression fascism understood part something larger contributing story success every american chance share basic american promise worked hard could well enough raise family home send kids college put little away retirement defining issue time keep promise alive challenge urgent debate important either settle country shrinking number people really well growing number americans barely get restore economy everyone gets fair shot everyone fair share everyone plays set rules stake democratic values republican values american values reclaim let us remember got long recession jobs manufacturing began leaving shores technology made businesses efficient also made jobs obsolete folks top saw incomes rise like never americans struggled costs growing paychecks personal debt kept piling 2008 house cards collapsed learned mortgages sold people could afford understand banks made huge bets bonuses people money regulators looked way authority stop bad behavior wrong irresponsible plunged economy crisis put millions work saddled us debt left innocent americans holding bag 6 months took office lost nearly 4 million jobs lost another 4 million policies full effect facts last 22 months businesses created 3 million jobs last year created jobs since 2005 american manufacturers hiring creating jobs first time since late 1990s together agreed cut deficit 2 trillion put place new rules hold wall street accountable crisis like never happens state union getting stronger come far turn back long president work anyone chamber build momentum intend fight obstruction action oppose effort return policies brought economic crisis first place go back economy weakened outsourcing bad debt phony financial profits tonight want speak move forward lay blueprint economy built last economy built american manufacturing american energy skills american workers renewal american values blueprint begins american manufacturing day took office auto industry verge collapse even said let die million jobs stake refused let happen exchange help demanded responsibility got workers automakers settle differences got industry retool restructure today general motors back top world automaker chrysler grown faster major car company ford investing billions plants factories together entire industry added nearly jobs bet american workers bet american ingenuity tonight american auto industry back happening detroit happen industries happen cleveland pittsburgh raleigh bring every job back left shore right getting expensive business places like china meanwhile america productive weeks ago ceo master lock told makes business sense bring jobs back home today first time 15 years master lock unionized plant milwaukee running full capacity huge opportunity moment bring manufacturing back seize tonight message business leaders simple ask bring jobs back country country everything help succeed start tax code right companies get tax breaks moving jobs profits overseas meanwhile companies choose stay america get hit one highest tax rates world makes sense everyone knows let us change first business wants outsource jobs get tax deduction money used cover moving expenses companies like master lock decide bring jobs home second american company able avoid paying fair share taxes moving jobs profits overseas every multinational company pay basic minimum tax every penny go towards lowering taxes companies choose stay hire america third american manufacturer get bigger tax cut manufacturer double tax deduction get making products want relocate community hit hard factory left town get help financing new plant equipment training new workers message simple time stop rewarding businesses ship jobs overseas start rewarding companies create jobs right america send tax reforms sign right away also making easier american businesses sell products world two years ago set goal doubling exports 5 years bipartisan trade agreements signed law track meet goal ahead schedule soon millions new customers american goods panama colombia south korea soon new cars streets seoul imported detroit toledo chicago go anywhere world open new markets american products stand competitors play rules brought trade cases china nearly twice rate last administration made difference thousand americans working today stopped surge chinese tires need right another country let us movies music software pirated fair foreign manufacturers leg heavily subsidized tonight announcing creation trade enforcement unit charged investigating unfair trading practices countries like china inspections prevent counterfeit unsafe goods crossing borders congress make sure foreign company advantage american manufacturing comes accessing financing new markets like russia workers productive earth playing field level promise america always win also hear many business leaders want hire united states find workers right skills growing industries science technology twice many openings workers job think openings time millions americans looking work inexcusable know fix jackie bray single mom north carolina laid job mechanic siemens opened gas turbine factory charlotte formed partnership central piedmont community college company helped college design courses laser robotics training paid jackie tuition hired help operate plant want every american looking work opportunity jackie join national commitment train 2 million americans skills lead directly job administration already lined companies want help model partnerships businesses like siemens community colleges places like charlotte orlando louisville running need give community colleges resources need become community career centers places teach people skills businesses looking right data management manufacturing want cut maze confusing training programs people like jackie one program one website one place go information help need time turn unemployment system reemployment system puts people work reforms help people get jobs open today prepare jobs tomorrow commitment skills education start earlier less 1 percent nation spends education year convinced nearly every state country raise standards teaching learning first time happened generation challenges remain know solve time countries doubling education tight budgets forced states lay thousands teachers know good teacher increase lifetime income classroom great teacher offer escape poverty child dreams beyond circumstance every person chamber point teacher changed trajectory lives teachers work tirelessly modest pay sometimes digging pocket school supplies make difference teachers matter instead bashing defending status quo let us offer schools deal give resources keep good teachers job reward best ones return grant schools flexibility teach creativity passion stop teaching test replace teachers helping kids learn bargain worth making also know students walk away education walk stage get diploma students allowed drop better tonight proposing every state every state requires students stay high school graduate turn 18 kids graduate daunting challenge cost college time americans owe tuition debt credit card debt congress needs stop interest rates student loans doubling july extend tuition tax credit started saves millions middle class families thousands dollars give young people chance earn way college doubling number jobs next 5 years course enough us increase student aid keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition run money states also need part making higher education higher priority budgets colleges universities part working keep costs recently spoke group college presidents done schools redesign courses help students finish quickly use better technology point possible let put colleges universities notice stop tuition going funding get taxpayers go higher education luxury economic imperative every family america able afford let us also remember hundreds thousands talented students country face another challenge fact yet american citizens many brought small children american yet live every day threat deportation others came recently study business science engineering soon get degree send home invent new products create new jobs somewhere else make sense believe strongly ever take illegal immigration administration put boots border ever fewer illegal crossings took office opponents action excuses working comprehensive immigration reform right politics keeps congress acting comprehensive plan let us least agree stop expelling responsible young people want staff labs start new businesses defend country send law gives chance earn citizenship sign right away see economy built last one encourage talent ingenuity every person country means women earn equal pay equal work means support everyone willing work every risk taker entrepreneur aspires become next steve jobs innovation america always new jobs created startups small businesses let us pass agenda helps succeed tear regulations prevent aspiring entrepreneurs getting financing grow expand tax relief small businesses raising wages creating good jobs parties agree ideas put bill get desk year innovation also demands basic research today discoveries taking place federally financed labs universities could lead new treatments kill cancer cells leave healthy ones untouched new lightweight vests cops soldiers stop bullet gut investments budget let countries win race future support kind research innovation led computer chip internet new american jobs new american industries nowhere promise innovation greater energy last 3 years opened millions new acres oil gas exploration tonight directing administration open 75 percent potential offshore oil gas resources right right american oil production highest 8 years right 8 years last year relied less foreign oil past 16 years 2 percent world oil reserves oil enough country needs strategy develops every available source american energy strategy cleaner cheaper full new jobs supply natural gas last america nearly 100 years administration take every possible action safely develop energy experts believe support jobs end decade requiring companies drill gas public lands disclose chemicals use america develop resource without putting health safety citizens risk development natural gas create jobs power trucks factories cleaner cheaper proving choose environment economy way public research dollars course 30 years helped develop technologies extract natural gas shale rock reminding us government support critical helping businesses get new energy ideas ground true natural gas true clean energy 3 years partnership private sector already positioned america world leading manufacturer batteries federal investments renewable energy use nearly doubled thousands americans jobs bryan ritterby laid job making furniture said worried 55 one would give second chance found work energetx wind turbine manufacturer michigan recession factory made luxury yachts today hiring workers like bryan said proud working industry future experience shale gas experience natural gas shows us payoffs public investments always come right away technologies pan companies fail walk away promise clean energy walk away workers like bryan cede wind solar battery industry china germany refuse make commitment subsidized oil companies century long enough time end taxpayer giveaways industry rarely profitable double clean energy industry never promising pass clean energy tax credits create jobs also spur energy innovation new incentives differences chamber may deep right pass comprehensive plan fight climate change reason congress least set clean energy standard creates market innovation far acted well tonight directing administration allow development clean energy enough public land power 3 million homes proud announce department defense working us world largest consumer energy make one largest commitments clean energy history navy purchasing enough capacity power quarter million homes year course easiest way save money waste less energy proposal help manufacturers eliminate energy waste factories give businesses incentives upgrade buildings energy bills hundred billion dollars lower next decade america less pollution manufacturing jobs construction workers need send bill creates jobs building new energy future one part broader agenda repair america infrastructure much america needs rebuilt got crumbling roads bridges power grid wastes much energy incomplete broadband network prevents owner rural america selling products world great depression america built hoover dam golden gate bridge world war ii connected states system highways democratic republican administrations invested great projects benefited everybody workers built businesses still use today next weeks sign executive order clearing away redtape slows many construction projects need fund projects take money longer spending war use half pay debt use rest right home never better time build especially since construction industry one hardest hit housing bubble burst course construction workers ones hurt millions innocent americans seen home values decline government fix problem responsible homeowners sit wait housing market hit bottom get relief sending congress plan gives every responsible homeowner chance save year mortgage refinancing historically low rates redtape runaround banks small fee largest financial institutions ensure add deficit give banks rescued taxpayers chance repay deficit trust let us never forget millions americans work hard play rules every day deserve government financial system time apply rules top bottom bailouts handouts copouts america built last insists responsibility everybody paid price lenders sold mortgages people could afford buyers knew could afford need smart regulations prevent irresponsible behavior rules prevent financial fraud toxic dumping faulty medical devices destroy free market make free market work better question regulations outdated unnecessary costly fact approved fewer regulations first 3 years presidency republican predecessor ordered every federal agency eliminate rules make sense already announced 500 reforms fraction save business citizens 10 billion next 5 years got rid one rule 40 years ago could forced dairy farmers spend year proving could contain spill milk somehow classified oil rule like guess worth crying spilled milk confident farmer contain milk spill without federal agency looking shoulder absolutely back making sure oil company contain kind oil spill saw gulf 2 years ago back protecting kids mercury poisoning making sure food safe water clean go back days health insurance companies unchecked power cancel policy deny coverage charge women differently men go back days wall street allowed play set rules new rules passed restore financial system core purpose getting funding entrepreneurs best ideas getting loans responsible families want buy home start business send kids college big bank financial institution longer allowed make risky bets customers deposits required write living details exactly pay bills fail rest us bailing ever mortgage lender payday lender credit card company days signing people products afford confusing forms deceptive practices days today american consumers finally watchdog richard cordray one job look also establish financial crimes unit highly trained investigators crack fraud protect people investments financial firms violate major antifraud laws real penalty repeat offender bad consumers bad vast majority bankers financial service professionals right thing pass legislation makes penalties fraud count tonight asking attorney general create special unit federal prosecutors leading state attorney general expand investigations abusive lending packaging risky mortgages led housing crisis new unit hold accountable broke law speed assistance homeowners help turn page era recklessness hurt many americans return american values fair play shared responsibility help protect people economy also guide us look pay debt invest future right immediate priority stopping tax hike 160 million working americans recovery still fragile people afford losing 40 paycheck year plenty ways get done let us agree right right side issues drama pass payroll tax cut without delay let us get done comes deficit already agreed 2 trillion cuts savings need means making choices right poised spend nearly 1 trillion supposed temporary tax break wealthiest 2 percent americans right loopholes shelters tax code quarter millionaires pay lower tax rates millions middle class households right warren buffett pays lower tax rate secretary want keep tax cuts wealthiest americans want keep investments everything else like education medical research strong military care veterans serious paying debt american people know right choice told speaker summer prepared make reforms rein costs medicare medicaid strengthen social security long programs remain guarantee security seniors return need change tax code people like awful lot members congress pay fair share taxes tax reform follow buffett rule make million dollars year pay less 30 percent taxes republican friend tom coburn right washington stop subsidizing millionaires fact earning million dollars year get special tax subsidies deductions hand make year like 98 percent american families taxes go ones struggling rising costs stagnant wages ones need relief call class warfare want asking billionaire pay least much secretary taxes americans would call common sense begrudge financial success country admire americans talk folks like paying fair share taxes envy rich understand get tax break need country afford either adds deficit somebody else make difference like senior fixed income student trying get school family trying make ends meet right americans know right know generation success possible past generations felt responsibility future country know way life endure feel sense shared responsibility reduce deficit america built last recognize people watching tonight differing views taxes debt energy health care matter party belong bet americans thinking thing right nothing get done washington year next year maybe even year washington broken blame feeling little cynical greatest blow confidence economy last year come events beyond control came debate washington whether united states would pay bills benefited fiasco talked tonight deficit trust main street wall street divide city rest country least bad seems get worse every year corrosive influence money politics together let us take steps fix send bill bans insider trading members congress sign tomorrow let us limit elected official owning stocks industries impact let us make sure people bundle campaign contributions congress lobby congress vice versa idea bipartisan support least outside washington broken way congress business days simple majority longer enough get anything even routine business passed senate neither party blameless tactics parties put end starters ask senate pass simple rule judicial public service nominations receive simple vote within 90 days executive branch also needs change often inefficient outdated remote asked congress grant authority consolidate federal bureaucracy government leaner quicker responsive needs american people finally none happen unless also lower temperature town need end notion two parties must locked perpetual campaign mutual destruction politics clinging rigid ideologies instead building consensus around commonsense ideas democrat believe republican abraham lincoln believed government people better education reform offers competition control schools states getting rid regulations work health care law relies reformed private market government program hand even republican friends complain government spending supported federally financed roads clean energy projects federal offices folks back home point want smarter effective government may able bridge biggest philosophical differences year make real progress without congress keep taking actions help economy grow whole lot help act together nothing united states america achieve lesson learned actions abroad last years ending iraq war allowed us strike decisive blows enemies pakistan yemen al qaida operatives remain scrambling knowing escape reach united states america position strength begun wind war afghanistan ten thousand troops come home thousand leave end summer transition afghan lead continue build enduring partnership afghanistan never source attacks america tide war recedes wave change washed across middle east north africa tunis cairo sana tripoli year ago qadhafi one world longest serving dictators murderer american blood hands today gone syria doubt asad regime soon discover forces change reversed human dignity denied incredible transformation end remains uncertain huge stake outcome ultimately people region decide fate advocate values served country well stand violence intimidation stand rights dignity human beings men women christians muslims jews support policies lead strong stable democracies open markets tyranny match liberty safeguard america security threaten citizens friends interests look iran power diplomacy world divided deal iran nuclear program stands one regime isolated ever leaders faced crippling sanctions long shirk responsibilities pressure relent let doubt america determined prevent iran getting nuclear weapon take options table achieve goal peaceful resolution issue still possible far better iran changes course meets obligations rejoin community nations renewal american leadership felt across globe oldest alliances europe asia stronger ever ties americas deeper ironclad commitment mean ironclad israel security meant closest military cooperation two countries history made clear america pacific power new beginning burma lit new hope coalitions built secure nuclear materials missions led hunger disease blows dealt enemies enduring power moral example america back anyone tells otherwise anyone tells america decline influence waned know talking message get leaders around world eager work us people feel tokyo berlin cape town rio opinions america higher years yes world changing control every event america remains one indispensable nation world affairs long president intend keep way working military leaders proposed new defense strategy ensures maintain finest military world saving nearly half trillion dollars budget stay one step ahead adversaries already sent congress legislation secure country growing dangers cyber threats freedom endures men women uniform defend come home must serve well served us includes giving care benefits earned increased annual va spending every year president means enlisting veterans work rebuilding nation bipartisan support congress providing new tax credits companies hire vets michelle jill biden worked american businesses secure pledge jobs veterans families tonight proposing veterans jobs corps help communities hire veterans cops firefighters america strong defend brings back began us sent serve learn thing two service troops put uniform matter black white asian latino native american conservative liberal rich poor gay straight marching battle look person next mission fails thick fight rise fall one unit serving one nation leaving one behind know one proudest possessions flag seal team took mission get bin laden names may democrats may republicans matter like matter day situation room sat next bob gates man george bush defense secretary hillary clinton woman ran president mattered day mission one thought politics one thought one young men involved raid later told deserve credit mission succeeded said every single member unit job pilot landed helicopter spun control translator kept others entering compound troops separated women children fight seals charged stairs mission succeeded every member unit trusted charge stairs darkness danger unless know somebody behind watching back america time look flag reminded destiny stitched together like 50 stars 13 stripes one built country nation great built together nation great worked team nation great get backs hold fast truth moment trial challenge great mission hard long joined common purpose long maintain common resolve journey moves forward future hopeful state union always strong thank god bless god bless united states america
speaker vice president member congress distinguished guest fellow american last month go andrew air force base welcome home last troops serve iraq together offer final proud salute color million fellow citizen fight several thousand give life gather tonight know generation hero make united state safer respect around world first time 9 year americans fight iraq first time two decade usama bin laden threat country al qaida top lieutenant defeat taliban momentum broken troop afghanistan begin come home achievement testament courage selflessness teamwork america arm force time many institution let u exceed expectation consume personal ambition obsess difference focus mission hand work together imagine could accomplish follow example think america within reach country lead world educate people america attract new generation manufacturing job future control energy security prosperity tie unstable part world economy build last hard work pay responsibility reward know do end world war ii another generation hero return home combat build strong economy middle class world ever know grandfather veteran patton army get chance go college gi bill grandmother work bomber assembly line part workforce turn best product earth two share optimism nation triumph depression fascism understood part something large contribute story success every american chance share basic american promise work hard could well enough raise family home send kid college put little away retirement define issue time keep promise alive challenge urgent debate important either settle country shrink number people really well grow number american barely get restore economy everyone get fair shot everyone fair share everyone play set rule stake democratic value republican value american value reclaim let u remember get long recession job manufacture begin leave shore technology make business efficient also make job obsolete folk top saw income rise like never american struggle cost grow paycheck personal debt keep pile 2008 house card collapse learn mortgage sell people could afford understand bank make huge bet bonuses people money regulator look way authority stop bad behavior wrong irresponsible plunged economy crisis put million work saddle u debt leave innocent american hold bag 6 month take office lose nearly 4 million job lose another 4 million policy full effect fact last 22 month business create 3 million job last year create job since 2005 american manufacturer hire create job first time since late 1990s together agree cut deficit 2 trillion put place new rule hold wall street accountable crisis like never happen state union get strong come far turn back long president work anyone chamber build momentum intend fight obstruction action oppose effort return policy bring economic crisis first place go back economy weaken outsource bad debt phony financial profit tonight want speak move forward lay blueprint economy build last economy build american manufacturing american energy skill american worker renewal american value blueprint begin american manufacturing day take office auto industry verge collapse even say let die million job stake refuse let happen exchange help demand responsibility get worker automaker settle difference get industry retool restructure today general motor back top world automaker chrysler grow faster major car company ford invest billion plant factory together entire industry add nearly job bet american worker bet american ingenuity tonight american auto industry back happen detroit happen industry happen cleveland pittsburgh raleigh bring every job back leave shore right get expensive business place like china meanwhile america productive week ago ceo master lock tell make business sense bring job back home today first time 15 year master lock unionized plant milwaukee run full capacity huge opportunity moment bring manufacture back seize tonight message business leader simple ask bring job back country country everything help succeed start tax code right company get tax break move job profit overseas meanwhile company choose stay america get hit one high tax rate world make sense everyone know let u change first business want outsource job get tax deduction money use cover move expense company like master lock decide bring job home second american company able avoid pay fair share tax move job profit overseas every multinational company pay basic minimum tax every penny go towards lower tax company choose stay hire america third american manufacturer get big tax cut manufacturer double tax deduction get make product want relocate community hit hard factory leave town get help finance new plant equipment train new worker message simple time stop rewarding business ship job overseas start reward company create job right america send tax reform sign right away also make easy american business sell product world two year ago set goal double export 5 year bipartisan trade agreement sign law track meet goal ahead schedule soon million new customer american good panama colombia south korea soon new car streets seoul import detroit toledo chicago go anywhere world open new market american product stand competitor play rule bring trade case china nearly twice rate last administration make difference thousand american work today stop surge chinese tire need right another country let u movie music software pirate fair foreign manufacturer leg heavily subsidize tonight announce creation trade enforcement unit charge investigate unfair trading practice country like china inspection prevent counterfeit unsafe good cross border congress make sure foreign company advantage american manufacturing come access finance new market like russia worker productive earth play field level promise america always win also hear many business leader want hire united state find worker right skill grow industry science technology twice many opening worker job think opening time million american look work inexcusable know fix jackie bray single mom north carolina lay job mechanic siemens open gas turbine factory charlotte form partnership central piedmont community college company help college design course laser robotics train pay jackie tuition hire help operate plant want every american look work opportunity jackie join national commitment train 2 million american skill lead directly job administration already line company want help model partnerships business like siemens community colleges place like charlotte orlando louisville run need give community college resource need become community career center place teach people skill business look right data management manufacturing want cut maze confuse training program people like jackie one program one website one place go information help need time turn unemployment system reemployment system put people work reform help people get job open today prepare job tomorrow commitment skill education start early less 1 percent nation spend education year convince nearly every state country raise standard teach learn first time happen generation challenge remain know solve time country double education tight budget force state lay thousand teacher know good teacher increase lifetime income classroom great teacher offer escape poverty child dream beyond circumstance every person chamber point teacher change trajectory life teacher work tirelessly modest pay sometimes dig pocket school supply make difference teacher matter instead bash defend status quo let u offer school deal give resource keep good teacher job reward best one return grant school flexibility teach creativity passion stop teach test replace teacher help kid learn bargain worth make also know student walk away education walk stage get diploma student allow drop well tonight propose every state every state require student stay high school graduate turn 18 kid graduate daunting challenge cost college time americans owe tuition debt credit card debt congress need stop interest rate student loan double july extend tuition tax credit start save million middle class family thousand dollar give young people chance earn way college double number job next 5 year course enough u increase student aid keep subsidize skyrocket tuition run money state also need part make high education high priority budget colleges university part work keep cost recently speak group college president do school redesign course help student finish quickly use good technology point possible let put college university notice stop tuition go funding get taxpayer go high education luxury economic imperative every family america able afford let u also remember hundred thousand talented student country face another challenge fact yet american citizen many bring small child american yet live every day threat deportation others come recently study business science engineering soon get degree send home invent new product create new job somewhere else make sense believe strongly ever take illegal immigration administration put boot border ever few illegal crossing take office opponent action excuse work comprehensive immigration reform right politics keep congress act comprehensive plan let u least agree stop expel responsible young people want staff lab start new business defend country send law give chance earn citizenship sign right away see economy build last one encourage talent ingenuity every person country mean woman earn equal pay equal work mean support everyone willing work every risk taker entrepreneur aspire become next steve job innovation america always new job create startup small business let u pass agenda help succeed tear regulation prevent aspire entrepreneur get financing grow expand tax relief small business raise wage create good job party agree idea put bill get desk year innovation also demand basic research today discoveries take place federally finance labs university could lead new treatment kill cancer cell leave healthy one untouched new lightweight vest cop soldier stop bullet gut investment budget let country win race future support kind research innovation lead computer chip internet new american job new american industry nowhere promise innovation great energy last 3 year open million new acre oil gas exploration tonight direct administration open 75 percent potential offshore oil gas resource right right american oil production high 8 year right 8 year last year rely less foreign oil past 16 year 2 percent world oil reserve oil enough country need strategy develop every available source american energy strategy clean cheap full new job supply natural gas last america nearly 100 year administration take every possible action safely develop energy expert believe support job end decade require company drill gas public land disclose chemical use america develop resource without put health safety citizen risk development natural gas create job power truck factory cleaner cheap prove choose environment economy way public research dollar course 30 year help develop technology extract natural gas shale rock remind u government support critical help business get new energy idea ground true natural gas true clean energy 3 year partnership private sector already position america world lead manufacturer battery federal investment renewable energy use nearly doubled thousand american job bryan ritterby laid job making furniture say worried 55 one would give second chance find work energetx wind turbine manufacturer michigan recession factory make luxury yacht today hire worker like bryan say proud work industry future experience shale gas experience natural gas show u payoff public investment always come right away technology pan company fail walk away promise clean energy walk away worker like bryan cede wind solar battery industry china germany refuse make commitment subsidize oil company century long enough time end taxpayer giveaway industry rarely profitable double clean energy industry never promise pas clean energy tax credit create job also spur energy innovation new incentive difference chamber may deep right pas comprehensive plan fight climate change reason congress least set clean energy standard create market innovation far act well tonight direct administration allow development clean energy enough public land power 3 million home proud announce department defense work u world large consumer energy make one large commitment clean energy history navy purchasing enough capacity power quarter million home year course easy way save money waste less energy proposal help manufacturer eliminate energy waste factory give business incentive upgrade building energy bill hundred billion dollar low next decade america less pollution manufacturing job construction worker need send bill create job build new energy future one part broad agenda repair america infrastructure much america need rebuilt get crumble road bridge power grid waste much energy incomplete broadband network prevents owner rural america selling product world great depression america build hoover dam golden gate bridge world war ii connect state system highways democratic republican administration invest great project benefit everybody worker build business still use today next week sign executive order clear away redtape slow many construction project need fund project take money longer spend war use half pay debt use rest right home never good time build especially since construction industry one hardest hit housing bubble burst course construction worker one hurt million innocent american see home value decline government fix problem responsible homeowner sit wait housing market hit bottom get relief send congress plan give every responsible homeowner chance save year mortgage refinance historically low rate redtape runaround bank small fee large financial institution ensure add deficit give bank rescue taxpayer chance repay deficit trust let u never forget million american work hard play rule every day deserve government financial system time apply rule top bottom bailouts handouts copout america build last insists responsibility everybody pay price lender sell mortgage people could afford buyer know could afford need smart regulation prevent irresponsible behavior rule prevent financial fraud toxic dump faulty medical device destroy free market make free market work well question regulation outdated unnecessary costly fact approve few regulation first 3 year presidency republican predecessor order every federal agency eliminate rule make sense already announce 500 reform fraction save business citizen 10 billion next 5 year get rid one rule 40 year ago could force dairy farmer spend year proving could contain spill milk somehow classified oil rule like guess worth cry spilled milk confident farmer contain milk spill without federal agency look shoulder absolutely back make sure oil company contain kind oil spill saw gulf 2 year ago back protect kid mercury poison make sure food safe water clean go back day health insurance company unchecked power cancel policy deny coverage charge woman differently men go back day wall street allow play set rule new rule pass restore financial system core purpose get funding entrepreneur best idea get loan responsible family want buy home start business send kid college big bank financial institution longer allow make risky bet customer deposit require write living detail exactly pay bill fail rest u bail ever mortgage lender payday lender credit card company day sign people product afford confuse form deceptive practice day today american consumer finally watchdog richard cordray one job look also establish financial crime unit highly trained investigator crack fraud protect people investment financial firm violate major antifraud law real penalty repeat offender bad consumer bad vast majority banker financial service professional right thing pas legislation make penalty fraud count tonight ask attorney general create special unit federal prosecutor lead state attorney general expand investigation abusive lend packaging risky mortgage lead housing crisis new unit hold accountable broke law speed assistance homeowner help turn page era recklessness hurt many american return american value fair play share responsibility help protect people economy also guide u look pay debt invest future right immediate priority stop tax hike 160 million work american recovery still fragile people afford lose 40 paycheck year plenty way get do let u agree right right side issue drama pas payroll tax cut without delay let u get do come deficit already agree 2 trillion cut saving need mean make choice right poise spend nearly 1 trillion suppose temporary tax break wealthy 2 percent american right loophole shelter tax code quarter millionaire pay low tax rate million middle class household right warren buffett pay low tax rate secretary want keep tax cut wealthiest american want keep investment everything else like education medical research strong military care veteran serious pay debt american people know right choice tell speaker summer prepare make reform rein cost medicare medicaid strengthen social security long program remain guarantee security senior return need change tax code people like awful lot member congress pay fair share tax tax reform follow buffett rule make million dollar year pay less 30 percent tax republican friend tom coburn right washington stop subsidizing millionaire fact earn million dollar year get special tax subsidy deduction hand make year like 98 percent american family tax go one struggle rise cost stagnant wage one need relief call class warfare want ask billionaire pay least much secretary tax american would call common sense begrudge financial success country admire american talk folk like pay fair share tax envy rich understand get tax break need country afford either add deficit somebody else make difference like senior fixed income student try get school family try make end meet right american know right know generation success possible past generation felt responsibility future country know way life endure feel sense share responsibility reduce deficit america build last recognize people watch tonight differ view tax debt energy health care matter party belong bet american think thing right nothing get do washington year next year maybe even year washington break blame feeling little cynical great blow confidence economy last year come event beyond control come debate washington whether united state would pay bill benefit fiasco talk tonight deficit trust main street wall street divide city rest country least bad seem get bad every year corrosive influence money politics together let u take step fix send bill ban insider trade member congress sign tomorrow let u limit elect official owning stock industry impact let u make sure people bundle campaign contribution congress lobby congress vice versa idea bipartisan support least outside washington broken way congress business day simple majority longer enough get anything even routine business pass senate neither party blameless tactic party put end starter ask senate pas simple rule judicial public service nomination receive simple vote within 90 day executive branch also need change often inefficient outdated remote ask congress grant authority consolidate federal bureaucracy government leaner quicker responsive need american people finally none happen unless also low temperature town need end notion two party must lock perpetual campaign mutual destruction politics cling rigid ideology instead build consensus around commonsense idea democrat believe republican abraham lincoln believe government people better education reform offer competition control school state get rid regulation work health care law relies reform private market government program hand even republican friend complain government spending support federally finance road clean energy project federal office folks back home point want smarter effective government may able bridge big philosophical difference year make real progress without congress keep take action help economy grow whole lot help act together nothing united state america achieve lesson learn action abroad last year end iraq war allow u strike decisive blow enemy pakistan yemen al qaida operative remain scramble know escape reach united state america position strength begin wind war afghanistan ten thousand troop come home thousand leave end summer transition afghan lead continue build endure partnership afghanistan never source attack america tide war recedes wave change wash across middle east north africa tunis cairo sana tripoli year ago qadhafi one world long serve dictator murderer american blood hand today go syria doubt asad regime soon discover force change reverse human dignity deny incredible transformation end remain uncertain huge stake outcome ultimately people region decide fate advocate value serve country well stand violence intimidation stand right dignity human being men woman christian muslims jew support policy lead strong stable democracy open market tyranny match liberty safeguard america security threaten citizens friend interest look iran power diplomacy world divide deal iran nuclear program stand one regime isolate ever leader face cripple sanction long shirk responsibility pressure relent let doubt america determine prevent iran get nuclear weapon take option table achieve goal peaceful resolution issue still possible far well iran change course meet obligation rejoin community nation renewal american leadership felt across globe old alliance europe asia strong ever tie americas deep ironclad commitment mean ironclad israel security meant close military cooperation two country history make clear america pacific power new begin burma lit new hope coalition build secure nuclear material mission lead hunger disease blow dealt enemy endure power moral example america back anyone tell otherwise anyone tell america decline influence wan know talk message get leader around world eager work u people feel tokyo berlin cape town rio opinion america high year yes world change control every event america remain one indispensable nation world affair long president intend keep way work military leader propose new defense strategy ensure maintain fine military world save nearly half trillion dollar budget stay one step ahead adversaries already sent congress legislation secure country grow danger cyber threat freedom endures men woman uniform defend come home must serve well serve u include give care benefit earn increase annual va spending every year president mean enlist veteran work rebuild nation bipartisan support congress provide new tax credit company hire vet michelle jill biden work american business secure pledge job veteran family tonight propose veteran job corps help community hire veteran cop firefighter america strong defend bring back begin u send serve learn thing two service troop put uniform matter black white asian latino native american conservative liberal rich poor gay straight march battle look person next mission fail thick fight rise fall one unit serve one nation leave one behind know one proud possession flag seal team take mission get bin laden name may democrats may republicans matter like matter day situation room sit next bob gate man george bush defense secretary hillary clinton woman run president matter day mission one thought politics one think one young men involve raid later tell deserve credit mission succeed say every single member unit job pilot land helicopter spun control translator keep others enter compound troop separate woman child fight seal charge stair mission succeed every member unit trust charge stair darkness danger unless know somebody behind watch back america time look flag remind destiny stitch together like 50 star 13 stripe one built country nation great build together nation great work team nation great get back hold fast truth moment trial challenge great mission hard long joined common purpose long maintain common resolve journey move forward future hopeful state union always strong thank god bless god bless united state america