 Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans: Less than 1 year has passed since I first stood at this podium, in this majestic Chamber, to speak on behalf of the American people and to address their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. That night, our new administration had already taken very swift action. A new tide of optimism was already sweeping across our land. Each day since, we have gone forward with a clear vision and a righteous mission: to make America great again for all Americans.
 Over the last year, we have made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we expected and others we could never have imagined. We have shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship. We have endured floods and fires and storms. But through it all, we have seen the beauty of America's soul and the steel in America's spine.
 Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who we are and show us what we can be. We saw the volunteers of the Cajun Navy racing to the rescue with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a totally devastating hurricane. We saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the Las Vegas strip.
 We heard tales of Americans like Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee Leppert, who is here tonight in the gallery with Melania. Ashlee was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in Houston during the Hurricane Harvey. Through 18 hours of wind and rain, Ashlee braved live power lines and deep water to help save more than 40 lives. Ashlee, we all thank you. Thank you very much.
 We heard about Americans like firefighter David Dahlberg. He's here with us also. David faced down walls of flame to rescue almost 60 children trapped at a California summer camp threatened by those devastating wildfires. To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands—everywhere—we are with you, we love you, and we always will pull through together, always. Thank you to David and the brave people of California. Thank you very much, David. Great job.
 Some trials over the past year touched this Chamber very personally. With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this House, a guy who took a bullet, almost died, and was back to work 3½ months later: the legend from Louisiana—[ ]—Congressman Steve Scalise. [ ] I think they like you, Steve. [ ] We are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the Capitol Police officers, the Alexandria Police, and the doctors, nurses, and paramedics who saved his life and the lives of many others; some in this room. In the aftermath—[ ]—yes. Yes.
 In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as representatives of the people. But it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. Tonight I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people. This is really the key. These are the people we were elected to serve. [ ] Thank you. Over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew: that no people on Earth are so fearless or daring or determined as Americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. If there is a frontier, we cross it. If there's a challenge, we tame it. If there's an opportunity, we seize it. So let's begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is strong because our people are strong. And together, we are building a safe, strong, and proud America.
 Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. Tremendous numbers. After years and years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages. Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. And something I'm very proud of: African American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded. And Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.
 Small-business confidence is at an alltime high. The stock market has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion and more in value in just this short period of time. The great news for Americans: 401(k), retirement, pension, and college savings accounts have gone through the roof.
 And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history. Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small business. To lower tax rates for hard-working Americans, we nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone. Now, the first $24,000 earned by a married couple is completely tax free. We also doubled the child tax credit. A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill reduced by $2,000, slashing their tax bill in half. In April, this will be the last time you will ever file under the old and very broken system, and millions of Americans will have more take-home pay starting next month—a lot more.
 We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans making less than $50,000 a year, forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they couldn't afford Government-ordered health plans. We repealed the core of the disastrous Obamacare. The individual mandate is now gone, thank heavens. [ ] Great job.
 We slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 21 percent, so American companies can compete and win against anyone else anywhere in the world. These changes alone are estimated to increase average family income by more than $4,000, a lot of money. Small businesses have also received a massive tax cut and can now deduct 20 percent of their business income.
 Here tonight are Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub Manufacturing, a small, beautiful business in Ohio. They've just finished the best year in their 20-year history. Because of tax reform, they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people, and expanding into the building next door. It's a good feeling.
 One of Staub's employees, Corey Adams, is also with us tonight. Corey is an all-American worker. He supported himself through high school, lost his job during the 2008 recession, and was later hired by Staub, where he trained to become a welder. Like many hard-working Americans, Corey plans to invest his tax cut raise into his new home and his two daughters' education. Corey, please stand. And he's a great welder. [ ] I was told that by the man that owns that company that's doing so well. So congratulations, Corey.
 Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses, many of them thousands and thousands of dollars per worker. And it's getting more every month, every week. Apple has just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in America and hire another 20,000 workers. And just a little while ago, ExxonMobil announced a $50 billion investment in the United States—just a little while ago.
 This, in fact, is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream. So to every citizen watching at home tonight, no matter where you've been or where you've come from, this is your time. If you work hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in America, then you can dream anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve absolutely anything.
 Tonight I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have and what kind of a nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one team, one people, and one American family can do anything. We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the same great American flag. Together, we are rediscovering the American way. In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of American life. The motto is, "In God We Trust." And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support.
 Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-year-old boy from Redding, California, who noticed that veterans' graves were not marked with flags on Veterans Day. He decided all by himself to change that and started a movement that has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes. Preston, a job well done. Young patriots, like Preston, teach all of us about our civic duty as Americans. And I met Preston a little while ago, and he is something very special, that I can tell you. Great future. Thank you very much for all you've done, Preston. Thank you very much.
 Preston's reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us of why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem. Americans love their country, and they deserve a Government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return. For the last year, we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between our citizens and their Government. Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will interpret the Constitution as written, including a great new Supreme Court Justice and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the history of our country. We are totally defending our Second Amendment and have taken historic actions to protect religious liberty.
 And we are serving our brave veterans, including giving our veterans choice in their health care decisions. Last year, Congress also passed, and I signed, the landmark VA Accountability Act. Since its passage, my administration has already removed more than 1,500 VA employees who failed to give our veterans the care they deserve. And we are hiring talented people who love our vets as much as we do. And I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of, which has been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey.
 All Americans deserve accountability and respect, and that's what we are giving to our wonderful heroes, our veterans. Thank you. So tonight I call on Congress to empower every Cabinet Secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove Federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American people.
 In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have eliminated more regulations in our first year than any administration in the history of our country. We have ended the war on American energy, and we have ended the war on beautiful, clean coal. We are now, very proudly, an exporter of energy to the world. In Detroit, I halted Government mandates that crippled America's great, beautiful autoworkers so that we can get Motor City revving its engines again. And that's what's happening. Many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the United States, something we haven't seen for decades. Chrysler is moving a major plant from Mexico to Michigan. Toyota and Mazda are opening up a plant in Alabama, a big one. And we haven't seen this in a long time. It's all coming back.
 Very soon, auto plants and other plants will be opening up all over our country. This is all news Americans are totally unaccustomed to hearing. For many years, companies and jobs were only leaving us. But now they are roaring back. They're coming back. They want to be where the action is. They want to be in the United States of America. That's where they want to be.
 Exciting progress is happening every single day. To speed access to breakthrough cures and affordable generic drugs, last year, the FDA approved more new and generic drugs and medical devices than ever before in our country's history. We also believe that patients with terminal conditions and terminal illness should have access to experimental treatment immediately that could potentially save their lives. People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. I want to give them a chance right here at home. It's time for Congress to give these wonderful, incredible Americans the right to try. [ ] Right?
 One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs. In many other countries, these drugs cost far less than what we pay in the United States. And it's very, very unfair. That is why I have directed my administration to make fixing the injustice of high drug prices one of my top priorities for the year. And prices will come down substantially. Watch.
 America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs, and our wealth. Our Nation has lost its wealth, but we're getting it back so fast. The era of economic surrender is totally over. From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and, very importantly, reciprocal.
 We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones. And they'll be good ones, but they'll be fair. And we will protect American workers and American intellectual property through strong enforcement of our trade rules.
 As we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. America is a nation of builders. We built the Empire State Building in just 1 year. Isn't it a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just to get a minor permit approved for the building of a simple road? I am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure that our economy needs and our people deserve.
 Tonight I'm calling on Congress to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment that our country so desperately needs. Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with State and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit. And we can do it.
 Any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process, getting it down to no more than 2 years and perhaps even 1. Together, we can reclaim our great building heritage. We will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways all across our land. And we will do it with American heart and American hands and American grit. We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day's work. We want every child to be safe in their home at night. And we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we all love so much. We can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from dependence to independence, and from poverty to prosperity.
 As tax cuts create new jobs, let's invest in workforce development, and let's invest in job training, which we need so badly. Let's open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential. And let's support working families by supporting paid family leave.
 As America regains its strength, opportunity must be extended to all citizens. That is why this year, we will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates, who have served their time, get a second chance at life.
 Struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of American workers and American families. For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities. They've allowed millions of low-wage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest Americans. Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives.
 Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers: Evelyn Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert Mickens. Their two teenage daughters—Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens—were close friends on Long Island. But in September 2016, on the eve of Nisa's 16th birthday—such a happy time it should have been—neither of them came home. These two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown.
 Six members of the savage MS-13 gang have been charged with Kayla and Nisa's murders. Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as illegal, unaccompanied alien minors, and wound up in Kayla and Nisa's high school. Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight everyone in this chamber is praying for you. Everyone in America is grieving for you. Please stand. Thank you very much. I want you to know that 320 million hearts are right now breaking for you. We love you. Thank you.
 While we cannot imagine the depths of that kind of sorrow, we can make sure that other families never have to endure this kind of pain. Tonight I am calling on Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13 and other criminal gangs to break into our country. We have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws and support our ICE and Border Patrol agents—these are great people; these are great, great people—that work so hard in the midst of such danger so that this can never happen again.
 The United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud that we do more than any other country anywhere in the world to help the needy, the struggling, and the underprivileged all over the world. But as President of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, my constant concern is for America's children, America's struggling workers, and America's forgotten communities. I want our youth to grow up to achieve great things. I want our poor to have their chance to rise.
 So tonight I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion, and creed. My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this Chamber, is to defend Americans, to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too. Here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our country, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Celestino Martinez. He goes by "D.J." and "C.J." He said, "Call me either one." [ ] So we'll call you "C.J." [ ] Served 15 years in the Air Force before becoming an ICE agent and spending the last 15 years fighting gang violence and getting dangerous criminals off of our streets. Tough job.
 At one point, MS-13 leaders ordered C.J.'s murder. And they wanted it to happen quickly. But he did not cave to threats or to fear. Last May, he commanded an operation to track down gang members on Long Island. His team has arrested nearly 400, including more than 220 MS-13 gang members. And I have to tell you, what the Border Patrol and ICE have done, we have sent thousands and thousands and thousands of MS-13 horrible people out of this country or into our prisons. So I just want to congratulate you, C.J. You're a brave guy. Thank you very much.
 And I asked C.J., "What's the secret?" He said, "We're just tougher than they are." And I like that answer. [ ] Now, let's get Congress to send you—and all of the people in this great Chamber have to do it; we have no choice. C.J., we're going to send you reinforcements, and we're going to send them to you quickly. It's what you need.
 Over the next few weeks, the House and Senate will be voting on an immigration reform package. In recent months, my administration has met extensively with both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration reform. Based on these discussions, we presented Congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise, one where nobody gets everything they want, but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs and must have.
 Here are the four pillars of our plan: The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought here by their parents at a young age. That covers almost three times more people than the previous administration covered. Under our plan, those who meet education and work requirements and show good moral character will be able to become full citizens of the United States over a 12-year period.
 The second pillar fully secures the border. That means building a great wall on the southern border, and it means hiring more heroes, like C.J., to keep our communities safe. Crucially, our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our country, and it finally ends the horrible and dangerous practice of catch-and-release.
 The third pillar ends the visa lottery, a program that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of American people. It's time to begin moving toward a merit-based immigration system, one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country.
 The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending chain migration. Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. Under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security and for the future of America.
 In recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration. In the age of terrorism, these programs present risks we can just no longer afford. It's time to reform these outdated immigration rules and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century. These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system. For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen. Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that fulfills my ironclad pledge to sign a bill that puts America first. So let's come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done.
 These reforms will also support our response to the terrible crisis of opioid and drug addiction. Never before has it been like it is now. It is terrible. We have to do something about it. In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses: 174 deaths per day, 7 per hour. We must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge.
 My administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need, for those who have been so terribly hurt. The struggle will be long, and it will be difficult, but as Americans always do, in the end, we will succeed. We will prevail.
 As we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges bring out the best in America. We see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the Holets family of New Mexico. Ryan Holets is 27 years old, an officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. He's here tonight with his wife Rebecca. Thank you, Ryan.
 Last year, Ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless woman preparing to inject heroin. When Ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she didn't know where to turn, but badly wanted a safe home for her baby.
 In that moment, Ryan said he felt God speak to him: "You will do it, because you can." He heard those words. He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids. Then, he went home to tell his wife Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed to adopt. The Holets named their new daughter Hope. Ryan and Rebecca, you embody the goodness of our Nation. Thank you. Thank you, Ryan and Rebecca.
 As we rebuild America's strength and confidence at home, we are also restoring our strength and standing abroad. Around the world, we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups, and rivals like China and Russia that challenge our interests, our economy, and our values. In confronting these horrible dangers, we know that weakness is the surest path to conflict and unmatched power is the surest means to our true and great defense.
 For this reason, I am asking Congress to end the dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military. As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal, hopefully, never having to use it, but making it so strong and so powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression by any other nation or anyone else. Perhaps someday in the future, there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we are not there yet, sadly.
 Last year, I also pledged that we would work with our allies to extinguish ISIS from the face of the Earth. One year later, I am proud to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated very close to 100 percent of the territory just recently held by these killers in Iraq and in Syria and in other locations as well. But there is much more work to be done. We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated.
 Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight. Near Raqqa, last November, Justin and his comrade, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, were on a mission to clear buildings that ISIS had rigged with explosive so that civilians could return to that city, hopefully, soon and, hopefully, safely.
 Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital, Kenton Stacy was severely wounded by an explosion. Immediately, Justin bounded into the booby-trapped and unbelievably dangerous and unsafe building, and found Kenton, but in very, very bad shape. He applied pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an airway. He then performed CPR for 20 straight minutes during the ground transport and maintained artificial respiration through 2½ hours and through emergency surgery.
 Kenton Stacy would have died if it were not for Justin's selfless love for his fellow warrior. Tonight Kenton is recovering in Texas, Raqqa is liberated, and Justin is wearing his new Bronze Star, with a "V" for valor. Staff Sergeant Peck, all of America salutes you.
 Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil. When possible, we have no choice but to annihilate them. When necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals, they are unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are.
 In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield, including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, who we captured, who we had, who we released. So today I'm keeping another promise. I just signed, prior to walking in, an order directing Secretary Mattis—who is doing a great job, thank you—to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay. I am asking Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and Al Qaida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists, wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them. And in many cases, for them, it will now be Guantanamo Bay.
 At the same time, as of a few months ago, our warriors in Afghanistan have new rules of engagement. Along with their heroic Afghan partners, our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies our plans.
 Last month, I also took an action endorsed unanimously by the U.S. Senate just months before. I recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the United Nations General Assembly against America's sovereign right to make this decision. In 2016, American taxpayers generously sent those same countries more than $20 billion in aid. That is why tonight I am asking Congress to pass legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests and only go to friends of America, not enemies of America.
 As we strengthen friendships all around the world, we are also restoring clarity about our adversaries. When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom. I am asking Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible Iran nuclear deal. My administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the communist and socialist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.
 But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea. North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening. Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position. We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and to our allies.
 Otto Warmbier was a hard-working student at the University of Virginia, and a great student he was. On his way to study abroad in Asia, Otto joined a tour to North Korea. At its conclusion, this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial, the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor, before returning him to America last June, horribly injured and on the verge of death. He passed away just days after his return.
 Otto's wonderful parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are here with us tonight, along with Otto's brother and sister, Austin and Greta. Please. Incredible people. You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength truly inspires us all. Thank you very much. Thank you. Tonight we pledge to honor Otto's memory with total American resolve. Thank you.
 Finally—[ ]—thank you. We are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of this regime. His name is Mr. Ji Sung-ho. In 1996, Sung-ho was a starving boy in North Korea. One day, he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food, which were very hard to get. In the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from hunger. He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain or the hurt. His brother and sister gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt themselves, permanently stunting their own growth.
 Later, he was tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to China. His tormentors wanted to know if he'd met any Christians. He had, and he resolved, after that, to be free. Sung-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches all across China and Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His father was caught trying to escape and was tortured to death.
 Today, he lives in Seoul, where he rescues other defectors and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears most: the truth. Today, he has a new leg. But, Sung-ho, I understand you still keep those old crutches as a reminder of how far you've come. Your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all. Please. Thank you. Sung-ho's story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom.
 It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave birth to a special place called America. It was a small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness. It was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea: that they could rule themselves; that they could chart their own destiny; and that, together, they could light up the entire world.
 That is what our country has always been about. That is what Americans have always stood for, always strived for, and always done. Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the statue of Freedom. She stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her: monuments to Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln and King. Memorials to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga; to young Americans who shed their blood on the shores of Normandy and the fields beyond; and others, who went down in the waters of the Pacific and the skies all over Asia. And Freedom stands tall over one more monument: this one. This Capitol—this living monument—this is the monument to the American people.
  U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
  We're a people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all around us, defending hope, pride, and defending the American way.
 They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. They care for our children at home. They defend our flag abroad. And they are strong moms and brave kids. They are firefighters and police officers and border agents, medics and marines. But above all else, they are Americans. And this Capitol, this city, this Nation, belongs entirely to them. Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to protect them, and to always be worthy of them.
 Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the bounds of science and discovery. And they forever remind us of what we should never, ever forget: The people dreamed this country, the people built this country, and it's the people who are making America great again.
 As long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for, there is nothing we cannot achieve. As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens, and trust in our God, we will never fail. Our families will thrive. Our people will prosper. And our Nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free.
 Thank you. And God bless America. Goodnight.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans: Less than 1 year has passed since I first stood at this podium, in this majestic Chamber, to speak on behalf of the American people and to address their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. That night, our new administration had already taken very swift action. A new tide of optimism was already sweeping across our land. Each day since, we have gone forward with a clear vision and a righteous mission: to make America great again for all Americans. Over the last year, we have made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we expected and others we could never have imagined. We have shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship. We have endured floods and fires and storms. But through it all, we have seen the beauty of America's soul and the steel in America's spine. Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who we are and show us what we can be. We saw the volunteers of the Cajun Navy racing to the rescue with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a totally devastating hurricane. We saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the Las Vegas strip. We heard tales of Americans like Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee Leppert, who is here tonight in the gallery with Melania. Ashlee was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in Houston during the Hurricane Harvey. Through 18 hours of wind and rain, Ashlee braved live power lines and deep water to help save more than 40 lives. Ashlee, we all thank you. Thank you very much. We heard about Americans like firefighter David Dahlberg. He is here with us also. David faced down walls of flame to rescue almost 60 children trapped at a California summer camp threatened by those devastating wildfires. To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands—everywhere—we are with you, we love you, and we always will pull through together, always. Thank you to David and the brave people of California. Thank you very much, David. Great job. Some trials over the past year touched this Chamber very personally. With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this House, a guy who took a bullet, almost died, and was back to work 3½ months later: the legend from Louisiana—[ ]—Congressman Steve Scalise. [ ] I think they like you, Steve. [ ] We are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the Capitol Police officers, the Alexandria Police, and the doctors, nurses, and paramedics who saved his life and the lives of many others; some in this room. In the aftermath—[ ]—yes. Yes. In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as representatives of the people. But it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. Tonight I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people. This is really the key. These are the people we were elected to serve. [ ] Thank you. Over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew: that no people on Earth are so fearless or daring or determined as Americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. If there is a frontier, we cross it. If there is a challenge, we tame it. If there is an opportunity, we seize it. So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is strong because our people are strong. And together, we are building a safe, strong, and proud America. Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. Tremendous numbers. After years and years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages. Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. And something I am very proud of: African American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded. And Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history. Small-business confidence is at an alltime high. The stock market has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion and more in value in just this short period of time. The great news for Americans: 401(k), retirement, pension, and college savings accounts have gone through the roof. And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history. Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small business. To lower tax rates for hard-working Americans, we nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone. Now, the first $24,000 earned by a married couple is completely tax free. We also doubled the child tax credit. A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill reduced by $2,000, slashing their tax bill in half. In April, this will be the last time you will ever file under the old and very broken system, and millions of Americans will have more take-home pay starting next month—a lot more. We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans making less than $50,000 a year, forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they could not afford Government-ordered health plans. We repealed the core of the disastrous Obamacare. The individual mandate is now gone, thank heavens. [ ] Great job. We slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 21 percent, so American companies can compete and win against anyone else anywhere in the world. These changes alone are estimated to increase average family income by more than $4,000, a lot of money. Small businesses have also received a massive tax cut and can now deduct 20 percent of their business income. Here tonight are Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub Manufacturing, a small, beautiful business in Ohio. They have just finished the best year in their 20-year history. Because of tax reform, they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people, and expanding into the building next door. It is a good feeling. One of Staub's employees, Corey Adams, is also with us tonight. Corey is an all-American worker. He supported himself through high school, lost his job during the 2008 recession, and was later hired by Staub, where he trained to become a welder. Like many hard-working Americans, Corey plans to invest his tax cut raise into his new home and his two daughters' education. Corey, please stand. And he is a great welder. [ ] I was told that by the man that owns that company that is doing so well. So congratulations, Corey. Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses, many of them thousands and thousands of dollars per worker. And it is getting more every month, every week. Apple has just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in America and hire another 20,000 workers. And just a little while ago, ExxonMobil announced a $50 billion investment in the United States—just a little while ago. This, in fact, is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream. So to every citizen watching at home tonight, no matter where you have been or where you have come from, this is your time. If you work hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in America, then you can dream anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve absolutely anything. Tonight I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have and what kind of a nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one team, one people, and one American family can do anything. We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the same great American flag. Together, we are rediscovering the American way. In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of American life. The motto is, "In God We Trust." And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support. Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-year-old boy from Redding, California, who noticed that veterans' graves were not marked with flags on Veterans Day. He decided all by himself to change that and started a movement that has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes. Preston, a job well done. Young patriots, like Preston, teach all of us about our civic duty as Americans. And I met Preston a little while ago, and he is something very special, that I can tell you. Great future. Thank you very much for all you have done, Preston. Thank you very much. Preston's reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us of why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem. Americans love their country, and they deserve a Government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return. For the last year, we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between our citizens and their Government. Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will interpret the Constitution as written, including a great new Supreme Court Justice and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the history of our country. We are totally defending our Second Amendment and have taken historic actions to protect religious liberty. And we are serving our brave veterans, including giving our veterans choice in their health care decisions. Last year, Congress also passed, and I signed, the landmark VA Accountability Act. Since its passage, my administration has already removed more than 1,500 VA employees who failed to give our veterans the care they deserve. And we are hiring talented people who love our vets as much as we do. And I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of, which has been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey. All Americans deserve accountability and respect, and that is what we are giving to our wonderful heroes, our veterans. Thank you. So tonight I call on Congress to empower every Cabinet Secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove Federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American people. In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have eliminated more regulations in our first year than any administration in the history of our country. We have ended the war on American energy, and we have ended the war on beautiful, clean coal. We are now, very proudly, an exporter of energy to the world. In Detroit, I halted Government mandates that crippled America's great, beautiful autoworkers so that we can get Motor City revving its engines again. And that is what is happening. Many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the United States, something we have not seen for decades. Chrysler is moving a major plant from Mexico to Michigan. Toyota and Mazda are opening up a plant in Alabama, a big one. And we have not seen this in a long time. It is all coming back. Very soon, auto plants and other plants will be opening up all over our country. This is all news Americans are totally unaccustomed to hearing. For many years, companies and jobs were only leaving us. But now they are roaring back. They are coming back. They want to be where the action is. They want to be in the United States of America. That is where they want to be. Exciting progress is happening every single day. To speed access to breakthrough cures and affordable generic drugs, last year, the FDA approved more new and generic drugs and medical devices than ever before in our country's history. We also believe that patients with terminal conditions and terminal illness should have access to experimental treatment immediately that could potentially save their lives. People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. I want to give them a chance right here at home. It is time for Congress to give these wonderful, incredible Americans the right to try. [ ] Right? One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs. In many other countries, these drugs cost far less than what we pay in the United States. And it is very, very unfair. That is why I have directed my administration to make fixing the injustice of high drug prices one of my top priorities for the year. And prices will come down substantially. Watch. America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs, and our wealth. Our Nation has lost its wealth, but we are getting it back so fast. The era of economic surrender is totally over. From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and, very importantly, reciprocal. We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones. And they will be good ones, but they will be fair. And we will protect American workers and American intellectual property through strong enforcement of our trade rules. As we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. America is a nation of builders. We built the Empire State Building in just 1 year. Is not it a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just to get a minor permit approved for the building of a simple road? I am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure that our economy needs and our people deserve. Tonight I am calling on Congress to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment that our country so desperately needs. Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with State and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit. And we can do it. Any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process, getting it down to no more than 2 years and perhaps even 1. Together, we can reclaim our great building heritage. We will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways all across our land. And we will do it with American heart and American hands and American grit. We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day's work. We want every child to be safe in their home at night. And we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we all love so much. We can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from dependence to independence, and from poverty to prosperity. As tax cuts create new jobs, let us invest in workforce development, and let us invest in job training, which we need so badly. Let us open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential. And let us support working families by supporting paid family leave. As America regains its strength, opportunity must be extended to all citizens. That is why this year, we will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates, who have served their time, get a second chance at life. Struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of American workers and American families. For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities. They have allowed millions of low-wage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest Americans. Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives. Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers: Evelyn Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert Mickens. Their two teenage daughters—Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens—were close friends on Long Island. But in September 2016, on the eve of Nisa's 16th birthday—such a happy time it should have been—neither of them came home. These two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown. Six members of the savage MS-13 gang have been charged with Kayla and Nisa's murders. Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as illegal, unaccompanied alien minors, and wound up in Kayla and Nisa's high school. Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight everyone in this chamber is praying for you. Everyone in America is grieving for you. Please stand. Thank you very much. I want you to know that 320 million hearts are right now breaking for you. We love you. Thank you. While we cannot imagine the depths of that kind of sorrow, we can make sure that other families never have to endure this kind of pain. Tonight I am calling on Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13 and other criminal gangs to break into our country. We have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws and support our ICE and Border Patrol agents—these are great people; these are great, great people—that work so hard in the midst of such danger so that this can never happen again. The United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud that we do more than any other country anywhere in the world to help the needy, the struggling, and the underprivileged all over the world. But as President of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, my constant concern is for America's children, America's struggling workers, and America's forgotten communities. I want our youth to grow up to achieve great things. I want our poor to have their chance to rise. So tonight I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion, and creed. My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this Chamber, is to defend Americans, to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too. Here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our country, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Celestino Martinez. He goes by "D.J." and "C.J." He said, "Call me either one." [ ] So we will call you "C.J." [ ] Served 15 years in the Air Force before becoming an ICE agent and spending the last 15 years fighting gang violence and getting dangerous criminals off of our streets. Tough job. At one point, MS-13 leaders ordered C.J.'s murder. And they wanted it to happen quickly. But he did not cave to threats or to fear. Last May, he commanded an operation to track down gang members on Long Island. His team has arrested nearly 400, including more than 220 MS-13 gang members. And I have to tell you, what the Border Patrol and ICE have done, we have sent thousands and thousands and thousands of MS-13 horrible people out of this country or into our prisons. So I just want to congratulate you, C.J. You are a brave guy. Thank you very much. And I asked C.J., "What is the secret?" He said, "We are just tougher than they are." And I like that answer. [ ] Now, let us get Congress to send you—and all of the people in this great Chamber have to do it; we have no choice. C.J., we are going to send you reinforcements, and we are going to send them to you quickly. It is what you need. Over the next few weeks, the House and Senate will be voting on an immigration reform package. In recent months, my administration has met extensively with both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration reform. Based on these discussions, we presented Congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise, one where nobody gets everything they want, but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs and must have. Here are the four pillars of our plan: The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought here by their parents at a young age. That covers almost three times more people than the previous administration covered. Under our plan, those who meet education and work requirements and show good moral character will be able to become full citizens of the United States over a 12-year period. The second pillar fully secures the border. That means building a great wall on the southern border, and it means hiring more heroes, like C.J., to keep our communities safe. Crucially, our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our country, and it finally ends the horrible and dangerous practice of catch-and-release. The third pillar ends the visa lottery, a program that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of American people. It is time to begin moving toward a merit-based immigration system, one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country. The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending chain migration. Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. Under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security and for the future of America. In recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration. In the age of terrorism, these programs present risks we can just no longer afford. It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century. These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system. For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen. Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that fulfills my ironclad pledge to sign a bill that puts America first. So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done. These reforms will also support our response to the terrible crisis of opioid and drug addiction. Never before has it been like it is now. It is terrible. We have to do something about it. In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses: 174 deaths per day, 7 per hour. We must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge. My administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need, for those who have been so terribly hurt. The struggle will be long, and it will be difficult, but as Americans always do, in the end, we will succeed. We will prevail. As we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges bring out the best in America. We see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the Holets family of New Mexico. Ryan Holets is 27 years old, an officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. He is here tonight with his wife Rebecca. Thank you, Ryan. Last year, Ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless woman preparing to inject heroin. When Ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she did not know where to turn, but badly wanted a safe home for her baby. In that moment, Ryan said he felt God speak to him: "You will do it, because you can." He heard those words. He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids. Then, he went home to tell his wife Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed to adopt. The Holets named their new daughter Hope. Ryan and Rebecca, you embody the goodness of our Nation. Thank you. Thank you, Ryan and Rebecca. As we rebuild America's strength and confidence at home, we are also restoring our strength and standing abroad. Around the world, we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups, and rivals like China and Russia that challenge our interests, our economy, and our values. In confronting these horrible dangers, we know that weakness is the surest path to conflict and unmatched power is the surest means to our true and great defense. For this reason, I am asking Congress to end the dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military. As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal, hopefully, never having to use it, but making it so strong and so powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression by any other nation or anyone else. Perhaps someday in the future, there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we are not there yet, sadly. Last year, I also pledged that we would work with our allies to extinguish ISIS from the face of the Earth. One year later, I am proud to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated very close to 100 percent of the territory just recently held by these killers in Iraq and in Syria and in other locations as well. But there is much more work to be done. We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated. Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight. Near Raqqa, last November, Justin and his comrade, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, were on a mission to clear buildings that ISIS had rigged with explosive so that civilians could return to that city, hopefully, soon and, hopefully, safely. Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital, Kenton Stacy was severely wounded by an explosion. Immediately, Justin bounded into the booby-trapped and unbelievably dangerous and unsafe building, and found Kenton, but in very, very bad shape. He applied pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an airway. He then performed CPR for 20 straight minutes during the ground transport and maintained artificial respiration through 2½ hours and through emergency surgery. Kenton Stacy would have died if it were not for Justin's selfless love for his fellow warrior. Tonight Kenton is recovering in Texas, Raqqa is liberated, and Justin is wearing his new Bronze Star, with a "V" for valor. Staff Sergeant Peck, all of America salutes you. Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil. When possible, we have no choice but to annihilate them. When necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals, they are unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are. In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield, including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, who we captured, who we had, who we released. So today I am keeping another promise. I just signed, prior to walking in, an order directing Secretary Mattis—who is doing a great job, thank you—to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay. I am asking Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and Al Qaida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists, wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them. And in many cases, for them, it will now be Guantanamo Bay. At the same time, as of a few months ago, our warriors in Afghanistan have new rules of engagement. Along with their heroic Afghan partners, our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies our plans. Last month, I also took an action endorsed unanimously by the YOU.S. Senate just months before. I recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the United Nations General Assembly against America's sovereign right to make this decision. In 2016, American taxpayers generously sent those same countries more than $20 billion in aid. That is why tonight I am asking Congress to pass legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests and only go to friends of America, not enemies of America. As we strengthen friendships all around the world, we are also restoring clarity about our adversaries. When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom. I am asking Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible Iran nuclear deal. My administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the communist and socialist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela. But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea. North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening. Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position. We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and to our allies. Otto Warmbier was a hard-working student at the University of Virginia, and a great student he was. On his way to study abroad in Asia, Otto joined a tour to North Korea. At its conclusion, this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial, the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor, before returning him to America last June, horribly injured and on the verge of death. He passed away just days after his return. Otto's wonderful parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are here with us tonight, along with Otto's brother and sister, Austin and Greta. Please. Incredible people. You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength truly inspires us all. Thank you very much. Thank you. Tonight we pledge to honor Otto's memory with total American resolve. Thank you. Finally—[ ]—thank you. We are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of this regime. His name is Mr. Ji Sung-ho. In 1996, Sung-ho was a starving boy in North Korea. One day, he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food, which were very hard to get. In the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from hunger. He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain or the hurt. His brother and sister gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt themselves, permanently stunting their own growth. Later, he was tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to China. His tormentors wanted to know if he would met any Christians. He had, and he resolved, after that, to be free. Sung-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches all across China and Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His father was caught trying to escape and was tortured to death. Today, he lives in Seoul, where he rescues other defectors and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears most: the truth. Today, he has a new leg. But, Sung-ho, I understand you still keep those old crutches as a reminder of how far you have come. Your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all. Please. Thank you. Sung-ho's story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom. It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave birth to a special place called America. It was a small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness. It was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea: that they could rule themselves; that they could chart their own destiny; and that, together, they could light up the entire world. That is what our country has always been about. That is what Americans have always stood for, always strived for, and always done. Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the statue of Freedom. She stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her: monuments to Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln and King. Memorials to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga; to young Americans who she would their blood on the shores of Normandy and the fields beyond; and others, who went down in the waters of the Pacific and the skies all over Asia. And Freedom stands tall over one more monument: this one. This Capitol—this living monument—this is the monument to the American people. YOU.S.A.! YOU.S.A.! YOU.S.A.! We are a people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all around us, defending hope, pride, and defending the American way. They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. They care for our children at home. They defend our flag abroad. And they are strong moms and brave kids. They are firefighters and police officers and border agents, medics and marines. But above all else, they are Americans. And this Capitol, this city, this Nation, belongs entirely to them. Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to protect them, and to always be worthy of them. Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the bounds of science and discovery. And they forever remind us of what we should never, ever forget: The people dreamed this country, the people built this country, and it is the people who are making America great again. As long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for, there is nothing we cannot achieve. As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens, and trust in our God, we will never fail. Our families will thrive. Our people will prosper. And our Nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free. Thank you. And God bless America. Goodnight.
speaker vice president members of congress the first lady of the united states and my fellow americans less than 1 year has passed since i first stood at this podium in this majestic chamber to speak on behalf of the american people and to address their concerns their hopes and their dreams that night our new administration had already taken very swift action a new tide of optimism was already sweeping across our land each day since we have gone forward with a clear vision and a righteous mission to make america great again for all americans over the last year we have made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success we have faced challenges we expected and others we could never have imagined we have shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship we have endured floods and fires and storms but through it all we have seen the beauty of america soul and the steel in america spine each test has forged new american heroes to remind us who we are and show us what we can be we saw the volunteers of the cajun navy racing to the rescue with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a totally devastating hurricane we saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the las vegas strip we heard tales of americans like coast guard petty officer ashlee leppert who is here tonight in the gallery with melania ashlee was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in houston during the hurricane harvey through 18 hours of wind and rain ashlee braved live power lines and deep water to help save more than 40 lives ashlee we all thank you thank you very much we heard about americans like firefighter david dahlberg he is here with us also david faced down walls of flame to rescue almost 60 children trapped at a california summer camp threatened by those devastating wildfires to everyone still recovering in texas florida louisiana puerto rico and the virgin are with you we love you and we always will pull through together always thank you to david and the brave people of california thank you very much david great job some trials over the past year touched this chamber very personally with us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this house a guy who took a bullet almost died and was back to work 3½ months later the legend from steve scalise i think they like you steve we are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the capitol police officers the alexandria police and the doctors nurses and paramedics who saved his life and the lives of many others some in this room in the yes in the aftermath of that terrible shooting we came together not as republicans or democrats but as representatives of the people but it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy tonight i call upon all of us to set aside our differences to seek out common ground and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people this is really the key these are the people we were elected to serve thank you over the last year the world has seen what we always knew that no people on earth are so fearless or daring or determined as americans if there is a mountain we climb it if there is a frontier we cross it if there is a challenge we tame it if there is an opportunity we seize it so let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our union is strong because our people are strong and together we are building a safe strong and proud america since the election we have created million new jobs including new jobs in manufacturing alone tremendous numbers after years and years of wage stagnation we are finally seeing rising wages unemployment claims have hit a low and something i am very proud of african american unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded and hispanic american unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history confidence is at an alltime high the stock market has smashed one record after another gaining 8 trillion and more in value in just this short period of time the great news for americans 401 k retirement pension and college savings accounts have gone through the roof and just as i promised the american people from this podium 11 months ago we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in american history our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small business to lower tax rates for americans we nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone now the first earned by a married couple is completely tax free we also doubled the child tax credit a typical family of four making will see their tax bill reduced by slashing their tax bill in half in april this will be the last time you will ever file under the old and very broken system and millions of americans will have more pay starting next lot more we eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on americans making less than a year forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they could not afford health plans we repealed the core of the disastrous obamacare the individual mandate is now gone thank heavens great job we slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 21 percent so american companies can compete and win against anyone else anywhere in the world these changes alone are estimated to increase average family income by more than a lot of money small businesses have also received a massive tax cut and can now deduct 20 percent of their business income here tonight are steve staub and sandy keplinger of staub manufacturing a small beautiful business in ohio they have just finished the best year in their history because of tax reform they are handing out raises hiring an additional 14 people and expanding into the building next door it is a good feeling one of staub employees corey adams is also with us tonight corey is an worker he supported himself through high school lost his job during the 2008 recession and was later hired by staub where he trained to become a welder like many americans corey plans to invest his tax cut raise into his new home and his two daughters education corey please stand and he is a great welder i was told that by the man that owns that company that is doing so well so congratulations corey since we passed tax cuts roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses many of them thousands and thousands of dollars per worker and it is getting more every month every week apple has just announced it plans to invest a total of 350 billion in america and hire another workers and just a little while ago exxonmobil announced a 50 billion investment in the united a little while ago this in fact is our new american moment there has never been a better time to start living the american dream so to every citizen watching at home tonight no matter where you have been or where you have come from this is your time if you work hard if you believe in yourself if you believe in america then you can dream anything you can be anything and together we can achieve absolutely anything tonight i want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have and what kind of a nation we are going to be all of us together as one team one people and one american family can do anything we all share the same home the same heart the same destiny and the same great american flag together we are rediscovering the american way in america we know that faith and family not government and bureaucracy are the center of american life the motto is in god we trust and we celebrate our police our military and our amazing veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support here tonight is preston sharp a boy from redding california who noticed that veterans graves were not marked with flags on veterans day he decided all by himself to change that and started a movement that has now placed flags at the graves of our great heroes preston a job well done young patriots like preston teach all of us about our civic duty as americans and i met preston a little while ago and he is something very special that i can tell you great future thank you very much for all you have done preston thank you very much preston reverence for those who have served our nation reminds us of why we salute our flag why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance and why we proudly stand for the national anthem americans love their country and they deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return for the last year we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between our citizens and their government working with the senate we are appointing judges who will interpret the constitution as written including a great new supreme court justice and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the history of our country we are totally defending our second amendment and have taken historic actions to protect religious liberty and we are serving our brave veterans including giving our veterans choice in their health care decisions last year congress also passed and i signed the landmark va accountability act since its passage my administration has already removed more than va employees who failed to give our veterans the care they deserve and we are hiring talented people who love our vets as much as we do and i will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of which has been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey all americans deserve accountability and respect and that is what we are giving to our wonderful heroes our veterans thank you so tonight i call on congress to empower every cabinet secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the american people in our drive to make washington accountable we have eliminated more regulations in our first year than any administration in the history of our country we have ended the war on american energy and we have ended the war on beautiful clean coal we are now very proudly an exporter of energy to the world in detroit i halted government mandates that crippled america great beautiful autoworkers so that we can get motor city revving its engines again and that is what is happening many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the united states something we have not seen for decades chrysler is moving a major plant from mexico to michigan toyota and mazda are opening up a plant in alabama a big one and we have not seen this in a long time it is all coming back very soon auto plants and other plants will be opening up all over our country this is all news americans are totally unaccustomed to hearing for many years companies and jobs were only leaving us but now they are roaring back they are coming back they want to be where the action is they want to be in the united states of america that is where they want to be exciting progress is happening every single day to speed access to breakthrough cures and affordable generic drugs last year the fda approved more new and generic drugs and medical devices than ever before in our country history we also believe that patients with terminal conditions and terminal illness should have access to experimental treatment immediately that could potentially save their lives people who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure i want to give them a chance right here at home it is time for congress to give these wonderful incredible americans the right to try right one of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs in many other countries these drugs cost far less than what we pay in the united states and it is very very unfair that is why i have directed my administration to make fixing the injustice of high drug prices one of my top priorities for the year and prices will come down substantially watch america has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies our jobs and our wealth our nation has lost its wealth but we are getting it back so fast the era of economic surrender is totally over from now on we expect trading relationships to be fair and very importantly reciprocal we will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones and they will be good ones but they will be fair and we will protect american workers and american intellectual property through strong enforcement of our trade rules as we rebuild our industries it is also time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure america is a nation of builders we built the empire state building in just 1 year is not it a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just to get a minor permit approved for the building of a simple road i am asking both parties to come together to give us safe fast reliable and modern infrastructure that our economy needs and our people deserve tonight i am calling on congress to produce a bill that generates at least trillion for the new infrastructure investment that our country so desperately needs every federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and where appropriate tapping into private sector investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit and we can do it any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process getting it down to no more than 2 years and perhaps even 1 together we can reclaim our great building heritage we will build gleaming new roads bridges highways railways and waterways all across our land and we will do it with american heart and american hands and american grit we want every american to know the dignity of a hard day work we want every child to be safe in their home at night and we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we all love so much we can lift our citizens from welfare to work from dependence to independence and from poverty to prosperity as tax cuts create new jobs let us invest in workforce development and let us invest in job training which we need so badly let us open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential and let us support working families by supporting paid family leave as america regains its strength opportunity must be extended to all citizens that is why this year we will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates who have served their time get a second chance at life struggling communities especially immigrant communities will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of american workers and american families for decades open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities they have allowed millions of workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest americans most tragically they have caused the loss of many innocent lives here tonight are two fathers and two mothers evelyn rodriguez freddy cuevas elizabeth alvarado and robert mickens their two teenage cuevas and nisa close friends on long island but in september 2016 on the eve of nisa 16th a happy time it should have of them came home these two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown six members of the savage gang have been charged with kayla and nisa murders many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as illegal unaccompanied alien minors and wound up in kayla and nisa high school evelyn elizabeth freddy and robert tonight everyone in this chamber is praying for you everyone in america is grieving for you please stand thank you very much i want you to know that 320 million hearts are right now breaking for you we love you thank you while we can not imagine the depths of that kind of sorrow we can make sure that other families never have to endure this kind of pain tonight i am calling on congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed and other criminal gangs to break into our country we have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws and support our ice and border patrol are great people these are great great work so hard in the midst of such danger so that this can never happen again the united states is a compassionate nation we are proud that we do more than any other country anywhere in the world to help the needy the struggling and the underprivileged all over the world but as president of the united states my highest loyalty my greatest compassion my constant concern is for america children america struggling workers and america forgotten communities i want our youth to grow up to achieve great things i want our poor to have their chance to rise so tonight i am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties democrats and republicans to protect our citizens of every background color religion and creed my duty and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber is to defend americans to protect their safety their families their communities and their right to the american dream because americans are dreamers too here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our country homeland security investigations special agent celestino martinez he goes by and he said call me either one so we will call you served 15 years in the air force before becoming an ice agent and spending the last 15 years fighting gang violence and getting dangerous criminals off of our streets tough job at one point leaders ordered murder and they wanted it to happen quickly but he did not cave to threats or to fear last may he commanded an operation to track down gang members on long island his team has arrested nearly 400 including more than 220 gang members and i have to tell you what the border patrol and ice have done we have sent thousands and thousands and thousands of horrible people out of this country or into our prisons so i just want to congratulate you you are a brave guy thank you very much and i asked what is the secret he said we are just tougher than they are and i like that answer now let us get congress to send all of the people in this great chamber have to do it we have no choice we are going to send you reinforcements and we are going to send them to you quickly it is what you need over the next few weeks the house and senate will be voting on an immigration reform package in recent months my administration has met extensively with both democrats and republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration reform based on these discussions we presented congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise one where nobody gets everything they want but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs and must have here are the four pillars of our plan the first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to citizenship for million illegal immigrants who were brought here by their parents at a young age that covers almost three times more people than the previous administration covered under our plan those who meet education and work requirements and show good moral character will be able to become full citizens of the united states over a period the second pillar fully secures the border that means building a great wall on the southern border and it means hiring more heroes like to keep our communities safe crucially our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our country and it finally ends the horrible and dangerous practice of the third pillar ends the visa lottery a program that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill merit or the safety of american people it is time to begin moving toward a immigration system one that admits people who are skilled who want to work who will contribute to our society and who will love and respect our country the fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending chain migration under the current broken system a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives under our plan we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children this vital reform is necessary not just for our economy but for our security and for the future of america in recent weeks two terrorist attacks in new york were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration in the age of terrorism these programs present risks we can just no longer afford it is time to reform these outdated immigration rules and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century these four pillars represent a compromise and one that will create a safe modern and lawful immigration system for over 30 years washington has tried and failed to solve this problem this congress can be the one that finally makes it happen most importantly these four pillars will produce legislation that fulfills my ironclad pledge to sign a bill that puts america first so let us come together set politics aside and finally get the job done these reforms will also support our response to the terrible crisis of opioid and drug addiction never before has it been like it is now it is terrible we have to do something about it in 2016 we lost americans to drug overdoses 174 deaths per day 7 per hour we must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge my administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need for those who have been so terribly hurt the struggle will be long and it will be difficult but as americans always do in the end we will succeed we will prevail as we have seen tonight the most difficult challenges bring out the best in america we see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the holets family of new mexico ryan holets is 27 years old an officer with the albuquerque police department he is here tonight with his wife rebecca thank you ryan last year ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant homeless woman preparing to inject heroin when ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child she began to weep she told him she did not know where to turn but badly wanted a safe home for her baby in that moment ryan said he felt god speak to him you will do it because you can he heard those words he took out a picture of his wife and their four kids then he went home to tell his wife rebecca in an instant she agreed to adopt the holets named their new daughter hope ryan and rebecca you embody the goodness of our nation thank you thank you ryan and rebecca as we rebuild america strength and confidence at home we are also restoring our strength and standing abroad around the world we face rogue regimes terrorist groups and rivals like china and russia that challenge our interests our economy and our values in confronting these horrible dangers we know that weakness is the surest path to conflict and unmatched power is the surest means to our true and great defense for this reason i am asking congress to end the dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military as part of our defense we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal hopefully never having to use it but making it so strong and so powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression by any other nation or anyone else perhaps someday in the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons unfortunately we are not there yet sadly last year i also pledged that we would work with our allies to extinguish isis from the face of the earth one year later i am proud to report that the coalition to defeat isis has liberated very close to 100 percent of the territory just recently held by these killers in iraq and in syria and in other locations as well but there is much more work to be done we will continue our fight until isis is defeated army staff sergeant justin peck is here tonight near raqqa last november justin and his comrade chief petty officer kenton stacy were on a mission to clear buildings that isis had rigged with explosive so that civilians could return to that city hopefully soon and hopefully safely clearing the second floor of a vital hospital kenton stacy was severely wounded by an explosion immediately justin bounded into the and unbelievably dangerous and unsafe building and found kenton but in very very bad shape he applied pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an airway he then performed cpr for 20 straight minutes during the ground transport and maintained artificial respiration through 2½ hours and through emergency surgery kenton stacy would have died if it were not for justin selfless love for his fellow warrior tonight kenton is recovering in texas raqqa is liberated and justin is wearing his new bronze star with a v for valor staff sergeant peck all of america salutes you terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil when possible we have no choice but to annihilate them when necessary we must be able to detain and question them but we must be clear terrorists are not merely criminals they are unlawful enemy combatants and when captured overseas they should be treated like the terrorists they are in the past we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists only to meet them again on the battlefield including the isis leader who we captured who we had who we released so today i am keeping another promise i just signed prior to walking in an order directing secretary is doing a great job thank reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities in guantanamo bay i am asking congress to ensure that in the fight against isis and al qaida we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists wherever we chase them down wherever we find them and in many cases for them it will now be guantanamo bay at the same time as of a few months ago our warriors in afghanistan have new rules of engagement along with their heroic afghan partners our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines and we no longer tell our enemies our plans last month i also took an action endorsed unanimously by the senate just months before i recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel shortly afterwards dozens of countries voted in the united nations general assembly against america sovereign right to make this decision in 2016 american taxpayers generously sent those same countries more than 20 billion in aid that is why tonight i am asking congress to pass legislation to help ensure american dollars always serve american interests and only go to friends of america not enemies of america as we strengthen friendships all around the world we are also restoring clarity about our adversaries when the people of iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship i did not stay silent america stands with the people of iran in their courageous struggle for freedom i am asking congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible iran nuclear deal my administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the communist and socialist dictatorships in cuba and venezuela but no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in north korea north korea reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland we are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation i will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position we need only look at the depraved character of the north korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to america and to our allies otto warmbier was a student at the university of virginia and a great student he was on his way to study abroad in asia otto joined a tour to north korea at its conclusion this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state after a shameful trial the dictatorship sentenced otto to 15 years of hard labor before returning him to america last june horribly injured and on the verge of death he passed away just days after his return otto wonderful parents fred and cindy warmbier are here with us tonight along with otto brother and sister austin and greta please incredible people you are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world and your strength truly inspires us all thank you very much thank you tonight we pledge to honor otto memory with total american resolve thank you you we are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of this regime his name is ji in 1996 was a starving boy in north korea one day he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food which were very hard to get in the process he passed out on the train tracks exhausted from hunger he woke up as a train ran over his limbs he then endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain or the hurt his brother and sister gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt themselves permanently stunting their own growth later he was tortured by north korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to china his tormentors wanted to know if he would met any christians he had and he resolved after that to be free traveled thousands of miles on crutches all across china and southeast asia to freedom most of his family followed his father was caught trying to escape and was tortured to death today he lives in seoul where he rescues other defectors and broadcasts into north korea what the regime fears most the truth today he has a new leg but i understand you still keep those old crutches as a reminder of how far you have come your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all please thank you story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom it was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave birth to a special place called america it was a small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness it was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea that they could rule themselves that they could chart their own destiny and that together they could light up the entire world that is what our country has always been about that is what americans have always stood for always strived for and always done atop the dome of this capitol stands the statue of freedom she stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her monuments to washington and jefferson and lincoln and king memorials to the heroes of yorktown and saratoga to young americans who she would their blood on the shores of normandy and the fields beyond and others who went down in the waters of the pacific and the skies all over asia and freedom stands tall over one more monument this one this living is the monument to the american people we are a people whose heroes live not only in the past but all around us defending hope pride and defending the american way they work in every trade they sacrifice to raise a family they care for our children at home they defend our flag abroad and they are strong moms and brave kids they are firefighters and police officers and border agents medics and marines but above all else they are americans and this capitol this city this nation belongs entirely to them our task is to respect them to listen to them to serve them to protect them and to always be worthy of them americans fill the world with art and music they push the bounds of science and discovery and they forever remind us of what we should never ever forget the people dreamed this country the people built this country and it is the people who are making america great again as long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for there is nothing we can not achieve as long as we have confidence in our values faith in our citizens and trust in our god we will never fail our families will thrive our people will prosper and our nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free thank you and god bless america goodnight
speaker vice president members congress first lady united states fellow americans less 1 year passed since first stood podium majestic chamber speak behalf american people address concerns hopes dreams night new administration already taken swift action new tide optimism already sweeping across land day since gone forward clear vision righteous mission make america great americans last year made incredible progress achieved extraordinary success faced challenges expected others could never imagined shared heights victory pains hardship endured floods fires storms seen beauty america soul steel america spine test forged new american heroes remind us show us saw volunteers cajun navy racing rescue fishing boats save people aftermath totally devastating hurricane saw strangers shielding strangers hail gunfire las vegas strip heard tales americans like coast guard petty officer ashlee leppert tonight gallery melania ashlee aboard one first helicopters scene houston hurricane harvey 18 hours wind rain ashlee braved live power lines deep water help save 40 lives ashlee thank thank much heard americans like firefighter david dahlberg us also david faced walls flame rescue almost 60 children trapped california summer camp threatened devastating wildfires everyone still recovering texas florida louisiana puerto rico virgin love always pull together always thank david brave people california thank much david great job trials past year touched chamber personally us tonight one toughest people ever serve house guy took bullet almost died back work 3½ months later legend steve scalise think like steve incredibly grateful heroic efforts capitol police officers alexandria police doctors nurses paramedics saved life lives many others room yes aftermath terrible shooting came together republicans democrats representatives people enough come together times tragedy tonight call upon us set aside differences seek common ground summon unity need deliver people really key people elected serve thank last year world seen always knew people earth fearless daring determined americans mountain climb frontier cross challenge tame opportunity seize let us begin tonight recognizing state union strong people strong together building safe strong proud america since election created million new jobs including new jobs manufacturing alone tremendous numbers years years wage stagnation finally seeing rising wages unemployment claims hit low something proud african american unemployment stands lowest rate ever recorded hispanic american unemployment also reached lowest levels history confidence alltime high stock market smashed one record another gaining 8 trillion value short period time great news americans 401 k retirement pension college savings accounts gone roof promised american people podium 11 months ago enacted biggest tax cuts reforms american history massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief middle class small business lower tax rates americans nearly doubled standard deduction everyone first earned married couple completely tax free also doubled child tax credit typical family four making see tax bill reduced slashing tax bill half april last time ever file old broken system millions americans pay starting next lot eliminated especially cruel tax fell mostly americans making less year forcing pay tremendous penalties simply could afford health plans repealed core disastrous obamacare individual mandate gone thank heavens great job slashed business tax rate 35 percent way 21 percent american companies compete win anyone else anywhere world changes alone estimated increase average family income lot money small businesses also received massive tax cut deduct 20 percent business income tonight steve staub sandy keplinger staub manufacturing small beautiful business ohio finished best year history tax reform handing raises hiring additional 14 people expanding building next door good feeling one staub employees corey adams also us tonight corey worker supported high school lost job 2008 recession later hired staub trained become welder like many americans corey plans invest tax cut raise new home two daughters education corey please stand great welder told man owns company well congratulations corey since passed tax cuts roughly 3 million workers already gotten tax cut bonuses many thousands thousands dollars per worker getting every month every week apple announced plans invest total 350 billion america hire another workers little ago exxonmobil announced 50 billion investment united little ago fact new american moment never better time start living american dream every citizen watching home tonight matter come time work hard believe believe america dream anything anything together achieve absolutely anything tonight want talk kind future going kind nation going us together one team one people one american family anything share home heart destiny great american flag together rediscovering american way america know faith family government bureaucracy center american life motto god trust celebrate police military amazing veterans heroes deserve total unwavering support tonight preston sharp boy redding california noticed veterans graves marked flags veterans day decided change started movement placed flags graves great heroes preston job well done young patriots like preston teach us civic duty americans met preston little ago something special tell great future thank much done preston thank much preston reverence served nation reminds us salute flag put hands hearts pledge allegiance proudly stand national anthem americans love country deserve government shows love loyalty return last year sought restore bonds trust citizens government working senate appointing judges interpret constitution written including great new supreme court justice circuit court judges new administration history country totally defending second amendment taken historic actions protect religious liberty serving brave veterans including giving veterans choice health care decisions last year congress also passed signed landmark va accountability act since passage administration already removed va employees failed give veterans care deserve hiring talented people love vets much stop veterans properly taken care promise beginning great journey americans deserve accountability respect giving wonderful heroes veterans thank tonight call congress empower every cabinet secretary authority reward good workers remove federal employees undermine public trust fail american people drive make washington accountable eliminated regulations first year administration history country ended war american energy ended war beautiful clean coal proudly exporter energy world detroit halted government mandates crippled america great beautiful autoworkers get motor city revving engines happening many car companies building expanding plants united states something seen decades chrysler moving major plant mexico michigan toyota mazda opening plant alabama big one seen long time coming back soon auto plants plants opening country news americans totally unaccustomed hearing many years companies jobs leaving us roaring back coming back want action want united states america want exciting progress happening every single day speed access breakthrough cures affordable generic drugs last year fda approved new generic drugs medical devices ever country history also believe patients terminal conditions terminal illness access experimental treatment immediately could potentially save lives people terminally ill go country country seek cure want give chance right home time congress give wonderful incredible americans right try right one greatest priorities reduce price prescription drugs many countries drugs cost far less pay united states unfair directed administration make fixing injustice high drug prices one top priorities year prices come substantially watch america also finally turned page decades unfair trade deals sacrificed prosperity shipped away companies jobs wealth nation lost wealth getting back fast era economic surrender totally expect trading relationships fair importantly reciprocal work fix bad trade deals negotiate new ones good ones fair protect american workers american intellectual property strong enforcement trade rules rebuild industries also time rebuild crumbling infrastructure america nation builders built empire state building 1 year disgrace take 10 years get minor permit approved building simple road asking parties come together give us safe fast reliable modern infrastructure economy needs people deserve tonight calling congress produce bill generates least trillion new infrastructure investment country desperately needs every federal dollar leveraged partnering state local governments appropriate tapping private sector investment permanently fix infrastructure deficit bill must also streamline permitting approval process getting 2 years perhaps even 1 together reclaim great building heritage build gleaming new roads bridges highways railways waterways across land american heart american hands american grit want every american know dignity hard day work want every child safe home night want every citizen proud land love much lift citizens welfare work dependence independence poverty prosperity tax cuts create new jobs let us invest workforce development let us invest job training need badly let us open great vocational schools future workers learn craft realize full potential let us support working families supporting paid family leave america regains strength opportunity must extended citizens year embark reforming prisons help former inmates served time get second chance life struggling communities especially immigrant communities also helped immigration policies focus best interests american workers american families decades open borders allowed drugs gangs pour vulnerable communities allowed millions workers compete jobs wages poorest americans tragically caused loss many innocent lives tonight two fathers two mothers evelyn rodriguez freddy cuevas elizabeth alvarado robert mickens two teenage cuevas nisa close friends long island september 2016 eve nisa 16th happy time came home two precious girls brutally murdered walking together hometown six members savage gang charged kayla nisa murders many gang members took advantage glaring loopholes laws enter country illegal unaccompanied alien minors wound kayla nisa high school evelyn elizabeth freddy robert tonight everyone chamber praying everyone america grieving please stand thank much want know 320 million hearts right breaking love thank imagine depths kind sorrow make sure families never endure kind pain tonight calling congress finally close deadly loopholes allowed criminal gangs break country proposed new legislation fix immigration laws support ice border patrol great people great great work hard midst danger never happen united states compassionate nation proud country anywhere world help needy struggling underprivileged world president united states highest loyalty greatest compassion constant concern america children america struggling workers america forgotten communities want youth grow achieve great things want poor chance rise tonight extending open hand work members parties democrats republicans protect citizens every background color religion creed duty sacred duty every elected official chamber defend americans protect safety families communities right american dream americans dreamers tonight one leader effort defend country homeland security investigations special agent celestino martinez goes said call either one call served 15 years air force becoming ice agent spending last 15 years fighting gang violence getting dangerous criminals streets tough job one point leaders ordered murder wanted happen quickly cave threats fear last may commanded operation track gang members long island team arrested nearly 400 including 220 gang members tell border patrol ice done sent thousands thousands thousands horrible people country prisons want congratulate brave guy thank much asked secret said tougher like answer let us get congress send people great chamber choice going send reinforcements going send quickly need next weeks house senate voting immigration reform package recent months administration met extensively democrats republicans craft bipartisan approach immigration reform based discussions presented congress detailed proposal supported parties fair compromise one nobody gets everything want country gets critical reforms needs must four pillars plan first pillar framework generously offers path citizenship million illegal immigrants brought parents young age covers almost three times people previous administration covered plan meet education work requirements show good moral character able become full citizens united states period second pillar fully secures border means building great wall southern border means hiring heroes like keep communities safe crucially plan closes terrible loopholes exploited criminals terrorists enter country finally ends horrible dangerous practice third pillar ends visa lottery program randomly hands green cards without regard skill merit safety american people time begin moving toward immigration system one admits people skilled want work contribute society love respect country fourth final pillar protects nuclear family ending chain migration current broken system single immigrant bring virtually unlimited numbers distant relatives plan focus immediate family limiting sponsorships spouses minor children vital reform necessary economy security future america recent weeks two terrorist attacks new york made possible visa lottery chain migration age terrorism programs present risks longer afford time reform outdated immigration rules finally bring immigration system 21st century four pillars represent compromise one create safe modern lawful immigration system 30 years washington tried failed solve problem congress one finally makes happen importantly four pillars produce legislation fulfills ironclad pledge sign bill puts america first let us come together set politics aside finally get job done reforms also support response terrible crisis opioid drug addiction never like terrible something 2016 lost americans drug overdoses 174 deaths per day 7 per hour must get much tougher drug dealers pushers going succeed stopping scourge administration committed fighting drug epidemic helping get treatment need terribly hurt struggle long difficult americans always end succeed prevail seen tonight difficult challenges bring best america see vivid expression truth story holets family new mexico ryan holets 27 years old officer albuquerque police department tonight wife rebecca thank ryan last year ryan duty saw pregnant homeless woman preparing inject heroin ryan told going harm unborn child began weep told know turn badly wanted safe home baby moment ryan said felt god speak heard words took picture wife four kids went home tell wife rebecca instant agreed adopt holets named new daughter hope ryan rebecca embody goodness nation thank thank ryan rebecca rebuild america strength confidence home also restoring strength standing abroad around world face rogue regimes terrorist groups rivals like china russia challenge interests economy values confronting horrible dangers know weakness surest path conflict unmatched power surest means true great defense reason asking congress end dangerous defense sequester fully fund great military part defense must modernize rebuild nuclear arsenal hopefully never use making strong powerful deter acts aggression nation anyone else perhaps someday future magical moment countries world get together eliminate nuclear weapons unfortunately yet sadly last year also pledged would work allies extinguish isis face earth one year later proud report coalition defeat isis liberated close 100 percent territory recently held killers iraq syria locations well much work done continue fight isis defeated army staff sergeant justin peck tonight near raqqa last november justin comrade chief petty officer kenton stacy mission clear buildings isis rigged explosive civilians could return city hopefully soon hopefully safely clearing second floor vital hospital kenton stacy severely wounded explosion immediately justin bounded unbelievably dangerous unsafe building found kenton bad shape applied pressure wound inserted tube reopen airway performed cpr 20 straight minutes ground transport maintained artificial respiration 2½ hours emergency surgery kenton stacy would died justin selfless love fellow warrior tonight kenton recovering texas raqqa liberated justin wearing new bronze star v valor staff sergeant peck america salutes terrorists things like place bombs civilian hospitals evil possible choice annihilate necessary must able detain question must clear terrorists merely criminals unlawful enemy combatants captured overseas treated like terrorists past foolishly released hundreds hundreds dangerous terrorists meet battlefield including isis leader captured released today keeping another promise signed prior walking order directing secretary great job thank reexamine military detention policy keep open detention facilities guantanamo bay asking congress ensure fight isis al qaida continue necessary power detain terrorists wherever chase wherever find many cases guantanamo bay time months ago warriors afghanistan new rules engagement along heroic afghan partners military longer undermined artificial timelines longer tell enemies plans last month also took action endorsed unanimously senate months recognized jerusalem capital israel shortly afterwards dozens countries voted united nations general assembly america sovereign right make decision 2016 american taxpayers generously sent countries 20 billion aid tonight asking congress pass legislation help ensure american dollars always serve american interests go friends america enemies america strengthen friendships around world also restoring clarity adversaries people iran rose crimes corrupt dictatorship stay silent america stands people iran courageous struggle freedom asking congress address fundamental flaws terrible iran nuclear deal administration also imposed tough sanctions communist socialist dictatorships cuba venezuela regime oppressed citizens totally brutally cruel dictatorship north korea north korea reckless pursuit nuclear missiles could soon threaten homeland waging campaign maximum pressure prevent ever happening past experience taught us complacency concessions invite aggression provocation repeat mistakes past administrations got us dangerous position need look depraved character north korean regime understand nature nuclear threat could pose america allies otto warmbier student university virginia great student way study abroad asia otto joined tour north korea conclusion wonderful young man arrested charged crimes state shameful trial dictatorship sentenced otto 15 years hard labor returning america last june horribly injured verge death passed away days return otto wonderful parents fred cindy warmbier us tonight along otto brother sister austin greta please incredible people powerful witnesses menace threatens world strength truly inspires us thank much thank tonight pledge honor otto memory total american resolve thank joined one witness ominous nature regime name ji 1996 starving boy north korea one day tried steal coal railroad car barter scraps food hard get process passed train tracks exhausted hunger woke train ran limbs endured multiple amputations without anything dull pain hurt brother sister gave little food help recover ate dirt permanently stunting growth later tortured north korean authorities returning brief visit china tormentors wanted know would met christians resolved free traveled thousands miles crutches across china southeast asia freedom family followed father caught trying escape tortured death today lives seoul rescues defectors broadcasts north korea regime fears truth today new leg understand still keep old crutches reminder far come great sacrifice inspiration us please thank story testament yearning every human soul live freedom yearning freedom nearly 250 years ago gave birth special place called america small cluster colonies caught great ocean vast wilderness home incredible people revolutionary idea could rule could chart destiny together could light entire world country always americans always stood always strived always done atop dome capitol stands statue freedom stands tall dignified among monuments ancestors fought lived died protect monuments washington jefferson lincoln king memorials heroes yorktown saratoga young americans would blood shores normandy fields beyond others went waters pacific skies asia freedom stands tall one monument one living monument american people people whose heroes live past around us defending hope pride defending american way work every trade sacrifice raise family care children home defend flag abroad strong moms brave kids firefighters police officers border agents medics marines else americans capitol city nation belongs entirely task respect listen serve protect always worthy americans fill world art music push bounds science discovery forever remind us never ever forget people dreamed country people built country people making america great long proud fighting nothing achieve long confidence values faith citizens trust god never fail families thrive people prosper nation forever safe strong proud mighty free thank god bless america goodnight
speaker vice president member congress first lady united state fellow american less 1 year pass since first stand podium majestic chamber speak behalf american people address concern hop dream night new administration already take swift action new tide optimism already sweeping across land day since go forward clear vision righteous mission make america great american last year make incredible progress achieve extraordinary success face challenge expect others could never imagine share height victory pain hardship endure flood fire storm see beauty america soul steel america spine test forge new american hero remind u show u saw volunteer cajun navy racing rescue fishing boat save people aftermath totally devastate hurricane saw stranger shield stranger hail gunfire la vega strip heard tale american like coast guard petty officer ashlee leppert tonight gallery melania ashlee aboard one first helicopter scene houston hurricane harvey 18 hour wind rain ashlee brave live power line deep water help save 40 life ashlee thank thank much heard americans like firefighter david dahlberg u also david face wall flame rescue almost 60 child trap california summer camp threaten devastating wildfire everyone still recover texas florida louisiana puerto rico virgin love always pull together always thank david brave people california thank much david great job trial past year touch chamber personally u tonight one toughest people ever serve house guy take bullet almost die back work 3½ month later legend steve scalise think like steve incredibly grateful heroic effort capitol police officer alexandria police doctor nurse paramedic save life life many others room yes aftermath terrible shooting come together republican democrat representative people enough come together time tragedy tonight call upon u set aside difference seek common ground summon unity need deliver people really key people elect serve thank last year world see always knew people earth fearless daring determine american mountain climb frontier cross challenge tame opportunity seize let u begin tonight recognize state union strong people strong together build safe strong proud america since election create million new job include new job manufacture alone tremendous number year year wage stagnation finally see rise wage unemployment claim hit low something proud african american unemployment stand low rate ever record hispanic american unemployment also reach low level history confidence alltime high stock market smash one record another gain 8 trillion value short period time great news americans 401 k retirement pension college saving account go roof promised american people podium 11 month ago enact big tax cut reform american history massive tax cut provide tremendous relief middle class small business lower tax rate americans nearly double standard deduction everyone first earn married couple completely tax free also double child tax credit typical family four make see tax bill reduce slash tax bill half april last time ever file old broken system million americans pay start next lot eliminate especially cruel tax fell mostly americans make less year force pay tremendous penalty simply could afford health plan repeal core disastrous obamacare individual mandate go thank heaven great job slash business tax rate 35 percent way 21 percent american company compete win anyone else anywhere world change alone estimate increase average family income lot money small business also receive massive tax cut deduct 20 percent business income tonight steve staub sandy keplinger staub manufacture small beautiful business ohio finish best year history tax reform handing raise hire additional 14 people expand build next door good feel one staub employee corey adam also u tonight corey worker support high school lose job 2008 recession later hire staub train become welder like many american corey plan invest tax cut raise new home two daughter education corey please stand great welder tell man own company well congratulation corey since pass tax cut roughly 3 million worker already get tax cut bonuses many thousand thousand dollar per worker get every month every week apple announce plan invest total 350 billion america hire another worker little ago exxonmobil announce 50 billion investment unite little ago fact new american moment never good time start live american dream every citizen watch home tonight matter come time work hard believe believe america dream anything anything together achieve absolutely anything tonight want talk kind future go kind nation go u together one team one people one american family anything share home heart destiny great american flag together rediscover american way america know faith family government bureaucracy center american life motto god trust celebrate police military amazing veteran hero deserve total unwavering support tonight preston sharp boy redding california notice veteran graf mark flag veteran day decide change start movement place flags graf great hero preston job well do young patriot like preston teach u civic duty american meet preston little ago something special tell great future thank much do preston thank much preston reverence serve nation remind u salute flag put hand heart pledge allegiance proudly stand national anthem american love country deserve government show love loyalty return last year seek restore bond trust citizens government work senate appointing judge interpret constitution write include great new supreme court justice circuit court judge new administration history country totally defend second amendment take historic action protect religious liberty serve brave veteran include give veteran choice health care decision last year congress also pass sign landmark va accountability act since passage administration already remove va employee fail give veteran care deserve hire talented people love vet much stop veteran properly take care promise begin great journey american deserve accountability respect give wonderful hero veteran thank tonight call congress empower every cabinet secretary authority reward good worker remove federal employee undermine public trust fail american people drive make washington accountable eliminate regulation first year administration history country end war american energy end war beautiful clean coal proudly exporter energy world detroit halt government mandate cripple america great beautiful autoworkers get motor city rev engine happen many car company build expand plant united state something see decade chrysler move major plant mexico michigan toyota mazda open plant alabama big one see long time come back soon auto plant plant open country news american totally unaccustomed hear many year company job leave u roar back come back want action want united state america want excite progress happen every single day speed access breakthrough cure affordable generic drug last year fda approve new generic drug medical device ever country history also believe patient terminal condition terminal illness access experimental treatment immediately could potentially save life people terminally ill go country country seek cure want give chance right home time congress give wonderful incredible american right try right one great priority reduce price prescription drug many country drug cost far less pay united state unfair directed administration make fix injustice high drug price one top priority year price come substantially watch america also finally turn page decade unfair trade deal sacrifice prosperity ship away company job wealth nation lose wealth get back fast era economic surrender totally expect trading relationship fair importantly reciprocal work fix bad trade deal negotiate new one good one fair protect american worker american intellectual property strong enforcement trade rule rebuild industry also time rebuild crumble infrastructure america nation builder build empire state building 1 year disgrace take 10 year get minor permit approve building simple road ask party come together give u safe fast reliable modern infrastructure economy need people deserve tonight call congress produce bill generates least trillion new infrastructure investment country desperately need every federal dollar leverage partner state local government appropriate tap private sector investment permanently fix infrastructure deficit bill must also streamline permit approval process get 2 year perhaps even 1 together reclaim great building heritage build gleam new road bridge highways railway waterway across land american heart american hand american grit want every american know dignity hard day work want every child safe home night want every citizen proud land love much lift citizen welfare work dependence independence poverty prosperity tax cut create new job let u invest workforce development let u invest job train need badly let u open great vocational school future worker learn craft realize full potential let u support work family support pay family leave america regains strength opportunity must extend citizen year embark reform prison help former inmate serve time get second chance life struggle community especially immigrant community also help immigration policy focus best interest american worker american family decade open border allow drug gang pour vulnerable community allow million worker compete job wage poorest american tragically cause loss many innocent life tonight two father two mother evelyn rodriguez freddy cuevas elizabeth alvarado robert mickens two teenage cuevas nisa close friend long island september 2016 eve nisa 16th happy time come home two precious girl brutally murder walk together hometown six member savage gang charge kayla nisa murder many gang member take advantage glaring loophole law enter country illegal unaccompanied alien minor wind kayla nisa high school evelyn elizabeth freddy robert tonight everyone chamber pray everyone america grieve please stand thank much want know 320 million heart right break love thank imagine depth kind sorrow make sure family never endure kind pain tonight call congress finally close deadly loophole allow criminal gang break country propose new legislation fix immigration law support ice border patrol great people great great work hard midst danger never happen united state compassionate nation proud country anywhere world help needy struggle underprivileged world president united state high loyalty great compassion constant concern america child america struggle worker america forget community want youth grow achieve great thing want poor chance rise tonight extend open hand work member party democrat republicans protect citizen every background color religion creed duty sacred duty every elect official chamber defend american protect safety family community right american dream americans dreamer tonight one leader effort defend country homeland security investigation special agent celestino martinez go say call either one call serve 15 year air force become ice agent spending last 15 year fight gang violence get dangerous criminal street tough job one point leader order murder want happen quickly cave threat fear last may command operation track gang member long island team arrest nearly 400 include 220 gang member tell border patrol ice do send thousand thousand thousand horrible people country prison want congratulate brave guy thank much ask secret say tough like answer let u get congress send people great chamber choice go send reinforcement go send quickly need next week house senate vote immigration reform package recent month administration meet extensively democrat republicans craft bipartisan approach immigration reform base discussion present congress detail proposal support party fair compromise one nobody get everything want country get critical reform need must four pillar plan first pillar framework generously offer path citizenship million illegal immigrant bring parent young age cover almost three time people previous administration cover plan meet education work requirement show good moral character able become full citizen united state period second pillar fully secure border mean build great wall southern border mean hire hero like keep community safe crucially plan close terrible loophole exploit criminal terrorist enter country finally end horrible dangerous practice third pillar end visa lottery program randomly hand green card without regard skill merit safety american people time begin move toward immigration system one admit people skilled want work contribute society love respect country fourth final pillar protects nuclear family end chain migration current broken system single immigrant bring virtually unlimited number distant relatives plan focus immediate family limit sponsorship spouse minor child vital reform necessary economy security future america recent week two terrorist attack new york make possible visa lottery chain migration age terrorism program present risk longer afford time reform outdated immigration rule finally bring immigration system 21st century four pillar represent compromise one create safe modern lawful immigration system 30 year washington try failed solve problem congress one finally make happen importantly four pillar produce legislation fulfills ironclad pledge sign bill put america first let u come together set politics aside finally get job do reform also support response terrible crisis opioid drug addiction never like terrible something 2016 lost american drug overdose 174 death per day 7 per hour must get much tough drug dealer pusher go succeed stop scourge administration commit fight drug epidemic help get treatment need terribly hurt struggle long difficult american always end succeed prevail see tonight difficult challenge bring best america see vivid expression truth story holets family new mexico ryan holets 27 year old officer albuquerque police department tonight wife rebecca thank ryan last year ryan duty saw pregnant homeless woman prepare inject heroin ryan tell go harm unborn child begin weep told know turn badly want safe home baby moment ryan say felt god speak heard word take picture wife four kid go home tell wife rebecca instant agree adopt holets name new daughter hope ryan rebecca embody goodness nation thank thank ryan rebecca rebuild america strength confidence home also restore strength stand abroad around world face rogue regime terrorist group rival like china russia challenge interest economy value confront horrible danger know weakness sure path conflict unmatched power sure mean true great defense reason ask congress end dangerous defense sequester fully fund great military part defense must modernize rebuild nuclear arsenal hopefully never use make strong powerful deter act aggression nation anyone else perhaps someday future magical moment country world get together eliminate nuclear weapon unfortunately yet sadly last year also pledge would work ally extinguish isi face earth one year later proud report coalition defeat isi liberate close 100 percent territory recently hold killer iraq syria location well much work do continue fight isi defeat army staff sergeant justin peck tonight near raqqa last november justin comrade chief petty officer kenton stacy mission clear building isi rig explosive civilian could return city hopefully soon hopefully safely clear second floor vital hospital kenton stacy severely wound explosion immediately justin bound unbelievably dangerous unsafe building find kenton bad shape apply pressure wound insert tube reopen airway perform cpr 20 straight minute ground transport maintain artificial respiration 2½ hour emergency surgery kenton stacy would die justin selfless love fellow warrior tonight kenton recover texas raqqa liberate justin wear new bronze star v valor staff sergeant peck america salute terrorist thing like place bomb civilian hospital evil possible choice annihilate necessary must able detain question must clear terrorist merely criminal unlawful enemy combatant capture overseas treat like terrorist past foolishly release hundred hundred dangerous terrorist meet battlefield include isi leader capture release today keep another promise sign prior walk order direct secretary great job thank reexamine military detention policy keep open detention facility guantanamo bay ask congress ensure fight isi al qaida continue necessary power detain terrorist wherever chase wherever find many case guantanamo bay time month ago warrior afghanistan new rule engagement along heroic afghan partner military longer undermined artificial timeline longer tell enemy plan last month also take action endorse unanimously senate month recognize jerusalem capital israel shortly afterwards dozen country vote united nation general assembly america sovereign right make decision 2016 american taxpayer generously send country 20 billion aid tonight ask congress pas legislation help ensure american dollar always serve american interest go friend america enemy america strengthen friendship around world also restore clarity adversary people iran rise crime corrupt dictatorship stay silent america stand people iran courageous struggle freedom ask congress address fundamental flaw terrible iran nuclear deal administration also impose tough sanction communist socialist dictatorship cuba venezuela regime oppress citizen totally brutally cruel dictatorship north korea north korea reckless pursuit nuclear missile could soon threaten homeland wag campaign maximum pressure prevent ever happen past experience teach u complacency concession invite aggression provocation repeat mistake past administration get u dangerous position need look depraved character north korean regime understand nature nuclear threat could pose america ally otto warmbier student university virginia great student way study abroad asia otto join tour north korea conclusion wonderful young man arrest charge crime state shameful trial dictatorship sentence otto 15 year hard labor return america last june horribly injure verge death pass away day return otto wonderful parent fred cindy warmbier u tonight along otto brother sister austin greta please incredible people powerful witness menace threatens world strength truly inspire u thank much thank tonight pledge honor otto memory total american resolve thank join one witness ominous nature regime name ji 1996 starve boy north korea one day try steal coal railroad car barter scrap food hard get process pass train track exhaust hunger woke train run limbs endure multiple amputation without anything dull pain hurt brother sister give little food help recover ate dirt permanently stunt growth later torture north korean authority return brief visit china tormentor want know would meet christian resolve free travel thousand mile crutch across china southeast asia freedom family follow father catch try escape torture death today live seoul rescue defector broadcast north korea regime fear truth today new leg understand still keep old crutch reminder far come great sacrifice inspiration u please thank story testament yearn every human soul live freedom yearn freedom nearly 250 year ago give birth special place call america small cluster colony catch great ocean vast wilderness home incredible people revolutionary idea could rule could chart destiny together could light entire world country always americans always stand always strive always do atop dome capitol stand statue freedom stand tall dignify among monument ancestor fight live died protect monument washington jefferson lincoln king memorial hero yorktown saratoga young american would blood shore normandy field beyond others go water pacific sky asia freedom stand tall one monument one living monument american people people whose hero live past around u defend hope pride defend american way work every trade sacrifice raise family care child home defend flag abroad strong mom brave kid firefighter police officer border agent medic marine else americans capitol city nation belong entirely task respect listen serve protect always worthy american fill world art music push bound science discovery forever remind u never ever forget people dreamed country people build country people make america great long proud fight nothing achieve long confidence value faith citizen trust god never fail family thrive people prosper nation forever safe strong proud mighty free thank god bless america goodnight