country. In fact, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will
perfectly solve all the challenges I've outlined tonight. But we were
never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what
difference we can, to secure this Nation, expand opportunity, uphold
our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely
necessary work of self-government.
We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way
they look out for one another, every single day, usually without
fanfare, all across this country. We should follow their example.
We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu
Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, she
wasn't thinking about how her own home was faring. Her mind was on the
20 precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that
kept them all safe.
We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named Desiline
Victor. When Desiline arrived at her polling place, she was told the
wait to vote might be 6 hours. And as time ticked by, her concern was
not with her tired body or aching feet, but whether folks like her
would get to have their say. And hour after hour, a throng of people
stayed in line to support her, because Desiline is 102 years old. And
they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read, "I
voted." [Applause] There's Desiline.
We should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy.
When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and Brian was
the first to arrive--and he did not consider his own safety. He fought
back until help arrived and ordered his fellow officers to protect the
safety of the Americans worshiping inside, even as he lay bleeding from
12 bullet wounds. And when asked how he did that, Brian said, "That's
just the way we're made."
That's just the way we're made. We may do different jobs and wear
different uniforms and hold different views than the person beside us.
But as Americans, we all share the same proud title: We are citizens.
It's a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legal status.
It describes the way we're made. It describes what we believe. It
captures the enduring idea that this country only works when we accept
certain obligations to one another and to future generations; that our
rights are wrapped up in the rights of others; and that well into our
third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens
of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter of
our American story.
Thank you. God bless you, and God bless these United States of America.
***
Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union
Barack Obama
January 28, 2014
The President. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my
fellow Americans: Today in America, a teacher spent extra time with a
student who needed it and did her part to lift America's graduation
rate to its highest levels in more than three decades. An entrepreneur
flipped on the lights in her tech startup and did her part to add to
the more than 8 million new jobs our businesses have created over the
past 4 years. An autoworker fine-tuned some of the best, most fuel-
efficient cars in the world and did his part to help America wean
itself off foreign oil.
A farmer prepared for the spring after the strongest 5-year stretch of
farm exports in our history. A rural doctor gave a young child the
first prescription to treat asthma that his mother could afford. A man
took the bus home from the graveyard shift, bone-tired, but dreaming
big dreams for his son. And in tight-knit communities all across
America, fathers and mothers will tuck in their kids, put an arm around
their spouse, remember fallen comrades, and give thanks for being home
from a war that after 12 long years is finally coming to an end.
Tonight this Chamber speaks with one voice to the people we represent:
It is you, our citizens, who make the state of our Union strong.
And here are the results of your efforts: the lowest unemployment rate
in over 5 years; a rebounding housing market; a manufacturing sector
that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s; more oil
produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world, the first time
that's happened in nearly 20 years; our deficits cut by more than half.
And for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the
world have declared that China is no longer the world's number-one
place to invest, America is.
That's why I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America. After
5 years of grit and determined effort, the United States is better
positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth.
The question for everyone in this Chamber, running through every
decision we make this year, is whether we are going to help or hinder
this progress. For several years now, this town has been consumed by a
rancorous argument over the proper size of the Federal Government. It's
an important debate, one that dates back to our very founding. But when
that debate prevents us from carrying out even the most basic functions
of our democracy--when our differences shut down Government or threaten
the full faith and credit of the United States--then we are not doing
right by the American people.
Now, as President, I'm committed to making Washington work better and
rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here. And I believe most
of you are too. Last month, thanks to the work of Democrats and
Republicans, Congress finally produced a budget that undoes some of
last year's severe cuts to priorities like education. Nobody got
everything they wanted, and we can still do more to invest in this
country's future while bringing down our deficit in a balanced way, but
the budget compromise should leave us freer to focus on creating new
jobs, not creating new crises.
And in the coming months, let's see where else we can make progress
together. Let's make this a year of action. That's what most Americans
want: for all of us in this Chamber to focus on their lives, their
hopes, their aspirations. And what I believe unites the people of this
Nation--regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or
poor--is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all: the notion
that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead in
America.
Now, let's face it, that belief has suffered some serious blows. Over
more than three decades, even before the great recession hit, massive
shifts in technology and global competition had eliminated a lot of
good, middle class jobs and weakened the economic foundations that
families depend on.
Today, after 4 years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock
prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done
better. But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened.
Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is that even in the
midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just
to get by, let alone to get ahead. And too many still aren't working at
all.
So our job is to reverse these trends. It won't happen right away, and
we won't agree on everything. But what I offer tonight is a set of
concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle
class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some
require congressional action, and I am eager to work with all of you.
But America does not stand still, and neither will I. So wherever and
whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for
more American families, that's what I'm going to do.
As usual, our First Lady sets a good example. [Applause] Well--
[applause]. Michelle's "Let's Move!" partnership with schools,
businesses, local leaders has helped bring down childhood obesity rates
for the first time in 30 years. And that's an achievement that will
improve lives and reduce health care costs for decades to come. The
Joining Forces alliance that Michelle and Jill Biden launched has
already encouraged employers to hire or train nearly 400,000 veterans
and military spouses.
Taking a page from that playbook, the White House just organized a
College Opportunity Summit, where already, 150 universities, businesses,
nonprofits have made concrete commitments to reduce inequality in
access to higher education and to help every hard-working kid go to
college and succeed when they get to campus. And across the country,
we're partnering with mayors, Governors, and State legislatures on
issues from homelessness to marriage equality.
The point is, there are millions of Americans outside of Washington who
are tired of stale political arguments and are moving this country
forward. They believe--and I believe--that here in America, our success
should depend not on accident of birth, but the strength of our work
ethic and the scope of our dreams. That's what drew our forebears here.
That's how the daughter of a factory worker is CEO of America's largest
automaker; how the son of a barkeep is Speaker of the House; how the
son of a single mom can be President of the greatest nation on Earth.
Opportunity is who we are. And the defining project of our generation
must be to restore that promise. We know where to start: The best
measure of opportunity is access to a good job. With the economy
picking up speed, companies say they intend to hire more people this
year. And over half of big manufacturers say they're thinking of
insourcing jobs from abroad.
So let's make that decision easier for more companies. Both Democrats
and Republicans have argued that our Tax Code is riddled with wasteful,
complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here and reward
companies that keep profits abroad. Let's flip that equation. Let's
work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship
jobs overseas, and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs
right here at home.
Moreover, we can take the money we save from this transition to tax
reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports,
unclogging our commutes, because in today's global economy, first-class
jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. We'll need Congress to
protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation and
waterways bills this summer. That can happen. But I'll act on my own to
slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key
projects so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as
possible.
We also have the chance, right now, to beat other countries in the race
for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs. My administration
has launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing in Raleigh, North
Carolina, and Youngstown, Ohio, where we've connected businesses to
research universities that can help America lead the world in advanced
technologies. Tonight I'm announcing, we'll launch six more this year.
Bipartisan bills in both Houses could double the number of these hubs
and the jobs they create. So get those bills to my desk. Put more
Americans back to work.
Let's do more to help the entrepreneurs and small-business owners who
create most new jobs in America. Over the past 5 years, my
administration has made more loans to small-business owners than any
other. And when 98 percent of our exporters are small businesses, new
trade partnerships with Europe and Asia--the Asia-Pacific will help them
create more jobs. We need to work together on tools like bipartisan
trade promotion authority to protect our workers, protect our
environment, and open new markets to new goods stamped "Made in the
U.S.A."
Listen, China and Europe aren't standing on the sidelines, and neither
should we. We know that the nation that goes all-in on innovation today
will own the global economy tomorrow. This is an edge America cannot
surrender. Federally funded research helped lead to the ideas and
inventions behind Google and smartphones. And that's why Congress
should undo the damage done by last year's cuts to basic research so we
can unleash the next great American discovery. There are entire
industries to be built based on vaccines that stay ahead of drug-
resistant bacteria or paper-thin material that's stronger than steel.
And let's pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay
focused on innovation, not costly and needless litigation.
Now, one of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our
commitment to American energy. The all-of-the-above energy strategy I
announced a few years ago is working, and today, America is closer to
energy independence than we have been in decades.
One of the reasons why is natural gas. If extracted safely, it's the
bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon
pollution that causes climate change. Businesses plan to invest almost
$100 billion in new factories that use natural gas. I'll cut redtape to
help States get those factories built and put folks to work, and this
Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations
that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural
gas.
Meanwhile, my administration will keep working with the industry to
sustain production and jobs growth while strengthening protection of
our air, our water, our communities. And while we're at it, I'll use my
authority to protect more of our pristine Federal lands for future
generations.
Well, it's not just oil and natural gas production that's booming,
we're becoming a global leader in solar too. Every 4 minutes, another
American home or business goes solar, every panel pounded into place by
a worker whose job cannot be outsourced. Let's continue that progress
with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil
fuel industries that don't need it so we can invest more in fuels of
the future that do.
And even as we've increased energy production, we've partnered with
businesses, builders, and local communities to reduce the energy we
consume. When we rescued our automakers, for example, we worked with
them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars. In the
coming months, I'll build on that success by setting new standards for
our trucks so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at
the pump.
And taken together, our energy policy is creating jobs and leading to a
cleaner, safer planet. Over the past 8 years, the United States has
reduced our total carbon pollution more than any other nation on Earth.
But we have to act with more urgency, because a changing climate is
already harming Western communities struggling with drought and coastal
cities dealing with floods. That's why I directed my administration to
work with States, utilities, and others to set new standards on the
amount of carbon pollution our power plants are allowed to dump into
the air.
The shift to a cleaner energy economy won't happen overnight, and it
will require some tough choices along the way. But the debate is
settled. Climate change is a fact. And when our children's children
look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer,
more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to
say, yes, we did.
Finally, if we're serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the
call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, law enforcement
and fix our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the
Senate have acted, and I know that members of both parties in the House
want to do the same. Independent economists say immigration reform will
grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the
next two decades. And for good reason: When people come here to fulfill
their dreams--to study, invent, contribute to our culture--they make our
country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create
jobs for everybody. So let's get immigration reform done this year.
[Applause] Let's get it done. It's time.
The ideas I've outlined so far can speed up growth and create more jobs.
But in this rapidly changing economy, we have to make sure that every
American has the skills to fill those jobs. The good news is, we know
how to do it.
Two years ago, as the auto industry came roaring back, Andra Rush
opened up a manufacturing firm in Detroit. She knew that Ford needed
parts for the best selling truck in America, and she knew how to make
those parts. She just needed the workforce. So she dialed up what we
call an American Job Center, places where folks can walk in to get the
help or training they need to find a new job or a better job. She was
flooded with new workers. And today, Detroit Manufacturing Systems has
more than 700 employees. And what Andra and her employees experienced
is how it should be for every employer and every job seeker.
So tonight I've asked Vice President Biden to lead an across-the-board
reform of America's training programs to make sure they have one
mission: train Americans with the skills employers need and match them
to good jobs that need to be filled right now. That means more on-the-
job training and more apprenticeships that set a young worker on an
upward trajectory for life. It means connecting companies to community
colleges that can help design training to fill their specific needs.
And if Congress wants to help, you can concentrate funding on proven
programs that connect more ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-
filled jobs.
I'm also convinced we can help Americans return to the workforce faster
by reforming unemployment insurance so that it's more effective in
today's economy. But first, this Congress needs to restore the
unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people.
Let me tell you why. Misty DeMars is a mother of two young boys. She'd
been steadily employed since she was a teenager, put herself through
college. She'd never collected unemployment benefits, but she'd been
paying taxes. In May, she and her husband used their life savings to
buy their first home. A week later, budget cuts claimed the job she
loved. Last month, when their unemployment insurance was cut off, she
sat down and wrote me a letter, the kind I get every day. "We are the
face of the unemployment crisis," she wrote. "I'm not dependent on the
government. Our country depends on people like us who build careers,
contribute to society, care about our neighbors. I'm confident that in
time, I will find a job, I will pay my taxes, and we will raise our
children in their own home in the community we love. Please give us
this chance."
Congress, give these hard-working, responsible Americans that chance.
Give them that chance. [Applause] Give them the chance. They need our
help right now. But more important, this country needs them in the game.
That's why I've been asking CEOs to give more long-term unemployed
workers a fair shot at new jobs, a new chance to support their families.
And in fact, this week, many will come to the White House to make that
commitment real. Tonight I ask every business leader in America to join
us and to do the same, because we are stronger when America fields a
full team.
Of course, it's not enough to train today's workforce. We also have to
prepare tomorrow's workforce, by guaranteeing every child access to a
world-class education. Estiven Rodriguez couldn't speak a word of
English when he moved to New York City at age 9. But last month, thanks
to the support of great teachers and an innovative tutoring program, he
led a march of his classmates through a crowd of cheering parents and
neighbors from their high school to the post office, where they mailed
off their college applications. And this son of a factory worker just
found out, he's going to college this fall.
Five years ago, we set out to change the odds for all our kids. We
worked with lenders to reform student loans, and today, more young
people are earning college degrees than ever before. Race to the Top,
with the help of Governors from both parties, has helped States raise
expectations and performance. Teachers and principals in schools from
Tennessee to Washington, DC, are making big strides in preparing
students with the skills for the new economy: problem solving, critical
thinking, science, technology, engineering, math.
Now, some of this change is hard. It requires everything from more
challenging curriculums and more demanding parents to better support
for teachers and new ways to measure how well our kids think, not how
well they can fill in a bubble on a test. But it is worth it, and it is
working. The problem is, we're still not reaching enough kids, and
we're not reaching them in time. And that has to change.
Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a
child's life is high-quality early education. Last year, I asked this
Congress to help States make high-quality pre-K available to every 4-
year-old. And as a parent as well as a President, I repeat that request
tonight. But in the meantime, 30 States have raised pre-K funding on
their own. They know we can't wait. So just as we worked with States to
reform our schools, this year, we'll invest in new partnerships with
States and communities across the country in a Race to the Top for our
youngest children. And as Congress decides what it's going to do, I'm
going to pull together a coalition of elected officials, business
leaders, and philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high-
quality pre-K that they need. It is right for America. We need to get
this done.
Last year, I also pledged to connect 99 percent of our students to
high-speed broadband over the next 4 years. Tonight I can announce that
with the support of the FCC and companies like Apple, Microsoft, Sprint,
and Verizon, we've got a down payment to start connecting more than
15,000 schools and 20 million students over the next 2 years, without
adding a dime to the deficit.
We're working to redesign high schools and partner them with colleges
and employers that offer the real-world education and hands-on training
that can lead directly to a job and career. We're shaking up our system
of higher education to give parents more information and colleges more
incentive to offer better value so that no middle class kid is priced
out of a college education.
We're offering millions the opportunity to cap their monthly student
loan payments to 10 percent of their income, and I want to work with
Congress to see how we can help even more Americans who feel trapped by
student loan debt. And I'm reaching out to some of America's leading
foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men
of color facing especially tough odds to stay on track and reach their
full potential.
The bottom line is, Michelle and I want every child to have the same
chance this country gave us. But we know our opportunity agenda won't
be complete, and too many young people entering the workforce today
will see the American Dream as an empty promise, unless we also do more
to make sure our economy honors the dignity of work and hard work pays
off for every single American.
Today, women make up about half our workforce, but they still make 77
cents for every dollar a man earns. That is wrong, and in 2014, it's an
embarrassment. Women deserve equal pay for equal work. She deserves to
have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother deserves a day off to
care for a sick child or a sick parent without running into hardship.
And you know what, a father does too. It is time to do away with
workplace policies that belong in a "Mad Men" episode. [Laughter] This
year, let's all come together--Congress, the White House, businesses
from Wall Street to Main Street--to give every woman the opportunity she
deserves. Because I believe when women succeed, America succeeds.
Now, women hold a majority of lower wage jobs, but they're not the only
ones stifled by stagnant wages. Americans understand that some people
will earn more money than others, and we don't resent those who, by
virtue of their efforts, achieve incredible success. That's what
America is all about. But Americans overwhelmingly agree that no one
who works full-time should ever have to raise a family in poverty.