States have passed laws to raise theirs. Many businesses have done it
on their own. Nick Chute is here today with his boss, John Soranno.
John's an owner of Punch Pizza in Minneapolis, and Nick helps make the
dough. [Laughter] Only now he makes more of it. [Laughter] John just
gave his employees a raise to 10 bucks an hour, and that's a decision
that has eased their financial stress and boosted their morale.
Tonight I ask more of America's business leaders to follow John's lead:
Do what you can to raise your employees' wages. It's good for the
economy. It's good for America. To every mayor, Governor, State
legislator in America, I say: You don't have to wait for Congress to
act; Americans will support you if you take this on.
And as a chief executive, I intend to lead by example. Profitable
corporations like Costco see higher wages as the smart way to boost
productivity and reduce turnover. We should too. In the coming weeks, I
will issue an Executive order requiring Federal contractors to pay
their federally funded employees a fair wage of at least 10 dollars and
10 cents an hour. Because if you cook our troops' meals or wash their
dishes, you should not have to live in poverty.
Of course, to reach millions more, Congress does need to get on board.
Today, the Federal minimum wage is worth about 20 percent less than it
was when Ronald Reagan first stood here. And Tom Harkin and George
Miller have a bill to fix that by lifting the minimum wage to 10
dollars and 10 cents. It's easy to remember: 10-10. This will help
families. It will give businesses customers with more money to spend.
It does not involve any new bureaucratic program. So join the rest of
the country. Say yes. Give America a raise. Give them a raise.
There are other steps we can take to help families make ends meet, and
few are more effective at reducing inequality and helping families pull
themselves up through hard work than the earned-income tax credit.
Right now it helps about half of all parents at some point. Think about
that: It helps about half of all parents in America at some point in
their lives. But I agree with Republicans like Senator Rubio that it
doesn't do enough for single workers who don't have kids. So let's work
together to strengthen the credit, reward work, help more Americans get
ahead.
Let's do more to help Americans save for retirement. Today, most
workers don't have a pension. A Social Security check often isn't
enough on its own. And while the stock market has doubled over the last
5 years, that doesn't help folks who don't have 401(k)s. That's why,
tomorrow, I will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working
Americans to start their own retirement savings: MyI--MyRA.
It's a new savings bond that encourages folks to build a nest egg. MyRA
guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in. And
if this Congress wants to help, work with me to fix an upside-down Tax
Code that gives big tax breaks to help the wealthy save, but does
little or nothing for middle class Americans. Offer every American
access to an automatic IRA on the job so they can save at work just
like everybody in this Chamber can.
And since the most important investment many families make is their
home, send me legislation that protects taxpayers from footing the bill
for a housing crisis ever again and keeps the dream of homeownership
alive for future generations.
One last point on financial security: For decades, few things exposed
hard-working families to economic hardship more than a broken health
care system. And in case you haven't heard, we're in the process of
fixing that. Now, a preexisting condition used to mean that someone
like Amanda Shelley, a physician's assistant and single mom from
Arizona, couldn't get health insurance. But on January 1, she got
covered. On January 3, she felt a sharp pain. On January 6, she had
emergency surgery. Just one week earlier, Amanda said, and that surgery
would have meant bankruptcy.
That's what health insurance reform is all about: the peace of mind
that if misfortune strikes, you don't have to lose everything. Already,
because of the Affordable Care Act, more than 3 million Americans under
age 26 have gained coverage under their parent's plan. More than 9
million Americans have signed up for private health insurance or
Medicaid coverage. Nine million.
And here's another number: zero. Because of this law, no American--none,
zero--can ever again be dropped or denied coverage for a preexisting
condition like asthma or back pain or cancer. No woman can ever be
charged more just because she's a woman. And we did all this while
adding years to Medicare's finances, keeping Medicare premiums flat,
and lowering prescription costs for millions of seniors.
Now, I do not expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of
this law. [Laughter] But I know that the American people are not
interested in refighting old battles. So again, if you have specific
plans to cut costs, cover more people, increase choice, tell America
what you'd do differently. Let's see if the numbers add up. But let's
not have another 40-something votes to repeal a law that's already
helping millions of Americans like Amanda. The first 40 were plenty.
[Laughter]
We all owe it to the American people to say what we're for, not just
what we're against. And if you want to know the real impact this law is
having, just talk to Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky, who's here
tonight. Now, Kentucky is not the most liberal part of the country.
That's not where I got my highest vote totals. [Laughter] But he's like
a man possessed when it comes to covering his Commonwealth's families.
They're our neighbors and our friends, he said: "They're people we shop
and go to church with, farmers out on the tractor, grocery clerks.
They're people who go to work every morning praying they don't get sick.
No one deserves to live that way."
Steve's right. That's why tonight I ask every American who knows
someone without health insurance to help them get covered by March 31.
[Applause] Help them get covered. Moms, get on your kids to sign up.
Kids, call your mom and walk her through the application. It will give
her some peace of mind, and plus, she'll appreciate hearing from you.
[Laughter]
After all, that's the spirit that has always moved this Nation forward.
It's the spirit of citizenship, the recognition that through hard work
and responsibility, we can pursue our individual dreams, but still come
together as one American family to make sure the next generation can
pursue its dreams as well.
Citizenship means standing up for everyone's right to vote. Last year,
part of the Voting Rights Act was weakened, but conservative
Republicans and liberal Democrats are working together to strengthen it.
And the bipartisan Commission I appointed, chaired by my campaign
lawyer and Governor Romney's campaign lawyer, came together and have
offered reforms so that no one has to wait more than a half hour to
vote. Let's support these efforts. It should be the power of our vote,
not the size of our bank accounts, that drives our democracy.
Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals
from us each day. I've seen the courage of parents, students, pastors,
police officers all over this country who say, "We are not afraid." And
I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more
tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, in
our shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.
Citizenship demands a sense of common purpose, participation in the
hard work of self-government, an obligation to serve our communities.
And I know this Chamber agrees that few Americans give more to their
country than our diplomats and the men and women of the United States
Armed Forces. Thank you. Tonight, because of the extraordinary troops
and civilians who risk and lay down their lives to keep us free, the
United States is more secure. When I took office, nearly 180,000
Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, all our troops
are out of Iraq. More than 60,000 of our troops have already come home
from Afghanistan. With Afghan forces now in the lead for their own
security, our troops have moved to a support role. Together with our
allies, we will complete our mission there by the end of this year, and
America's longest war will finally be over.
After 2014, we will support a unified Afghanistan as it takes
responsibility for its own future. If the Afghan Government signs a
security agreement that we have negotiated, a small force of Americans
could remain in Afghanistan with NATO allies to carry out two narrow
missions: training and assisting Afghan forces and counterterrorism
operations to pursue any remnants of Al Qaida. For while our
relationship with Afghanistan will change, one thing will not: our
resolve that terrorists do not launch attacks against our country.
The fact is, that danger remains. While we've put Al Qaida's core
leadership on a path to defeat, the threat has evolved as Al Qaida
affiliates and other extremists take root in different parts of the
world. In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Mali, we have to keep working with
partners to disrupt and disable those networks. In Syria, we'll support
the opposition that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks. Here at
home, we'll keep strengthening our defenses and combat new threats like
cyber attacks. And as we reform our defense budget, we will have to
keep faith with our men and women in uniform and invest in the
capabilities they need to succeed in future missions.
We have to remain vigilant. But I strongly believe our leadership and
our security cannot depend on our outstanding military alone. As
Commander in Chief, I have used force when needed to protect the
American people, and I will never hesitate to do so as long as I hold
this office. But I will not send our troops into harm's way unless it
is truly necessary, nor will I allow our sons and daughters to be mired
in open-ended conflicts. We must fight the battles that need to be
fought, not those that terrorists prefer from us: large-scale
deployments that drain our strength and may ultimately feed extremism.
So even as we actively and aggressively pursue terrorist networks
through more targeted efforts and by building the capacity of our
foreign partners, America must move off a permanent war footing. That's
why I've imposed prudent limits on the use of drones. For we will not
be safer if people abroad believe we strike within their countries
without regard for the consequence.
That's why, working with this Congress, I will reform our surveillance
programs, because the vital work of our intelligence community depends
on public confidence, here and abroad, that privacy of ordinary people
is not being violated.
And with the Afghan war ending, this needs to be the year Congress
lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we close the
prison at Guantanamo Bay. Because we counter terrorism not just through
intelligence and military actions, but by remaining true to our
constitutional ideals and setting an example for the rest of the world.
You see, in a world of complex threats, our security, our leadership,
depends on all elements of our power, including strong and principled
diplomacy. American diplomacy has rallied more than 50 countries to
prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands and allowed
us to reduce our own reliance on cold war stockpiles. American
diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syria's chemical
weapons are being eliminated.
And we will continue to work with the international community to usher
in the future the Syrian people deserve, a future free of dictatorship,
terror, and fear. As we speak, American diplomacy is supporting
Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in the difficult but necessary
talks to end the conflict there, to achieve dignity and an independent
state for Palestinians and lasting peace and security for the State of
Israel, a Jewish state that knows America will always be at their side.
And it is American diplomacy, backed by pressure, that has halted the
progress of Iran's nuclear program and rolled back parts of that
program for the very first time in a decade. As we gather here tonight,
Iran has begun to eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of enriched
uranium. It's not installing advanced centrifuges. Unprecedented
inspections help the world verify every day that Iran is not building a
bomb. And with our allies and partners, we're engaged in negotiations
to see if we can peacefully achieve a goal we all share: preventing
Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
These negotiations will be difficult. They may not succeed. We are
clear eyed about Iran's support for terrorist organizations like
Hizballah, which threatens our allies. And we're clear about the
mistrust between our nations, mistrust that cannot be wished away. But
these negotiations don't rely on trust. Any long-term deal we agree to
must be based on verifiable action that convinces us and the
international community that Iran is not building a nuclear bomb. If
John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the Soviet Union,
then surely a strong and confident America can negotiate with less
powerful adversaries today.
The sanctions that we put in place helped make this opportunity
possible. But let me be clear: If this Congress sends me a new
sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto it.
For the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance
to succeed. If Iran's leaders do not seize this opportunity, then I
will be the first to call for more sanctions and stand ready to
exercise all options to make sure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon.
But if Iran's leaders do seize the chance--and we'll know soon enough--
then Iran could take an important step to rejoin the community of
nations, and we will have resolved one of the leading security
challenges of our time without the risks of war.
Now, finally, let's remember that our leadership is defined not just by
our defense against threats, but by the enormous opportunities to do
good and promote understanding around the globe: to forge greater
cooperation, to expand new markets, to free people from fear and want.
And no one is better positioned to take advantage of those
opportunities than America.
Our alliance with Europe remains the strongest the world has ever known.
From Tunisia to Burma, we're supporting those who are willing to do the
hard work of building democracy. In Ukraine, we stand for the principle
that all people have the right to express themselves freely and
peacefully and to have a say in their country's future. Across Africa,
we're bringing together businesses and governments to double access to
electricity and help end extreme poverty. In the Americas, we're
building new ties of commerce, but we're also expanding cultural and
educational exchanges among young people. And we will continue to focus
on the Asia-Pacific, where we support our allies, shape a future of
greater security and prosperity, and extend a hand to those devastated
by disaster, as we did in the Philippines, when our Marines and
civilians rushed to aid those battered by a typhoon, and who were
greeted with words like, "We will never forget your kindness" and "God
bless America."
We do these things because they help promote our long-term security,
and we do them because we believe in the inherent dignity and equality
of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual
orientation. And next week, the world will see one expression of that
commitment, when Team U.S.A. marches the red, white, and blue into the
Olympic Stadium and brings home the gold. [Laughter]
Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
The President. My fellow Americans, no other country in the world does
what we do. On every issue, the world turns to us, not simply because
of the size of our economy or our military might, but because of the
ideals we stand for and the burdens we bear to advance them. No one
knows this better than those who serve in uniform.
As this time of war draws to a close, a new generation of heroes
returns to civilian life. We'll keep slashing that backlog so our
veterans receive the benefits they've earned and our wounded warriors
receive the health care--including the mental health care--that they need.
We'll keep working to help all our veterans translate their skills and
leadership into jobs here at home. And we will all continue to join
forces to honor and support our remarkable military families.
Let me tell you about one of those families I've come to know. I first
met Cory Remsburg, a proud Army Ranger, at Omaha Beach on the 65th
anniversary of D-day. Along with some of his fellow Rangers, he walked
me through the program and the ceremony. He was a strong, impressive
young man, had an easy manner, he was sharp as a tack. And we joked
around and took pictures, and I told him to stay in touch.
A few months later, on his 10th deployment, Cory was nearly killed by a
massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan. His comrades found him in a canal,
face down, underwater, shrapnel in his brain. For months, he lay in a
coma. And the next time I met him, in the hospital, he couldn't speak,
could barely move. Over the years, he's endured dozens of surgeries and
procedures, hours of grueling rehab every day.
Even now, Cory is still blind in one eye, still struggles on his left
side. But slowly, steadily, with the support of caregivers like his dad
Craig and the community around him, Cory has grown stronger. And day by
day, he's learned to speak again and stand again and walk again. And
he's working toward the day when he can serve his country again. "My
recovery has not been easy," he says. "Nothing in life that's worth
anything is easy." Cory is here tonight. And like the Army he loves,
like the America he serves, Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg never
gives up, and he does not quit. Cory.
My fellow Americans, men and women like Cory remind us that America has
never come easy. Our freedom, our democracy, has never been easy.
Sometimes, we stumble, we make mistakes; we get frustrated or
discouraged. But for more than 200 years, we have put those things
aside and placed our collective shoulder to the wheel of progress: to
create and build and expand the possibilities of individual achievement,
to free other nations from tyranny and fear, to promote justice and
fairness and equality under the law so that the words set to paper by
our Founders are made real for every citizen. The America we want for
our kids--a rising America where honest work is plentiful and
communities are strong, where prosperity is widely shared and
opportunity for all lets us go as far as our dreams and toil will take
us--none of it is easy. But if we work together--if we summon what is
best in us, the way Cory summoned what is best in him--with our feet
planted firmly in today, but our eyes cast toward tomorrow, I know it
is within our reach. Believe it.
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
***
Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union
Barack Obama
January 20, 2015
The President. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my
fellow Americans: We are 15 years into this new century. Fifteen years
that dawned with terror touching our shores, that unfolded with a new
generation fighting two long and costly wars, that saw a vicious
recession spread across our Nation and the world. It has been and still
is a hard time for many.
But tonight we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for
America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace
since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the
financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before.
More of our people are insured than ever before. And we are as free
from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years.
Tonight, for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in
Afghanistan is over. Six years ago, nearly 180,000 American troops
served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, fewer than 15,000 remain. And we
salute the courage and sacrifice of every man and woman in this 9/11
generation who has served to keep us safe. We are humbled and grateful
for your service.
America, for all that we have endured, for all the grit and hard work
required to come back, for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The
shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.
At this moment--with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling
industry, booming energy production--we have risen from recession freer
to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to
us to choose who we want to be over the next 15 years and for decades
to come.
Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well?
Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes
and chances for everyone who makes the effort?
Will we approach the world fearful and reactive, dragged into costly
conflicts that strain our military and set back our standing? Or will
we lead wisely, using all elements of our power to defeat new threats
and protect our planet?
Will we allow ourselves to be sorted into factions and turned against
one another? Or will we recapture the sense of common purpose that has
always propelled America forward?
In 2 weeks, I will send this Congress a budget filled with ideas that
are practical, not partisan. And in the months ahead, I'll crisscross
the country making a case for those ideas. So tonight I want to focus
less on a checklist of proposals and focus more on the values at stake
in the choices before us.
It begins with our economy. Seven years ago, Rebekah and Ben Erler of
Minneapolis were newlyweds. [Laughter] She waited tables. He worked
construction. Their first child Jack was on the way. They were young
and in love in America. And it doesn't get much better than that. "If
only we had known," Rebekah wrote to me last spring, "what was about to
happen to the housing and construction market." As the crisis worsened,
Ben's business dried up, so he took what jobs he could find, even if
they kept him on the road for long stretches of time. Rebekah took out
student loans and enrolled in community college and retrained for a new
career. They sacrificed for each other. And slowly, it paid off. They
bought their first home. They had a second son Henry. Rebekah got a
better job and then a raise. Ben is back in construction and home for
dinner every night.
"It is amazing," Rebekah wrote, "what you can bounce back from when you
have to. . . . We are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it
through some very, very hard times." We are a strong, tight-knit family
who has made it through some very, very hard times.
America, Rebekah and Ben's story is our story. They represent the
millions who have worked hard and scrimped and sacrificed and retooled.
You are the reason that I ran for this office. You are the people I was
thinking of 6 years ago today, in the darkest months of the crisis,
when I stood on the steps of this Capitol and promised we would rebuild
our economy on a new foundation. And it has been your resilience, your
effort that has made it possible for our country to emerge stronger.
We believed we could reverse the tide of outsourcing and draw new jobs
to our shores. And over the past 5 years, our businesses have created
more than 11 million new jobs.
We believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect
our planet. And today, America is number one in oil and gas. America is
number one in wind power. Every 3 weeks, we bring online as much solar
power as we did in all of 2008. And thanks to lower gas prices and
higher fuel standards, the typical family this year should save about
$750 at the pump.
We believed we could prepare our kids for a more competitive world. And
today, our younger students have earned the highest math and reading
scores on record. Our high school graduation rate has hit an alltime
high. More Americans finish college than ever before.