Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow
citizens:
Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this chamber that
"the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for
progress. ... It is my task," he said, "to report the state of the
Union - to improve it is the task of us all."
Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American
people, there is much progress to report. After a decade of
grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home.
After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over
6 million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five
years, and less foreign oil than we have in 20. Our housing market
is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients
and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.
Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say
with renewed confidence that the state of our union is
stronger.
But we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans
whose hard work and dedication have not yet been rewarded. Our
economy is adding jobs - but too many people still can't find
full-time employment. Corporate profits have rocketed to all-time
highs - but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely
budged.
It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of
America's economic growth - a rising, thriving middle class.
It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built
this country - the idea that if you work hard and meet your
responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from,
what you look like, or who you love.
It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works
on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages
free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors
of opportunity to every child across this great nation.
The American people don't expect government to solve every problem.
They don't expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every
issue. But they do expect us to put the nation's interests before
party. They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we
can. For they know that America moves forward only when we do so
together; and that the responsibility of improving this union
remains the task of us all.
Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget
- decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our
recovery.
Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to
reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion - mostly through
spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1
percent of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway towards
the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we
need to stabilize our finances.
Now we need to finish the job. And the question is, how?
In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn't
agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion
dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect
this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our
military readiness. They'd devastate priorities like education,
energy and medical research. They would certainly slow our
recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. That's why
Democrats, Republicans, business leaders and economists have
already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as "the
sequester," are a really bad idea.
Now, some in this Congress have proposed preventing only the
defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education
and job training, Medicare and Social Security benefits.
That idea is even worse. Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term
debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population. And
those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must
embrace the need for modest reforms - otherwise, our retirement
programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children,
and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for future
generations.
But we can't ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder
the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more
from the wealthiest and most powerful. We won't grow the middle
class simply by shifting the cost of health care or college onto
families that are already struggling, or by forcing communities to
lay off more teachers, cops and firefighters. Most Americans -
Democrats, Republicans and independents - understand that we can't
just cut our way to prosperity. They know that broad-based economic
growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with
spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair
share. And that's the approach I offer tonight.
On Medicare, I'm prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the
same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next
decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles
commission. Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the
growth of health care costs. The reforms I'm proposing go even
further. We'll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug
companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. We'll bring
down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare,
because our medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of tests
ordered or days spent in the hospital - they should be based on the
quality of care that our seniors receive. And I am open to
additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don't violate
the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn't make
promises we cannot keep - but we must keep the promises we've
already made.
To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do what
leaders in both parties have already suggested, and save hundreds
of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and
deductions for the well-off and well-connected. After all, why
would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just
to protect special interest tax breaks? How is that fair? How does
that promote growth?
Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform
that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. The
American people deserve a tax code that helps small businesses
spend less time filling out complicated forms, and more time
expanding and hiring; a tax code that ensures billionaires with
high-powered accountants can't pay a lower rate than their
hard-working secretaries; a tax code that lowers incentives to move
jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for businesses and
manufacturers that create jobs right here in America. That's what
tax reform can deliver. That's what we can do together.
I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won't be easy. The
politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get 100
percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs,
hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of hardworking
Americans. So let's set party interests aside, and work to pass a
budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise
investments in our future. And let's do it without the
brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. The
greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by
drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. Let's agree,
right here, right now, to keep the people's government open, pay
our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of
the United States of America. The American people have worked too
hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected
officials cause another.
Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be
part of our agenda. But let's be clear: Deficit reduction alone is
not an economic plan. A growing economy that creates good,
middle-class jobs - that must be the North Star that guides our
efforts. Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a
nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip
our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? And how do we
make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?
A year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that
independent economists said would create more than 1 million new
jobs. I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda,
and I urge this Congress to pass the rest. Tonight, I'll lay out
additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent
with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months
ago. Let me repeat - nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase
our deficit by a single dime. It's not a bigger government we need,
but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in
broad-based growth.
Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and
manufacturing.
After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have
added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is
bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from
Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel
is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this
year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.
There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend.
Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute
in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a
state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D
printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make
almost everything. There's no reason this can't happen in other
towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these
manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the
Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by
globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this
Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and
guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in
America.
If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the
best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome
returned $140 to our economy. Today, our scientists are mapping the
human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's; developing drugs
to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make
batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these
job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time
to reach a level of research and development not seen since the
height of the Space Race. And today, no area holds more promise
than our investments in American energy.
After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control
our own energy future. We produce more oil at home than we have in
15 years. We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon
of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources
like wind and solar - with tens of thousands of good, American jobs
to show for it. We produce more natural gas than ever before - and
nearly everyone's energy bill is lower because of it. And over the
last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution
that threatens our planet have actually fallen.
But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to
combat climate change. Yes, it's true that no single event makes a
trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all
come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires and floods -
all are now more frequent and intense. We can choose to believe
that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and
the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a
freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming
judgment of science - and act before it's too late.
The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue
while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to
pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like
the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few
years ago. But if Congress won't act soon to protect future
generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with
executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce
pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate
change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of
energy.
Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market
and the jobs that came with it. We've begun to change that. Last
year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in
America. So let's generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by
the year - so let's drive costs down even further. As long as
countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must
we.
In the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and
greater energy independence. That's why my administration will keep
cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. But I
also want to work with this Congress to encourage the research and
technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner and protects
our air and water.
Indeed, much of our newfound energy is drawn from lands and waters
that we, the public, own together. So tonight, I propose we use
some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust
that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and
trucks off oil for good. If a nonpartisan coalition of CEOs and
retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can
we. Let's take their advice and free our families and businesses
from the painful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too
long. I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half
the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20
years. The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower
energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive
federal support to help make it happen.
America's energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure
badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they'd rather locate and
hire: a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with
high-speed rail and internet; high-tech schools and self-healing
power grids. The CEO of Siemens America - a company that brought
hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina - has said that if we
upgrade our infrastructure, they'll bring even more jobs. And I
know that you want these job-creating projects in your districts.
I've seen you all at the ribbon-cuttings.
Tonight, I propose a "Fix-It-First" program to put people to work
as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly
70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country. And to
make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole burden, I'm also
proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private
capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to
move our goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern
schools worthy of our children. Let's prove that there is no better
place to do business than the United States of America. And let's
start right away.
Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector.
Today, our housing market is finally healing from the collapse of
2007. Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six years, home
purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and construction is expanding
again.
But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families
with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected. Too
many families who have never missed a payment and want to refinance
are being told no. That's holding our entire economy back, and we
need to fix it. Right now, there's a bill in this Congress that
would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to
save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today's rates. Democrats and
Republicans have supported it before. What are we waiting for? Take
a vote, and send me that bill. Right now, overlapping regulations
keep responsible young families from buying their first home.
What's holding us back? Let's streamline the process, and help our
economy grow.
These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure and
housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand
and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless we also
equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs.
And that has to start at the earliest possible age.
Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning,
the better he or she does down the road. But today, fewer than 3 in
10 4-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program.
Most middle-class parents can't afford a few hundred bucks a week
for private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the most,
this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the
rest of their lives.
Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality
preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we
invest in high-quality early education can save more than $7 later
on - by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even
reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to
educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies
show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade
level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable
families of their own. So let's do what works, and make sure none
of our children start the race of life already behind. Let's give
our kids that chance.
Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a
path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany focus on
graduating their high school students with the equivalent of a
technical degree from one of our community colleges, so that
they're ready for a job. At schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a
collaboration between New York Public Schools, the City University
of New York and IBM, students will graduate with a high school
diploma and an associate degree in computers or engineering.
We need to give every American student opportunities like this.
Four years ago, we started Race to the Top - a competition that
convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and
higher standards, for about 1 percent of what we spend on education
each year. Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign
America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the
demands of a high-tech economy. We'll reward schools that develop
new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes
that focus on science, technology, engineering and math - the
skills today's employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and
in the future.
Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need
some higher education. It's a simple fact: the more education you
have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into
the middle class. But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many
young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with
unsustainable debt.
Through tax credits, grants and better loans, we have made college
more affordable for millions of students and families over the last
few years. But taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the soaring
cost of higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs
down, and it's our job to make sure they do. Tonight, I ask
Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that affordability
and value are included in determining which colleges receive
certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my administration will
release a new "College Scorecard" that parents and students can use
to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get
the most bang for your educational buck.
To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to the
education and training that today's jobs require. But we also have
to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who's
willing to work hard has the chance to get ahead.
Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity
of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the
business, labor, law enforcement and faith communities all agree
that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration
reform.
Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the
progress my administration has already made - putting more boots on
the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing
illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years.
Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned
citizenship - a path that includes passing a background check,
paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English and going
to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here
legally.
And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut
waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy and attract the highly-skilled
entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our
economy.
In other words, we know what needs to be done. As we speak,
bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft
a bill, and I applaud their efforts. Now let's get this done. Send
me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months,
and I will sign it right away.
But we can't stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our
wives, mothers and daughters can live their lives free from
discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic
violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act
that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. I urge the
House to do the same. And I ask this Congress to declare that women
should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the
Paycheck Fairness Act this year.
We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day's work
with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum
wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we've put in
place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still
lives below the poverty line. That's wrong. That's why, since the
last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have
chosen to bump theirs even higher.
Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no
one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise
the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. This single step would
raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean
the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or
eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses
across the country, it would mean customers with more money in
their pockets. In fact, working folks shouldn't have to wait year
after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never
been higher. So here's an idea that Gov. Romney and I actually
agreed on last year: let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of
living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.
Tonight, let's also recognize that there are communities in this
country where no matter how hard you work, it's virtually
impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of
plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural,
where young adults are still fighting for their first job. America
is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide
our destiny. And that is why we need to build new ladders of
opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb
them.
Let's offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who've got
what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work
so long that no one will give them a chance. Let's put people back
to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. And this
year, my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the
hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their
feet. We'll work with local leaders to target resources at public
safety, education and housing. We'll give new tax credits to
businesses that hire and invest. And we'll work to strengthen
families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for
low-income couples, and doing more to encourage fatherhood -
because what makes you a man isn't the ability to conceive a child;
it's having the courage to raise one.
Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is
this kind of prosperity - broad, shared and built on a thriving
middle class - that has always been the source of our progress at
home. It is also the foundation of our power and influence
throughout the world.
Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who
sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with
confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan,
and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al-Qaida.
Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and
women. This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while
Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that
over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home
from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of
next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.
Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and sovereign
Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will
change. We are negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government
that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces
so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and
counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of
al-Qaida and their affiliates.
Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its
former self. Different al-Qaida affiliates and extremist groups
have emerged - from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The threat
these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we don't
need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or
occupy other nations. Instead, we will need to help countries like
Yemen, Libya and Somalia provide for their own security, and help
allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali. And,
where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue
to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest
threat to Americans.
As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is why my
administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and
policy framework to guide our counterterrorism operations.
Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. I
recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my word
that we're doing things the right way. So, in the months ahead, I
will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our
targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorists remains
consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but
that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people
and to the world.
Of course, our challenges don't end withal-Qaida. America will
continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world's
most dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must know that
they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their
international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last
night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies,
strengthen our own missile defense, and lead the world in taking
firm action in response to these threats.
Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time
for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in
demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is
necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon. At the
same time, we will engage Russia to seek further reductions in our
nuclear arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure
nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands - because
our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to
lead.
America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber
attacks. We know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate
private e-mail. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our
corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to
sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions and our air
traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and
wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our
security and our economy.
That's why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will
strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing,
and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs
and our privacy. Now, Congress must act as well, by passing
legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our
networks and deter attacks.
Even as we protect our people, we should remember that today's
world presents not only dangers, but opportunities. To boost
American exports, support American jobs and level the playing field
in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations
on a Trans-Pacific Partnership. And tonight, I am announcing that
we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership with the European Union - because trade that
is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of
good-paying American jobs.
We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our
world enriches us all. In many places, people live on little more
than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies
to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades: by
connecting more people to the global economy and empowering women;
by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve
and helping communities to feed, power and educate themselves; by
saving the world's children from preventable deaths; and by
realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.
Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom
during this period of historic change. I saw the power of hope last
year in Rangoon - when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American
president into the home where she had been imprisoned for years;
when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags,
including a man who said, "There is justice and law in the United
States. I want our country to be like that."
In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong
alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the
Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their
universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. The
process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course
of change in countries like Egypt; but we can - and will - insist
on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We will keep
the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people,
and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every
Syrian. And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of
security and a lasting peace. These are the messages I will deliver
when I travel to the Middle East next month.
All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who
serve in dangerous places at great personal risk - our diplomats,
our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United
States Armed Forces. As long as I'm commander in chief, we will do
whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad,
and we will maintain the best military in the world. We will invest
in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending.
We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal
benefits for their families - gay and straight. We will draw upon
the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters, because women
have proven under fire that they are ready for combat. We will keep
faith with our veterans - investing in world-class care, including
mental health care, for our wounded warriors; supporting our
military families; and giving our veterans the benefits, education
and job opportunities they have earned. And I want to thank my
wife, Michelle, and Dr. Jill Biden for their continued dedication
to serving our military families as well as they serve us.
But defending our freedom is not the job of our military alone. We
must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are
protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as
citizens: the right to vote. When any Americans - no matter where
they live or what their party - are denied that right simply
because they can't wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast
their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. That's why, tonight, I'm
announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the voting
experience in America. And I'm asking two longtime experts in the
field, who've recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign
and for Gov. Romney's campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we
will. The American people demand it. And so does our
democracy.
Of course, what I've said tonight matters little if we don't come
together to protect our most precious resource - our
children.
It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first
time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this
time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans - Americans
who believe in the Second Amendment - have come together around
commonsense reform - like background checks that will make it
harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of both
parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone
from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking
our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off
our streets, because they are tired of being outgunned.
Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to
vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote.
Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand
birthdays, graduations and anniversaries have been stolen from our
lives by a bullet from a gun.
One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She
was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a
majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they
were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in
Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my
inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a
Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.
Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along
with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart
by gun violence. They deserve a vote.
Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.
The families of Newtown deserve a vote.
The families of Aurora deserve a vote.
The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the
countless other communities ripped open by gun violence - they
deserve a simple vote.
Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in
this country. Indeed, 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 and 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,
her thoughts were not with how her own home was faring - they were
with the twenty 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 she arrived at her polling place, she was told the
wait to vote might be six 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. Hour after hour, a throng of
people stayed in line in support of her. Because Desiline is 102
years old. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a
sticker that read "I Voted."
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, 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 twelve bullet wounds.
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 in our American
story.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of
America.
White House
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow
citizens:
Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this chamber
that "the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners
for progress. ... It is my task," he said, "to report the state of
the Union - to improve it is the task of us all."
Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American
people, there is much progress to report. After a decade of
grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home.
After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over
6 million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five
years, and less foreign oil than we have in 20. Our housing market
is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients
and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.
Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can
say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is
stronger.
But we gather here knowing that there are millions of
Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been
rewarded. Our economy is adding jobs - but too many people still
can't find full-time employment. Corporate profits have rocketed to
all-time highs - but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have
barely budged.
It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine
of America's economic growth - a rising, thriving middle
class.
It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that
built this country - the idea that if you work hard and meet your
responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from,
what you look like, or who you love.
It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government
works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it
encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and
opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great
nation.
The American people don't expect government to solve every
problem. They don't expect those of us in this chamber to agree on
every issue. But they do expect us to put the nation's interests
before party. They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise
where we can. For they know that America moves forward only when we
do so together; and that the responsibility of improving this union
remains the task of us all.
Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our
budget - decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of
our recovery.
Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to
reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion - mostly through
spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1
percent of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway towards
the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we
need to stabilize our finances.
Now we need to finish the job. And the question is, how?
In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties
couldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a
trillion dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically go into
effect this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would
jeopardize our military readiness. They'd devastate priorities like
education, energy and medical research. They would certainly slow
our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. That's why
Democrats, Republicans, business leaders and economists have
already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as "the
sequester," are a really bad idea.
Now, some in this Congress have proposed preventing only the
defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education
and job training, Medicare and Social Security benefits.
That idea is even worse. Yes, the biggest driver of our
long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging
population. And those of us who care deeply about programs like
Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms - otherwise, our
retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our
children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for
future generations.
But we can't ask senior citizens and working families to
shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking
nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful. We won't grow
the middle class simply by shifting the cost of health care or
college onto families that are already struggling, or by forcing
communities to lay off more teachers, cops and firefighters. Most
Americans - Democrats, Republicans and independents - understand
that we can't just cut our way to prosperity. They know that
broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit
reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing
their fair share. And that's the approach I offer tonight.
On Medicare, I'm prepared to enact reforms that will achieve
the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next
decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles
commission. Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the
growth of health care costs. The reforms I'm proposing go even
further. We'll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug
companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. We'll bring
down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare,
because our medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of tests
ordered or days spent in the hospital - they should be based on the
quality of care that our seniors receive. And I am open to
additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don't violate
the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn't make
promises we cannot keep - but we must keep the promises we've
already made.
To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do
what leaders in both parties have already suggested, and save
hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and
deductions for the well-off and well-connected. After all, why
would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just
to protect special interest tax breaks? How is that fair? How does
that promote growth?
Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax
reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the
deficit. The American people deserve a tax code that helps small
businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, and more
time expanding and hiring; a tax code that ensures billionaires
with high-powered accountants can't pay a lower rate than their
hard-working secretaries; a tax code that lowers incentives to move
jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for businesses and
manufacturers that create jobs right here in America. That's what
tax reform can deliver. That's what we can do together.
I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won't be
easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get
100 percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs,
hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of hardworking
Americans. So let's set party interests aside, and work to pass a
budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise
investments in our future. And let's do it without the
brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. The
greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by
drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. Let's agree,
right here, right now, to keep the people's government open, pay
our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of
the United States of America. The American people have worked too
hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected
officials cause another.
Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must
be part of our agenda. But let's be clear: Deficit reduction alone
is not an economic plan. A growing economy that creates good,
middle-class jobs - that must be the North Star that guides our
efforts. Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a
nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip
our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? And how do we
make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?
A year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that
independent economists said would create more than 1 million new
jobs. I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda,
and I urge this Congress to pass the rest. Tonight, I'll lay out
additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent
with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months
ago. Let me repeat - nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase
our deficit by a single dime. It's not a bigger government we need,
but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in
broad-based growth.
Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and
manufacturing.
After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers
have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is
bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from
Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel
is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this
year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.
There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this
trend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation
institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a
state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D
printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make
almost everything. There's no reason this can't happen in other
towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these
manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the
Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by
globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this
Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and
guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in
America.
If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest
in the best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome
returned $140 to our economy. Today, our scientists are mapping the
human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's; developing drugs
to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make
batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these
job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time
to reach a level of research and development not seen since the
height of the Space Race. And today, no area holds more promise
than our investments in American energy.
After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to
control our own energy future. We produce more oil at home than we
have in 15 years. We have doubled the distance our cars will go on
a gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate
from sources like wind and solar - with tens of thousands of good,
American jobs to show for it. We produce more natural gas than ever
before - and nearly everyone's energy bill is lower because of it.
And over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon
pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.
But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do
more to combat climate change. Yes, it's true that no single event
makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have
all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires and floods
- all are now more frequent and intense. We can choose to believe
that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and
the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a
freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming
judgment of science - and act before it's too late.
The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this
issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to
pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like
the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few
years ago. But if Congress won't act soon to protect future
generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with
executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce
pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate
change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of
energy.
Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy
market and the jobs that came with it. We've begun to change that.
Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity
in America. So let's generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper
by the year - so let's drive costs down even further. As long as
countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must
we.
In the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power
and greater energy independence. That's why my administration will
keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. But
I also want to work with this Congress to encourage the research
and technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner and
protects our air and water.
Indeed, much of our newfound energy is drawn from lands and
waters that we, the public, own together. So tonight, I propose we
use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security
Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars
and trucks off oil for good. If a nonpartisan coalition of CEOs and
retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can
we. Let's take their advice and free our families and businesses
from the painful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too
long. I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half
the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20
years. The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower
energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive
federal support to help make it happen.
America's energy sector is just one part of an aging
infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they'd
rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating roads and
bridges, or one with high-speed rail and internet; high-tech
schools and self-healing power grids. The CEO of Siemens America -
a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina - has
said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they'll bring even more
jobs. And I know that you want these job-creating projects in your
districts. I've seen you all at the ribbon-cuttings.
Tonight, I propose a "Fix-It-First" program to put people to
work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the
nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country.
And to make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole burden, I'm
also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts
private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern
ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm;
modern schools worthy of our children. Let's prove that there is no
better place to do business than the United States of America. And
let's start right away.
Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing
sector. Today, our housing market is finally healing from the
collapse of 2007. Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six
years, home purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and construction is
expanding again.
But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many
families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being
rejected. Too many families who have never missed a payment and
want to refinance are being told no. That's holding our entire
economy back, and we need to fix it. Right now, there's a bill in
this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in
America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today's
rates. Democrats and Republicans have supported it before. What are
we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill. Right now,
overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying
their first home. What's holding us back? Let's streamline the
process, and help our economy grow.
These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure and
housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand
and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless we also
equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs.
And that has to start at the earliest possible age.
Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins
learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today, fewer
than 3 in 10 4-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool
program. Most middle-class parents can't afford a few hundred bucks
a week for private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the
most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them
for the rest of their lives.
Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality
preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we
invest in high-quality early education can save more than $7 later
on - by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even
reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to
educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies
show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade
level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable
families of their own. So let's do what works, and make sure none
of our children start the race of life already behind. Let's give
our kids that chance.
Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids
on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany focus on
graduating their high school students with the equivalent of a
technical degree from one of our community colleges, so that
they're ready for a job. At schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a
collaboration between New York Public Schools, the City University
of New York and IBM, students will graduate with a high school
diploma and an associate degree in computers or engineering.
We need to give every American student opportunities like
this. Four years ago, we started Race to the Top - a competition
that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and
higher standards, for about 1 percent of what we spend on education
each year. Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign
America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the
demands of a high-tech economy. We'll reward schools that develop
new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes
that focus on science, technology, engineering and math - the
skills today's employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and
in the future.
Now, even with better high schools, most young people will
need some higher education. It's a simple fact: the more education
you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way
into the middle class. But today, skyrocketing costs price way too
many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with
unsustainable debt.
Through tax credits, grants and better loans, we have made
college more affordable for millions of students and families over
the last few years. But taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the
soaring cost of higher education. Colleges must do their part to
keep costs down, and it's our job to make sure they do. Tonight, I
ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that
affordability and value are included in determining which colleges
receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my
administration will release a new "College Scorecard" that parents
and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria:
where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.
To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to the
education and training that today's jobs require. But we also have
to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who's
willing to work hard has the chance to get ahead.
Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and
ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders
from the business, labor, law enforcement and faith communities all
agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration
reform.
Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on
the progress my administration has already made - putting more
boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and
reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40
years.
Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned
citizenship - a path that includes passing a background check,
paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English and going
to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here
legally.
And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to
cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy and attract the
highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create
jobs and grow our economy.
In other words, we know what needs to be done. As we speak,
bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft
a bill, and I applaud their efforts. Now let's get this done. Send
me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months,
and I will sign it right away.
But we can't stop there. We know our economy is stronger when
our wives, mothers and daughters can live their lives free from
discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic
violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act
that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. I urge the
House to do the same. And I ask this Congress to declare that women
should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the
Paycheck Fairness Act this year.
We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day's
work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the
minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we've
put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage
still lives below the poverty line. That's wrong. That's why, since
the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have
chosen to bump theirs even higher.
Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth,
no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and
raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. This single step
would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could
mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or
eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses
across the country, it would mean customers with more money in
their pockets. In fact, working folks shouldn't have to wait year
after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never
been higher. So here's an idea that Gov. Romney and I actually
agreed on last year: let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of
living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.
Tonight, let's also recognize that there are communities in
this country where no matter how hard you work, it's virtually
impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of
plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural,
where young adults are still fighting for their first job. America
is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide
our destiny. And that is why we need to build new ladders of
opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb
them.
Let's offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who've
got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of
work so long that no one will give them a chance. Let's put people
back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. And
this year, my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the
hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their
feet. We'll work with local leaders to target resources at public
safety, education and housing. We'll give new tax credits to
businesses that hire and invest. And we'll work to strengthen
families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for
low-income couples, and doing more to encourage fatherhood -
because what makes you a man isn't the ability to conceive a child;
it's having the courage to raise one.
Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America.
It is this kind of prosperity - broad, shared and built on a
thriving middle class - that has always been the source of our
progress at home. It is also the foundation of our power and
influence throughout the world.
Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians
who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say
with confidence that America will complete its mission in
Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of
al-Qaida. Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave
servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into a
support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight,
I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American
troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will
continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will
be over.
Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and sovereign
Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will
change. We are negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government
that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces
so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and
counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of
al-Qaida and their affiliates.
Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow
of its former self. Different al-Qaida affiliates and extremist
groups have emerged - from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The
threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we
don't need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters
abroad, or occupy other nations. Instead, we will need to help
countries like Yemen, Libya and Somalia provide for their own
security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we
have in Mali. And, where necessary, through a range of
capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those
terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.
As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is why
my administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal
and policy framework to guide our counterterrorism operations.
Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. I
recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my word
that we're doing things the right way. So, in the months ahead, I
will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our
targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorists remains
consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but
that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people
and to the world.
Of course, our challenges don't end withal-Qaida. America will
continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world's
most dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must know that
they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their
international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last
night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies,
strengthen our own missile defense, and lead the world in taking
firm action in response to these threats.
Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the
time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united
in demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what
is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon. At the
same time, we will engage Russia to seek further reductions in our
nuclear arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure
nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands - because
our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to
lead.
America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber
attacks. We know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate
private e-mail. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our
corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to
sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions and our air
traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and
wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our
security and our economy.
That's why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that
will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information
sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security,
our jobs and our privacy. Now, Congress must act as well, by
passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to
secure our networks and deter attacks.
Even as we protect our people, we should remember that today's
world presents not only dangers, but opportunities. To boost
American exports, support American jobs and level the playing field
in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations
on a Trans-Pacific Partnership. And tonight, I am announcing that
we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership with the European Union - because trade that
is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of
good-paying American jobs.
We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of
our world enriches us all. In many places, people live on little
more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our
allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades:
by connecting more people to the global economy and empowering
women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to
serve and helping communities to feed, power and educate
themselves; by saving the world's children from preventable deaths;
and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.
Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek
freedom during this period of historic change. I saw the power of
hope last year in Rangoon - when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an
American president into the home where she had been imprisoned for
years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American
flags, including a man who said, "There is justice and law in the
United States. I want our country to be like that."
In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong
alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the
Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their
universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. The
process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course
of change in countries like Egypt; but we can - and will - insist
on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We will keep
the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people,
and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every
Syrian. And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of
security and a lasting peace. These are the messages I will deliver
when I travel to the Middle East next month.
All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those
who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk - our
diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the
United States Armed Forces. As long as I'm commander in chief, we
will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country
abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world. We
will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and
wartime spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all service
members, and equal benefits for their families - gay and straight.
We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and
daughters, because women have proven under fire that they are ready
for combat. We will keep faith with our veterans - investing in
world-class care, including mental health care, for our wounded
warriors; supporting our military families; and giving our veterans
the benefits, education and job opportunities they have earned. And
I want to thank my wife, Michelle, and Dr. Jill Biden for their
continued dedication to serving our military families as well as
they serve us.
But defending our freedom is not the job of our military
alone. We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights
are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental
right as citizens: the right to vote. When any Americans - no
matter where they live or what their party - are denied that right
simply because they can't wait for five, six, seven hours just to
cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. That's why,
tonight, I'm announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the
voting experience in America. And I'm asking two longtime experts
in the field, who've recently served as the top attorneys for my
campaign and for Gov. Romney's campaign, to lead it. We can fix
this, and we will. The American people demand it. And so does our
democracy.
Of course, what I've said tonight matters little if we don't
come together to protect our most precious resource - our
children.
It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the
first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But
this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans -
Americans who believe in the Second Amendment - have come together
around commonsense reform - like background checks that will make
it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of
both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent
anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are
asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition
magazines off our streets, because they are tired of being
outgunned.
Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you
want to vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals deserve a
vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand
birthdays, graduations and anniversaries have been stolen from our
lives by a bullet from a gun.
One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton.
She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was
a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they
were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in
Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my
inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a
Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.
Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight,
along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn
apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.
Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.
The families of Newtown deserve a vote.
The families of Aurora deserve a vote.
The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the
countless other communities ripped open by gun violence - they
deserve a simple vote.
Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence
in this country. Indeed, 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 and 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, her thoughts were not with how her own home was faring -
they were with the twenty 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 she arrived at her polling place, she was
told the wait to vote might be six 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. Hour after hour, a
throng of people stayed in line in support of her. Because Desiline
is 102 years old. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put
on a sticker that read "I Voted."
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, 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 twelve bullet wounds.
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 in our American
story.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of
America.