2013 State of the Union
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members
of Congress, fellow citizens:
Fifty-one years ago, John F Kennedy declared to this
chamber that gthe Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for
progress.h gIt is my task,h he said, gto report the State of the Union -- to
improve it is the task of us all.h
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 six 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.
So, together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis,
and we 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
canft find full-time employment. Corporate profits
have skyrocketed to all-time highs -- but for more than a decade, wages and
incomes have barely budged.
It is our generationfs task, then, to reignite the true
engine of Americafs 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, no matter
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 donft expect government to solve
every problem. They donft expect those of us in this
chamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect
us to put the nationfs 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 couldnft agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion
dollarsf worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this
year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would
jeopardize our military readiness. Theyfd devastate
priorities like education, and energy, and medical research. They
would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of
jobs. Thatfs 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 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 canft ask senior citizens and working families to
shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from
the wealthiest and the most powerful. We wonft 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 and more cops and more firefighters. Most
Americans -- Democrats, Republicans, and independents -- understand that we
canft 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 thatfs the approach I offer tonight.
On Medicare, Ifm 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. And the reforms Ifm
proposing go even further. Wefll reduce taxpayer
subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest
seniors. Wefll bring down costs by changing the way
our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldnft 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 donft violate
the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government
shouldnft make promises we cannot keep -- but we must keep the promises wefve
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 the 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? Why is it that deficit reduction is a big emergency justifying
making cuts in Social Security benefits but not closing some loopholes?
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.
We can get this done. 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 canft work the system
and pay a lower rate than their hardworking secretaries; a tax code that lowers
incentives to move jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for businesses and
manufacturers that are creating jobs right here in the United States of
America. Thatfs what tax reform can deliver.
Thatfs what we can do together.
I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform will
not 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, visit hardship on millions of hardworking Americans. So
letfs set party interests aside and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless
cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And
letfs 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. We can't do it.
Letfs agree right here, right now to keep the peoplefs
government open, and 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 letfs 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
they need to get 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. And I thank the last Congress for passing some
of that agenda. I urge this Congress to pass the
rest. But tonight, Ifll 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 Ifm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single
dime. It is not a bigger government we need, but a
smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based
growth. That's what we should be looking
for.
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.
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. Therefs no reason this canft
happen in other towns.
So tonight, Ifm announcing the launch of three more of
these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Department 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 15 of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution
in manufacturing is made right here in America. We
can get that done.
Now, 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 -- every dollar.
Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock
the answers to Alzheimerfs. Theyfre 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. We need to
make those investments.
Today, no area holds more promise than our
investments in American energy. After years of
talking about it, wefre 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
everyonefs 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. Now, itfs 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, floods -- all are now more
frequent and more 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 itfs too late.
Now, the good news is we can make meaningful progress on
this issue while driving strong economic growth. I
urge this Congress to get together, 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 wonft 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. And
wefve begun to change that. Last year, wind energy
added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So
letfs generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper
by the year -- letfs drive down costs even further. As long as countries like China keep going all in on clean energy,
so must we.
Now, in the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to
cleaner power and greater energy independence. We
need to encourage that. And thatfs why my
administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas
permits. Thatfs got to be part of an all-of-the-above
plan. 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 our water.
In fact, much of our new-found 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. Letfs take their advice
and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices wefve
put up with for far too long.
Ifm also issuing a new goal for America: Letfs cut in
half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20
years. We'll work with the states to do it.
Those states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower
energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal
support to help make that happen.
Americafs energy sector is just one part of an aging
infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO
where theyfd rather locate and hire -- a country with deteriorating roads and
bridges, or one with high-speed rail and Internet; high-tech schools,
self-healing power grids. The CEO of Siemens America
-- a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina -- said that if
we upgrade our infrastructure, theyfll bring even more jobs. And
thatfs the attitude of a lot of companies all around the world. And
I know you want these job-creating projects in your district. Ifve
seen all those ribbon-cuttings.
So tonight, I propose a gFix-It-Firsth 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 donft shoulder the whole burden, Ifm 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. Letfs
prove that therefs no better place to do business than here in the United States
of America, and letfs start right away. We can get
this done.
And part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our
housing sector. The good news is 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 never missed a
payment and want to refinance are being told no. Thatfs holding our entire economy back. We need to fix it.
Right now, therefs a bill in this Congress that would
give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by
refinancing at todayfs rates. Democrats and
Republicans have supported it before, so what are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill. Why
would we be against that? Why would that be a
partisan issue, helping folks refinance? Right now,
overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first
home. Whatfs holding us back? Letfs
streamline the process, and help our economy grow.
These initiatives in manufacturing, energy,
infrastructure, housing -- all these things 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 four year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality
preschool program. Most middle-class parents canft
afford a few hundred bucks a week for a 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. So
tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available
to every single child in America. That's something we
should be able to do.
Every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood
education can save more than seven dollars 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, form more stable families of their
own. We know this works. So letfs do what works and make sure none of our children start
the race of life already behind. Letfs give our kids
that chance.
Letfs 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
those German kids, they're ready for a job when they graduate high
school. They've been trained for the jobs that are
there. Now at schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a
collaboration between New York Public Schools and City University of New York
and IBM, students will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate's
degree in computers or engineering.
We need to give every American student
opportunities like this.
And four years ago, we started Race to the Top -- a
competition that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and
higher standards, all for about 1 percent of what we spend on education each
year. Tonight, Ifm announcing a new challenge to
redesign Americafs high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands
of a high-tech economy. And wefll reward schools that
develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that
focus on science, technology, engineering and math -- the skills todayfs
employers are looking for to fill the jobs that are there right now and will be
there in the future.
Now, even with better high schools, most young people
will need some higher education. Itfs a simple fact
the more education youfve got, the more likely you are to have a good job and
work your way into the middle class. But today,
skyrocketing costs price too many young people out of a higher education, or
saddle them with unsustainable debt.
Through tax credits, grants and better loans, wefve made
college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few
years. But taxpayers canft keep on subsidizing higher
and higher and higher costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and itfs our job
to make sure that they do.
So 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 gCollege Scorecardh 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.
Now, to grow our middle class, our citizens have to have
access to the education and training that todayfs jobs require. But
we also have to make sure that America remains a place where everyone whofs
willing to work -- everybody whofs 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, faith communities --
they all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration
reform. Now is the time to do it. Now
is the time to get it done. Now is the time to get it
done.
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 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.
And as we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are
working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. So letfs get this done. Send me a
comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it
right away. And America will be better for it.
Letfs get it done. Letfs get it
done.
But we canft stop there. We
know our economy is stronger when our wives, our mothers, our 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. And I now urge the House to do the same.
Good job, Joe. 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
dayfs 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 put in place, a family with two kids
that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. Thatfs
wrong. Thatfs why, since the last time this Congress
raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even
higher.
Tonight, letfs 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 $9.00 an hour.We should be able to get that
done.
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. And
a whole lot of folks out there would probably need less help from
government. In fact, working folks shouldnft have to
wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been
higher. So herefs an idea that Governor Romney and I
actually agreed on last year -- letfs tie the minimum wage to the cost of
living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.
Tonight, letfs also recognize that there are communities
in this country where no matter how hard you work, it is 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 the chance of birth
or circumstance should decide our destiny. And thatfs
why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all
who are willing to climb them.
Letfs offer incentives to companies that hire Americans
whofve 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 anymore. Letfs 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. Wefll work with local
leaders to target resources at public safety, and education, and
housing.
Wefll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and
invest. And wefll work to strengthen families by
removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and do
more to encourage fatherhood -- because what makes you a man isnft the ability
to conceive a child; itfs having the courage to raise one. And
we want to encourage that. We want to help
that
Stronger families. Stronger
communities. A stronger America. It
is this kind of prosperity -- broad, shared, built on a thriving middle class --
that has always been the source of our progress at home. Itfs
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 Qaeda.
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, Americafs commitment to a unified and
sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will
change. We're 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 counterterrorism
efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their
affiliates.
Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a
shadow of its former self. It's true, different al
Qaeda 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 donft need to
send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad or occupy other
nations. Instead, we'll need to help countries like
Yemen, and 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.
Now, as we do, we must enlist our values in the
fight. That's why my administration has worked
tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our
counterterrorism efforts. Throughout, we have kept
Congress fully informed of our efforts. I recognize
that in our democracy, no one should just take my word for it that wefre doing
things the right way. So in the months ahead, I will
continue to engage 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 donft end with al
Qaeda. America will continue to lead the effort to
prevent the spread of the worldfs most dangerous weapons. The
regime in North Korea must know they will only achieve security and prosperity
by meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only further
isolate them, 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, wefll 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 and meet our
obligations.
America must also face the rapidly growing threat from
cyber-attacks. Now, we know hackers steal peoplefs
identities and infiltrate private emails. 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, 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.
And thatfs 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.
But now Congress must act as well, by passing
legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and
deter attacks. This is something we should be able to
get done on a bipartisan basis.
Now, even as we protect our people, we should remember
that todayfs world presents not just dangers, not just threats, it presents
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, Ifm announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union --
because trade that is fair and free 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 -- not only because it creates new markets,
more stable order in certain regions of the world, but also because itfs the
right thing to do. 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; by empowering women; by
giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve, and helping
communities to feed, and power, and educate themselves; by saving the worldfs
children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free
generation, which is within our reach.
You see, 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, in Burma, 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, gThere is justice and law in the United States. I
want our country to be like that.h
In defense of freedom, wefll 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.
We know 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. Wefll
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'll deliver when I travel to the
Middle East next month. And 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 Ifm
Commander-in-Chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their
country abroad, and we will maintain the best military the world has ever
known.
We'll invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce
waste and wartime spending. We will ensure equal
treatment for all servicemembers, and equal benefits for their families -- gay
and straight. We will draw upon the courage and
skills of our sisters and daughters and moms, 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 --
(applause) -- supporting our military families; giving our veterans the benefits
and education and job opportunities that 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 have served
us. Thank you, honey. Thank you, Jill.
Defending our freedom, though, is not just 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 one of the most fundamental right of a democracy:
the right to vote. When any American, no matter where
they live or what their party, are denied that right because they canft afford
to wait for five or six or seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are
betraying our ideals.
So tonight, Ifm announcing a nonpartisan commission to
improve the voting experience in America. And it
definitely needs improvement. Ifm asking two
long-time experts in the field -- who, by the way, recently served as the top
attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romneyfs campaign -- to lead
it. We can fix this, and we will. The
American people demand it, and so does our democracy.
Of course, what Ifve said tonight matters little if we
donft 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 common-sense 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 these
police chiefs, theyfre tired of seeing their guys and gals being
outgunned.
Each of these proposals deserves a vote in
Congress. Now, if you want to vote no, thatfs your
choice. But these proposals deserve a vote.
Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a
thousand birthdays, graduations, anniversaries have been stolen from our lives
by a bullet from a gun -- more than a thousand.
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.
Hadiyafs 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.
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. They deserve a simple vote.
Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of
violence in this country. In fact, no laws, no
initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges Ifve
outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be
perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we
can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, uphold our ideals through the
hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of
self-government.
We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans
the same way they look out for one another, every single day, usually without
fanfare, all across this country. We should follow
their example.
We should follow the example of a New York City nurse
named Menchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged
her hospital into darkness, she wasnft thinking about how her own home was
faring. Her mind was on the 20 precious newborns in
her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe.
We should follow the example of a North Miami woman
named Desiline Victor. When Desiline arrived at her
polling place, she was told the wait to vote might be 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.
And hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line to
support her -- because Desiline is 102 years old. And
they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read, gI
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 12 bullet wounds. And
when asked how he did that, Brian said, gThatfs just the way wefre
made.h
Thatfs just the way wefre 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. Itfs a word
that doesnft just describe our nationality or legal status. It
describes the way wefre made. It describes what we
believe. It captures the enduring idea that this
country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to
future generations, that our rights are wrapped up in the rights of others; and
that well into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as
citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter of
our American story.
Thank you. God bless you, and
God bless these United States of America.