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 six million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in
five years, and less foreign oil than we have in twenty. 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 one 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 ten 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 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 non-partisan
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 twenty 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 four 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 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, 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,
nineteen 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 $9.00 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 Governor 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 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, 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 Qaeda and their affiliates.
Today,
the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. 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
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 with al Qaeda.
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 non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And I’m asking two long-time experts in the
field, who’ve recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for
Governor 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 2nd 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.
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