"He shall from time to
time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to
their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and
expedient."
Text
provided by ABC
News. Video provided below the break.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President,
Members of Congress, my fellow Americans:
Today in America, a teacher spent extra
time with a student who needed it, and did her part to lift America’s
graduation rate to its highest level in more than three decades.
An entrepreneur flipped on the lights
in her tech startup, and did her part to add to the more than eight million new
jobs our businesses have created over the past four years.
An autoworker fine-tuned some of the
best, most fuel-efficient cars in the world, and did his part to help America
wean itself off foreign oil.
A farmer prepared for the spring after
the strongest five-year stretch of farm exports in our history. A rural doctor
gave a young child the first prescription to treat asthma that his mother could
afford. A man took the bus home from the graveyard shift, bone-tired but
dreaming big dreams for his son. And in tight-knit communities across America,
fathers and mothers will tuck in their kids, put an arm around their spouse,
remember fallen comrades, and give thanks for being home from a war that, after
twelve long years, is finally coming to an end.
Tonight, this chamber speaks with one
voice to the people we represent: it is you, our citizens, who make the state
of our union strong.
Here are the results of your efforts:
The lowest unemployment rate in over five years. A rebounding housing market. A
manufacturing sector that’s adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s.
More oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world – the first
time that’s happened in nearly twenty years. Our deficits – cut by more than
half. And for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the
world have declared that China is no longer the world’s number one place to
invest; America is.
That’s why I believe this can be a
breakthrough year for America. After five years of grit and determined effort,
the United States is better-positioned for the 21st century than any other
nation on Earth.
The question for everyone in this chamber,
running through every decision we make this year, is whether we are going to
help or hinder this progress. For several years now, this town has been
consumed by a rancorous argument over the proper size of the federal
government. It’s an important debate – one that dates back to our very
founding. But when that debate prevents us from carrying out even the most
basic functions of our democracy – when our differences shut down government or
threaten the full faith and credit of the United States – then we are not doing
right by the American people.
As President, I’m committed to making
Washington work better, and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us
here. I believe most of you are, too. Last month, thanks to the work of
Democrats and Republicans, this Congress finally produced a budget that undoes
some of last year’s severe cuts to priorities like education. Nobody got
everything they wanted, and we can still do more to invest in this country’s
future while bringing down our deficit in a balanced way. But the budget
compromise should leave us freer to focus on creating new jobs, not creating
new crises.
In the coming months, let’s see where
else we can make progress together. Let’s make this a year of action. That’s
what most Americans want – for all of us in this chamber to focus on their
lives, their hopes, their aspirations. And what I believe unites the people of
this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor,
is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all – the notion that if you
work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.
Let’s face it: that belief has suffered
some serious blows. Over more than three decades, even before the Great
Recession hit, massive shifts in technology and global competition had
eliminated a lot of good, middle-class jobs, and weakened the economic
foundations that families depend on.
Today, after four years of economic
growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those
at the top have never done better. But average wages have barely budged.
Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is
that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than
ever just to get by – let alone get ahead. And too many still aren’t working at
all.
Our job is to reverse these trends. It
won’t happen right away, and we won’t agree on everything. But what I offer
tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth,
strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the
middle class. Some require Congressional action, and I’m eager to work with all
of you. But America does not stand still – and neither will I. So wherever and
whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more
American families, that’s what I’m going to do.
As usual, our First Lady sets a good
example. Michelle’s Let’s Move partnership with schools, businesses, and local
leaders has helped bring down childhood obesity rates for the first time in
thirty years – an achievement that will improve lives and reduce health care
costs for decades to come. The Joining Forces alliance that Michelle and Jill
Biden launched has already encouraged employers to hire or train nearly 400,000
veterans and military spouses. Taking a page from that playbook, the White
House just organized a College Opportunity Summit where already, 150
universities, businesses, and nonprofits have made concrete commitments to
reduce inequality in access to higher education – and help every hardworking
kid go to college and succeed when they get to campus. Across the country,
we’re partnering with mayors, governors, and state legislatures on issues from
homelessness to marriage equality.
The point is, there are millions of
Americans outside Washington who are tired of stale political arguments, and
are moving this country forward. They believe, and I believe, that here in
America, our success should depend not on accident of birth, but the strength
of our work ethic and the scope of our dreams. That’s what drew our forebears
here. It’s how the daughter of a factory worker is CEO of America’s largest
automaker; how the son of a barkeeper is Speaker of the House; how the son of a
single mom can be President of the greatest nation on Earth.
Opportunity is who we are. And the
defining project of our generation is to restore that promise.
We know where to start: the best
measure of opportunity is access to a good job. With the economy picking up
speed, companies say they intend to hire more people this year. And over half
of big manufacturers say they’re thinking of insourcing jobs from abroad.
So let’s make that decision easier for
more companies. Both Democrats and Republicans have argued that our tax code is
riddled with wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing
here, and reward companies that keep profits abroad. Let’s flip that equation.
Let’s work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship jobs
overseas, and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs here at home.
Moreover, we can take the money we save
with this transition to tax reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads,
upgrading our ports, unclogging our commutes – because in today’s global
economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. We’ll need
Congress to protect more than three million jobs by finishing transportation
and waterways bills this summer. But I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy
and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more
construction workers on the job as fast as possible.
We also have the chance, right now, to
beat other countries in the race for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing
jobs. My administration has launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing in
Raleigh and Youngstown, where we’ve connected businesses to research
universities that can help America lead the world in advanced technologies.
Tonight, I’m announcing we’ll launch six more this year. Bipartisan bills in
both houses could double the number of these hubs and the jobs they create. So
get those bills to my desk and put more Americans back to work.
Let’s do more to help the entrepreneurs
and small business owners who create most new jobs in America. Over the past
five years, my administration has made more loans to small business owners than
any other. And when ninety-eight percent of our exporters are small businesses,
new trade partnerships with Europe and the Asia-Pacific will help them create
more jobs. We need to work together on tools like bipartisan trade promotion
authority to protect our workers, protect our environment, and open new markets
to new goods stamped “Made in the USA.” China and Europe aren’t standing on the
sidelines. Neither should we.
We know that the nation that goes
all-in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow. This is an
edge America cannot surrender. Federally-funded research helped lead to the
ideas and inventions behind Google and smartphones. That’s why Congress should
undo the damage done by last year’s cuts to basic research so we can unleash
the next great American discovery – whether it’s vaccines that stay ahead of
drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material that’s stronger than steel. And
let’s pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on
innovation, not costly, needless litigation.
Now, one of the biggest factors in
bringing more jobs back is our commitment to American energy. The
all-of-the-above energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and
today, America is closer to energy independence than we’ve been in decades. One
of the reasons why is natural gas – if extracted safely, it’s the bridge fuel
that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes
climate change. Businesses plan to invest almost $100 billion in new factories
that use natural gas. I’ll cut red tape to help states get those factories
built, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling
stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural
gas. My administration will keep working with the industry to sustain
production and job growth while strengthening protection of our air, our water,
and our communities. And while we’re at it, I’ll use my authority to protect
more of our pristine federal lands for future generations.
It’s not just oil and natural gas
production that’s booming; we’re becoming a global leader in solar, too. Every
four minutes, another American home or business goes solar; every panel pounded
into place by a worker whose job can’t be outsourced. Let’s continue that
progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to
fossil fuel industries that don’t need it, so that we can invest more in fuels
of the future that do.
And even as we’ve increased energy
production, we’ve partnered with businesses, builders, and local communities to
reduce the energy we consume. When we rescued our automakers, for example, we
worked with them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars. In the
coming months, I’ll build on that success by setting new standards for our
trucks, so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at the pump.
Taken together, our energy policy is
creating jobs and leading to a cleaner, safer planet. Over the past eight
years, the United States has reduced our total carbon pollution more than any
other nation on Earth. But we have to act with more urgency – because a
changing climate is already harming western communities struggling with
drought, and coastal cities dealing with floods. That’s why I directed my
administration to work with states, utilities, and others to set new standards
on the amount of carbon pollution our power plants are allowed to dump into the
air. The shift to a cleaner energy economy won’t happen overnight, and it will
require tough choices along the way. But the debate is settled. Climate change
is a fact. And when our children’s children look us in the eye and ask if we
did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of
energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did.
Finally, if we are serious about
economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor
leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement – and fix our broken immigration
system. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. I know that members
of both parties in the House want to do the same. Independent economists say
immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1
trillion in the next two decades. And for good reason: when people come here to
fulfill their dreams – to study, invent, and contribute to our culture – they
make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create
jobs for everyone. So let’s get immigration reform done this year.
The ideas I’ve outlined so far can
speed up growth and create more jobs. But in this rapidly-changing economy, we
have to make sure that every American has the skills to fill those jobs.
The good news is, we know how to do it.
Two years ago, as the auto industry came roaring back, Andra Rush opened up a
manufacturing firm in Detroit. She knew that Ford needed parts for the
best-selling truck in America, and she knew how to make them. She just needed
the workforce. So she dialed up what we call an American Job Center – places
where folks can walk in to get the help or training they need to find a new
job, or better job. She was flooded with new workers. And today, Detroit
Manufacturing Systems has more than 700 employees.
What Andra and her employees experienced
is how it should be for every employer – and every job seeker. So tonight, I’ve
asked Vice President Biden to lead an across-the-board reform of America’s
training programs to make sure they have one mission: train Americans with the
skills employers need, and match them to good jobs that need to be filled right
now. That means more on-the-job training, and more apprenticeships that set a
young worker on an upward trajectory for life. It means connecting companies to
community colleges that can help design training to fill their specific needs.
And if Congress wants to help, you can concentrate funding on proven programs
that connect more ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.
I’m also convinced we can help
Americans return to the workforce faster by reforming unemployment insurance so
that it’s more effective in today’s economy. But first, this Congress needs to
restore the unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people.
Let me tell you why.
Misty DeMars is a mother of two young
boys. She’d been steadily employed since she was a teenager. She put herself
through college. She’d never collected unemployment benefits. In May, she and
her husband used their life savings to buy their first home. A week later,
budget cuts claimed the job she loved. Last month, when their unemployment
insurance was cut off, she sat down and wrote me a letter – the kind I get
every day. “We are the face of the unemployment crisis,” she wrote. “I am not
dependent on the government…Our country depends on people like us who build
careers, contribute to society…care about our neighbors…I am confident that in
time I will find a job…I will pay my taxes, and we will raise our children in
their own home in the community we love. Please give us this chance.”
Congress, give these hardworking,
responsible Americans that chance. They need our help, but more important, this
country needs them in the game. That’s why I’ve been asking CEOs to give more
long-term unemployed workers a fair shot at that new job and new chance to
support their families; this week, many will come to the White House to make
that commitment real. Tonight, I ask every business leader in America to join
us and to do the same – because we are stronger when America fields a full
team.
Of course, it’s not enough to train
today’s workforce. We also have to prepare tomorrow’s workforce, by
guaranteeing every child access to a world-class education.
Estiven Rodriguez couldn’t speak a word
of English when he moved to New York City at age nine. But last month, thanks
to the support of great teachers and an innovative tutoring program, he led a
march of his classmates – through a crowd of cheering parents and neighbors –
from their high school to the post office, where they mailed off their college
applications. And this son of a factory worker just found out he’s going to
college this fall.
Five years ago, we set out to change
the odds for all our kids. We worked with lenders to reform student loans, and
today, more young people are earning college degrees than ever before. Race to
the Top, with the help of governors from both parties, has helped states raise
expectations and performance. Teachers and principals in schools from Tennessee
to Washington, D.C. are making big strides in preparing students with skills
for the new economy – problem solving, critical thinking, science, technology,
engineering, and math. Some of this change is hard. It requires everything from
more challenging curriculums and more demanding parents to better support for
teachers and new ways to measure how well our kids think, not how well they can
fill in a bubble on a test. But it’s worth it – and it’s working.
The problem is we’re still not reaching
enough kids, and we’re not reaching them in time. That has to change.
Research shows that one of the best
investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education. Last
year, I asked this Congress to help states make high-quality pre-K available to
every four year-old. As a parent as well as a President, I repeat that request
tonight. But in the meantime, thirty states have raised pre-k funding on their
own. They know we can’t wait. So just as we worked with states to reform our
schools, this year, we’ll invest in new partnerships with states and communities
across the country in a race to the top for our youngest children. And as
Congress decides what it’s going to do, I’m going to pull together a coalition
of elected officials, business leaders, and philanthropists willing to help
more kids access the high-quality pre-K they need.
Last year, I also pledged to connect 99
percent of our students to high-speed broadband over the next four years.
Tonight, I can announce that with the support of the FCC and companies like
Apple, Microsoft, Sprint, and Verizon, we’ve got a down payment to start
connecting more than 15,000 schools and twenty million students over the next
two years, without adding a dime to the deficit.
We’re working to redesign high schools
and partner them with colleges and employers that offer the real-world
education and hands-on training that can lead directly to a job and career.
We’re shaking up our system of higher education to give parents more
information, and colleges more incentives to offer better value, so that no
middle-class kid is priced out of a college education. We’re offering millions
the opportunity to cap their monthly student loan payments to ten percent of
their income, and I want to work with Congress to see how we can help even more
Americans who feel trapped by student loan debt. And I’m reaching out to some
of America’s leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help
more young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full
potential.
The bottom line is, Michelle and I want
every child to have the same chance this country gave us. But we know our
opportunity agenda won’t be complete – and too many young people entering the
workforce today will see the American Dream as an empty promise – unless we do
more to make sure our economy honors the dignity of work, and hard work pays
off for every single American.
Today, women make up about half our
workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. That is
wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment. A woman deserves equal pay for equal
work. She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother
deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into
hardship – and you know what, a father does, too. It’s time to do away with
workplace policies that belong in a “Mad Men” episode. This year, let’s all
come together – Congress, the White House, and businesses from Wall Street to
Main Street – to give every woman the opportunity she deserves. Because I
firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds.
Now, women hold a majority of
lower-wage jobs – but they’re not the only ones stifled by stagnant wages.
Americans understand that some people will earn more than others, and we don’t
resent those who, by virtue of their efforts, achieve incredible success. But
Americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full time should ever have
to raise a family in poverty.
In the year since I asked this Congress
to raise the minimum wage, five states have passed laws to raise theirs. Many
businesses have done it on their own. Nick Chute is here tonight with his boss,
John Soranno. John’s an owner of Punch Pizza in Minneapolis, and Nick helps
make the dough. Only now he makes more of it: John just gave his employees a
raise, to ten bucks an hour – a decision that eased their financial stress and
boosted their morale.
Tonight, I ask more of America’s
business leaders to follow John’s lead and do what you can to raise your
employees’ wages. To every mayor, governor, and state legislator in America, I
say, you don’t have to wait for Congress to act; Americans will support you if
you take this on. And as a chief executive, I intend to lead by example.
Profitable corporations like Costco see higher wages as the smart way to boost
productivity and reduce turnover. We should too. In the coming weeks, I will
issue an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to pay their
federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour – because if
you cook our troops’ meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn’t have to live in
poverty.
Of course, to reach millions more,
Congress needs to get on board. Today, the federal minimum wage is worth about
twenty percent less than it was when Ronald Reagan first stood here. Tom Harkin
and George Miller have a bill to fix that by lifting the minimum wage to
$10.10. This will help families. It will give businesses customers with more
money to spend. It doesn’t involve any new bureaucratic program. So join the
rest of the country. Say yes. Give America a raise.
There are other steps we can take to
help families make ends meet, and few are more effective at reducing inequality
and helping families pull themselves up through hard work than the Earned
Income Tax Credit. Right now, it helps about half of all parents at some point.
But I agree with Republicans like Senator Rubio that it doesn’t do enough for
single workers who don’t have kids. So let’s work together to strengthen the
credit, reward work, and help more Americans get ahead.
Let’s do more to help Americans save
for retirement. Today, most workers don’t have a pension. A Social Security
check often isn’t enough on its own. And while the stock market has doubled
over the last five years, that doesn’t help folks who don’t have 401ks. That’s
why, tomorrow, I will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working
Americans to start their own retirement savings: MyRA. It’s a new savings bond
that encourages folks to build a nest egg. MyRA guarantees a decent return with
no risk of losing what you put in. And if this Congress wants to help, work
with me to fix an upside-down tax code that gives big tax breaks to help the
wealthy save, but does little to nothing for middle-class Americans. Offer
every American access to an automatic IRA on the job, so they can save at work
just like everyone in this chamber can. And since the most important investment
many families make is their home, send me legislation that protects taxpayers
from footing the bill for a housing crisis ever again, and keeps the dream of
homeownership alive for future generations of Americans.
One last point on financial security.
For decades, few things exposed hard-working families to economic hardship more
than a broken health care system. And in case you haven’t heard, we’re in the
process of fixing that.
A pre-existing condition used to mean
that someone like Amanda Shelley, a physician assistant and single mom from
Arizona, couldn’t get health insurance. But on January 1st, she got covered. On
January 3rd, she felt a sharp pain. On January 6th, she had emergency surgery.
Just one week earlier, Amanda said, that surgery would’ve meant bankruptcy.
That’s what health insurance reform is
all about – the peace of mind that if misfortune strikes, you don’t have to
lose everything.
Already, because of the Affordable Care
Act, more than three million Americans under age 26 have gained coverage under
their parents’ plans.
More than nine million Americans have
signed up for private health insurance or Medicaid coverage.
And here’s another number: zero.
Because of this law, no American can ever again be dropped or denied coverage for
a preexisting condition like asthma, back pain, or cancer. No woman can ever be
charged more just because she’s a woman. And we did all this while adding years
to Medicare’s finances, keeping Medicare premiums flat, and lowering
prescription costs for millions of seniors.
Now, I don’t expect to convince my
Republican friends on the merits of this law. But I know that the American
people aren’t interested in refighting old battles. So again, if you have
specific plans to cut costs, cover more people, and increase choice – tell
America what you’d do differently. Let’s see if the numbers add up. But let’s
not have another forty-something votes to repeal a law that’s already helping
millions of Americans like Amanda. The first forty were plenty. We got it. We
all owe it to the American people to say what we’re for, not just what we’re
against.
And if you want to know the real impact
this law is having, just talk to Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky, who’s here
tonight. Kentucky’s not the most liberal part of the country, but he’s like a
man possessed when it comes to covering his commonwealth’s families. “They are
our friends and neighbors,” he said. “They are people we shop and go to church
with…farmers out on the tractors…grocery clerks…they are people who go to work
every morning praying they don’t get sick. No one deserves to live that way.”
Steve’s right. That’s why, tonight, I
ask every American who knows someone without health insurance to help them get
covered by March 31st. Moms, get on your kids to sign up. Kids, call your mom
and walk her through the application. It will give her some peace of mind –
plus, she’ll appreciate hearing from you.
After all, that’s the spirit that has
always moved this nation forward. It’s the spirit of citizenship – the
recognition that through hard work and responsibility, we can pursue our
individual dreams, but still come together as one American family to make sure
the next generation can pursue its dreams as well.
Citizenship means standing up for
everyone’s right to vote. Last year, part of the Voting Rights Act was
weakened. But conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats are working
together to strengthen it; and the bipartisan commission I appointed last year
has offered reforms so that no one has to wait more than a half hour to vote.
Let’s support these efforts. It should be the power of our vote, not the size
of our bank account, that drives our democracy.
Citizenship means standing up for the
lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of
parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say
“we are not afraid,” and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to
help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie
theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.
Citizenship demands a sense of common
cause; participation in the hard work of self-government; an obligation to
serve to our communities. And I know this chamber agrees that few Americans
give more to their country than our diplomats and the men and women of the
United States Armed Forces.
Tonight, because of the extraordinary
troops and civilians who risk and lay down their lives to keep us free, the
United States is more secure. When I took office, nearly 180,000 Americans were
serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, all our troops are out of Iraq. More
than 60,000 of our troops have already come home from Afghanistan. With Afghan
forces now in the lead for their own security, our troops have moved to a
support role. Together with our allies, we will complete our mission there by
the end of this year, and America’s longest war will finally be over.
After 2014, we will support a unified
Afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future. If the Afghan
government signs a security agreement that we have negotiated, a small force of
Americans could remain in Afghanistan with NATO allies to carry out two narrow
missions: training and assisting Afghan forces, and counterterrorism operations
to pursue any remnants of al Qaeda. For while our relationship with Afghanistan
will change, one thing will not: our resolve that terrorists do not launch
attacks against our country.
The fact is, that danger remains. While
we have put al Qaeda’s core leadership on a path to defeat, the threat has
evolved, as al Qaeda affiliates and other extremists take root in different
parts of the world. In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Mali, we have to keep working
with partners to disrupt and disable these networks. In Syria, we’ll support
the opposition that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks. Here at home,
we’ll keep strengthening our defenses, and combat new threats like
cyberattacks. And as we reform our defense budget, we have to keep faith with
our men and women in uniform, and invest in the capabilities they need to
succeed in future missions.
We have to remain vigilant. But I
strongly believe our leadership and our security cannot depend on our military
alone. As Commander-in-Chief, I have used force when needed to protect the
American people, and I will never hesitate to do so as long as I hold this
office. But I will not send our troops into harm’s way unless it’s truly
necessary; nor will I allow our sons and daughters to be mired in open-ended
conflicts. We must fight the battles that need to be fought, not those that
terrorists prefer from us – large-scale deployments that drain our strength and
may ultimately feed extremism.
So, even as we aggressively pursue
terrorist networks – through more targeted efforts and by building the capacity
of our foreign partners – America must move off a permanent war footing. That’s
why I’ve imposed prudent limits on the use of drones – for we will not be safer
if people abroad believe we strike within their countries without regard for
the consequence. That’s why, working with this Congress, I will reform our
surveillance programs – because the vital work of our intelligence community
depends on public confidence, here and abroad, that the privacy of ordinary
people is not being violated. And with the Afghan war ending, this needs to be
the year Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we
close the prison at Guantanamo Bay – because we counter terrorism not just
through intelligence and military action, but by remaining true to our
Constitutional ideals, and setting an example for the rest of the world.
You see, in a world of complex threats,
our security and leadership depends on all elements of our power – including
strong and principled diplomacy. American diplomacy has rallied more than fifty
countries to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands, and
allowed us to reduce our own reliance on Cold War stockpiles. American
diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syria’s chemical weapons are
being eliminated, and we will continue to work with the international community
to usher in the future the Syrian people deserve – a future free of
dictatorship, terror and fear. As we speak, American diplomacy is supporting
Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in difficult but necessary talks to
end the conflict there; to achieve dignity and an independent state for
Palestinians, and lasting peace and security for the State of Israel – a Jewish
state that knows America will always be at their side.
And it is American diplomacy, backed by
pressure, that has halted the progress of Iran’s nuclear program – and rolled
parts of that program back – for the very first time in a decade. As we gather
here tonight, Iran has begun to eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of
enriched uranium. It is not installing advanced centrifuges. Unprecedented
inspections help the world verify, every day, that Iran is not building a bomb.
And with our allies and partners, we’re engaged in negotiations to see if we
can peacefully achieve a goal we all share: preventing Iran from obtaining a
nuclear weapon.
These negotiations will be difficult.
They may not succeed. We are clear-eyed about Iran’s support for terrorist
organizations like Hezbollah, which threaten our allies; and the mistrust
between our nations cannot be wished away. But these negotiations do not rely
on trust; any long-term deal we agree to must be based on verifiable action
that convinces us and the international community that Iran is not building a
nuclear bomb. If John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the
Soviet Union, then surely a strong and confident America can negotiate with
less powerful adversaries today.
The sanctions that we put in place
helped make this opportunity possible. But let me be clear: if this Congress
sends me a new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will
veto it. For the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance
to succeed. If Iran’s leaders do not seize this opportunity, then I will be the
first to call for more sanctions, and stand ready to exercise all options to
make sure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon. But if Iran’s leaders do seize
the chance, then Iran could take an important step to rejoin the community of
nations, and we will have resolved one of the leading security challenges of
our time without the risks of war.
Finally, let’s remember that our
leadership is defined not just by our defense against threats, but by the
enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding around the globe –
to forge greater cooperation, to expand new markets, to free people from fear
and want. And no one is better positioned to take advantage of those
opportunities than America.
Our alliance with Europe remains the
strongest the world has ever known. From Tunisia to Burma, we’re supporting
those who are willing to do the hard work of building democracy. In Ukraine, we
stand for the principle that all people have the right to express themselves
freely and peacefully, and have a say in their country’s future. Across Africa,
we’re bringing together businesses and governments to double access to
electricity and help end extreme poverty. In the Americas, we are building new
ties of commerce, but we’re also expanding cultural and educational exchanges
among young people. And we will continue to focus on the Asia-Pacific, where we
support our allies, shape a future of greater security and prosperity, and
extend a hand to those devastated by disaster – as we did in the Philippines,
when our Marines and civilians rushed to aid those battered by a typhoon, and
were greeted with words like, “We will never forget your kindness” and “God
bless America!”
We do these things because they help
promote our long-term security. And we do them because we believe in the
inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or
religion, creed or sexual orientation. And next week, the world will see one
expression of that commitment – when Team USA marches the red, white, and blue
into the Olympic Stadium – and brings home the gold.
My fellow Americans, no other country
in the world does what we do. On every issue, the world turns to us, not simply
because of the size of our economy or our military might – but because of the
ideals we stand for, and the burdens we bear to advance them.
No one knows this better than those who
serve in uniform. As this time of war draws to a close, a new generation of
heroes returns to civilian life. We’ll keep slashing that backlog so our
veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned, and our wounded warriors receive
the health care – including the mental health care – that they need. We’ll keep
working to help all our veterans translate their skills and leadership into
jobs here at home. And we all continue to join forces to honor and support our
remarkable military families.
Let me tell you about one of those
families I’ve come to know.
I first met Cory Remsburg, a proud Army
Ranger, at Omaha Beach on the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Along with some of his
fellow Rangers, he walked me through the program – a strong, impressive young
man, with an easy manner, sharp as a tack. We joked around, and took pictures,
and I told him to stay in touch.
A few months later, on his tenth
deployment, Cory was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
His comrades found him in a canal, face down, underwater, shrapnel in his
brain.
For months, he lay in a coma. The next
time I met him, in the hospital, he couldn’t speak; he could barely move. Over
the years, he’s endured dozens of surgeries and procedures, and hours of
grueling rehab every day.
Even now, Cory is still blind in one
eye. He still struggles on his left side. But slowly, steadily, with the
support of caregivers like his dad Craig, and the community around him, Cory
has grown stronger. Day by day, he’s learned to speak again and stand again and
walk again – and he’s working toward the day when he can serve his country
again.
“My recovery has not been easy,” he
says. “Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.”
Cory is here tonight. And like the Army
he loves, like the America he serves, Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg never
gives up, and he does not quit.
My fellow Americans, men and women like
Cory remind us that America has never come easy. Our freedom, our democracy,
has never been easy. Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes; we get frustrated
or discouraged. But for more than two hundred years, we have put those things
aside and placed our collective shoulder to the wheel of progress – to create
and build and expand the possibilities of individual achievement; to free other
nations from tyranny and fear; to promote justice, and fairness, and equality
under the law, so that the words set to paper by our founders are made real for
every citizen. The America we want for our kids – a rising America where honest
work is plentiful and communities are strong; where prosperity is widely shared
and opportunity for all lets us go as far as our dreams and toil will take us –
none of it is easy. But if we work together; if we summon what is best in us,
with our feet planted firmly in today but our eyes cast towards tomorrow – I
know it’s within our reach.
Believe it.
God bless you, and God bless the United
States of America.
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