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[House Document 115-86]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

115th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 115-
86

 
        PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

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                     THEPRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES

                              transmitting

       THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

  February 2, 2018.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
 Committee on the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to 
                               be printed            
        
                                   ______

                     U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

79-011                        WASHINGTON : 2018 
                       
                               
                               
                               
To the Congress of the United States:
    Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the 
First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans:
    Less than 1 year has passed since I first stood at this 
podium, in this majestic chamber, to speak on behalf of the 
American People--and to address their concerns, their hopes, 
and their dreams. That night, our new Administration had 
already taken swift action. A new tide of optimism was already 
sweeping across our land.
    Each day since, we have gone forward with a clear vision 
and a righteous mission--to make America great again for all 
Americans.
    Over the last year, we have made incredible progress and 
achieved extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we 
expected, and others we could never have imagined. We have 
shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship. We 
endured floods and fires and storms. But through it all, we 
have seen the beauty of America's soul, and the steel in 
America's spine.
    Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who 
we are, and show us what we can be.
    We saw the volunteers of the ``Cajun Navy,'' racing to the 
rescue with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath 
of a devastating hurricane.
    We saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire 
on the Las Vegas strip.
    We heard tales of Americans like Coast Guard Petty Officer 
Ashlee Leppert, who is here tonight in the gallery with 
Melania. Ashlee was aboard one of the first helicopters on the 
scene in Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Through 18 hours of 
wind and rain, Ashlee braved live power lines and deep water, 
to help save more than 40 lives. Thank you, Ashlee.
    We heard about Americans like firefighter David Dahlberg. 
He is here with us too. David faced down walls of flame to 
rescue almost 60 children trapped at a California summer camp 
threatened by wildfires.
    To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, 
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, California, and everywhere 
else--we are with you, we love you, and we will pull through 
together.
    Some trials over the past year touched this chamber very 
personally. With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever 
to serve in this House--a guy who took a bullet, almost died, 
and was back to work three and a half months later: the legend 
from Louisiana, Congressman Steve Scalise.
    We are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the 
Capitol Police Officers, the Alexandria Police, and the 
doctors, nurses, and paramedics who saved his life, and the 
lives of many others in this room.
    In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came 
together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as 
representatives of the people. But it is not enough to come 
together only in times of tragedy. Tonight, I call upon all of 
us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and 
to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were 
elected to serve.
    Over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew: 
that no people on Earth are so fearless, or daring, or 
determined as Americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. 
if there is a frontier, we cross it. If there is a challenge, 
we tame it. If there is an opportunity, we seize it.
    So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of 
our Union is strong because our people are strong.
    And together, we are building a safe, strong, and proud 
America.
    Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, 
including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. After years 
of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.
    Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. African-
American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, 
and Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest 
levels in history.
    Small business confidence is at an all-time high. The stock 
market has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 
trillion in value. That is great news for Americans' 401k, 
retirement, pension, and college savings accounts.
    And just as I promised the American people from this podium 
11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in 
American history.
    Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the 
middle class and small businesses.
    To lower tax rates for hardworking Americans, we nearly 
doubled the standard deduction for everyone. Now, the first 
$24,000 earned by a married couple is completely tax-free. We 
also doubled the child tax credit.
    A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax 
bill reduced by $2,000--slashing their tax bill in half.
    This April will be the last time you ever file under the 
old broken system--and millions of Americans will have more 
take-home pay starting next month.
    We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on 
Americans making less than $50,000 a year--forcing them to pay 
tremendous penalties simply because they could not afford 
government-ordered health plans. We repealed the core of 
disastrous Obamacare--the individual mandate is now gone.
    We slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the 
way down to 21 percent, so American companies can compete and 
win against anyone in the world. These changes alone are 
estimated to increase average family income by more than 
$4,000.
    Small businesses have also received a massive tax cut, and 
can now deduct 20 percent of their business income.
    Here tonight are Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub 
Manufacturing--a small business in Ohio. They have just 
finished the best year in their 20-year history. Because of tax 
reform, they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 
people, and expanding into the building next door.
    One of Staub's employees, Corey Adams, is also with us 
tonight. Corey is an all-American worker. He supported himself 
through high school, lost his job during the 2008 recession, 
and was later hired by Staub, where he trained to become a 
welder. Like many hardworking Americans, Corey plans to invest 
his tax-cut raise into his new home and his two daughters' 
education. Please join me in congratulating Corey.
    Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have 
already gotten tax cut bonuses--many of them thousands of 
dollars per worker. Apple has just announced it plans to invest 
a total of $350 billion in America, and hire another 20,000 
workers.
    This is our new American moment. There has never been a 
better time to start living the American Dream.
    So to every citizen watching at home tonight--no matter 
where you have been, or where you come from, this is your time. 
If you work hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in 
America, then you can dream anything, you can be anything, and 
together, we can achieve anything.
    Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are 
going to have, and what kind of Nation we are going to be. All 
of us, together, as one team, one people, and one American 
family.
    We all share the same home, the same heart, the same 
destiny, and the same great American flag.
    Together, we are rediscovering the American way.
    In America, we know that faith and family, not government 
and bureaucracy, are the center of the American life. Our motto 
is ``in God we trust.''
    And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing 
veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering 
support.
    Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-year-old boy from 
Redding, California, who noticed that veterans' graves were not 
marked with flags on Veterans Day. He decided to change that, 
and started a movement that has now placed 40,000 flags at the 
graves of our great heroes. Preston: a job well done.
    Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic 
duty as Americans. Preston's reverence for those who have 
served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put 
our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why 
we proudly stand for the national anthem.
    Americans love their country. And they deserve a Government 
that shows them the same love and loyalty in return.
    For the Last year we have sought to restore the bonds of 
trust between our citizens and their Government.
    Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will 
interpret the Constitution as written, including a great new 
Supreme Court Justice, and more circuit court judges than any 
new administration in the history of our country.
    We are defending our Second Amendment, and have taken 
historic actions to protect religious liberty.
    And we are serving our brave veterans, including giving our 
veterans choice in their healthcare decisions. Last year, the 
Congress passed, and I signed, the landmark VA Accountability 
Act. Since its passage, my Administration has already removed 
more than 1,500 VA employees who failed to give our veterans 
the care they deserve--and we are hiring talented people who 
love our vets as much as we do.
    I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care 
of, which has been my promise to them from the very beginning 
of this great journey.
    All Americans deserve accountability and respect--and that 
is what we are giving them. So tonight, I call on the Congress 
to empower every Cabinet Secretary with the authority to reward 
good workers--and to remove Federal employees who undermine the 
public trust or fail the American people.
    In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have 
eliminated more regulations in our first year than any 
administration in history.
    We have ended the war on American Energy--and we have ended 
the war on clean coal. We are now an exporter of energy to the 
world.
    In Detroit, I halted Government mandates that crippled 
America's autoworkers--so we can get the Motor City revving its 
engines once again.
    Many car companies are now building and expanding plants in 
the United States--something we have not seen for decades.
    Chrysler is moving a major plant from Mexico to Michigan; 
Toyota and Mazda are opening up a plant in Alabama. Soon, 
plants will be opening up all over the country. This is all 
news Americans are unaccustomed to hearing--for many years, 
companies and jobs were only leaving us. But now they are 
coming back.
    Exciting progress is happening every day.
    To speed access to breakthrough cures and affordable 
generic drugs, last year the FDA approved more new and generic 
drugs and medical devices than ever before in our history.
    We also believe that patients with terminal conditions 
should have access to experimental treatments that could 
potentially save their lives.
    People who are terminally ill should not have to go from 
country to country to seek a cure--I want to give them a chance 
right here at home. It is time for the Congress to give these 
wonderful Americans the ``right to try.''
    One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of 
prescription drugs. In many other countries, these drugs cost 
far less than what we pay in the United States. That is why I 
have directed my Administration to make fixing the injustice of 
high drug prices one of our top priorities. Prices will come 
down.
    America has also finally turned the page on decades of 
unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped 
away our companies, our jobs, and our Nation's wealth.
    The era of economic surrender is over.
    From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and 
to be reciprocal.
    We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones.
    And we will protect American workers and American 
intellectual property, through strong enforcement of our trade 
rules.
    As we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild 
our crumbling infrastructure.
    America is a nation of builders. We built the Empire State 
Building in just 1 year--is it not a disgrace that it can now 
take 10 years just to get a permit approved for a simple road?
    I am asking both parties to come together to give us the 
safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy 
needs and our people deserve.
    Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to produce a bill 
that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new 
infrastructure investment we need.
    Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with 
State and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping 
into private sector investment--to permanently fix the 
infrastructure deficit.
    Any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval 
process--getting it down to no more than two years, and perhaps 
even one.
    Together, we can reclaim our building heritage. We will 
build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and 
waterways across our land. And we will do it with American 
heart, American hands, and American grit.
    We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day's 
work. We want every child to be safe in their home at night. 
And we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we 
love.
    We can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from 
dependence to independence, and from poverty to prosperity.
    As tax cuts create new jobs, let us invest in workforce 
development and job training. Let us open great vocational 
schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize 
their full potential. And let us support working families by 
supporting paid family leave.
    As America regains its strength, this opportunity must be 
extended to all citizens. That is why this year we will embark 
on reforming our prisons to help former inmates who have served 
their time get a second chance.
    Struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, 
will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the 
best interests of American workers and American families.
    For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to 
pour into our most vulnerable communities. They have allowed 
millions of low-wage workers to compete for jobs and wages 
against the poorest Americans. Most tragically, they have 
caused the loss of many innocent lives.
    Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers: Evelyn 
Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert 
Mickens. Their two teenage daughters--Kayla Cuevas and Nisa 
Mickens--were close friends on Long Island. But in September 
2016, on the eve of Nisa's 16th Birthday, neither of them came 
home. These two precious girls were brutally murdered while 
walking together in their hometown. Six members of the savage 
gang MS-13 have been charged with Kayla and Nisa's murders. 
Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes 
in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien 
minors--and wound up in Kayla and Nisa's high school.
    Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight, everyone in 
this chamber is praying for you. Everyone in America is 
grieving for you. And 320 million hearts are breaking for you. 
We cannot imagine the depth of your sorrow, but we can make 
sure that other families never have to endure this pain.
    Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to finally close the 
deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, 
to break into our country. We have proposed new legislation 
that will fix our immigration laws, and support our ICE and 
Border Patrol Agents, so that this cannot ever happen again.
    The United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud 
that we do more than any other country to help the needy, the 
struggling, and the underprivileged all over the world. But as 
President of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest 
compassion, and my constant concern is for America's children, 
America's struggling workers, and America's forgotten 
communities. I want our youth to grow up to achieve great 
things. I want our poor to have their chance to rise.
    So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with 
members of both parties--Democrats and Republicans--to protect 
our citizens of every background, color, religion, and creed. 
My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this 
chamber, is to defend Americans--to protect their safety, their 
families, their communities, and their right to the American 
Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too.
    Here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our 
country: Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent 
Celestino Martinez--he goes by CJ. CJ served 15 years in the 
Air Force before becoming an ICE agent and spending the last 15 
years fighting gang violence and getting dangerous criminals 
off our streets. At one point, MS-13 leaders ordered CJ's 
murder. But he did not cave to threats or fear. Last May, he 
commanded an operation to track down gang members on Long 
island. His team has arrested nearly 400, including more than 
220 from MS-13.
    CJ: Great work. Now let us get the Congress to send you 
some reinforcements.
    Over the next few weeks, the House and Senate will be 
voting on an immigration reform package.
    In recent months, my Administration has met extensively 
with both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan 
approach to immigration reform. Based on these discussions, we 
presented the Congress with a detailed proposal that should be 
supported by both parties as a fair compromise--one where 
nobody gets everything they want, but where our country gets 
the critical reforms it needs.
    Here are the four pillars of our plan:
    The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path 
to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were 
brought here by their parents at a young age--that covers 
almost three times more people than the previous 
administration. Under our plan, those who meet education and 
work requirements, and show good moral character, will be able 
to become full citizens of the United States.
    The second pillar fully secures the border. That means 
building a wall on the Southern border, and it means hiring 
more heroes like CJ to keep our communities safe. Crucially, 
our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals 
and terrorists to enter our country--and it finally ends the 
dangerous practice of ``catch and release.''
    The third pillar ends the visa lottery--a program that 
randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, 
merit, or the safety of our people. It is time to begin moving 
towards a merit-based immigration system--one that admits 
people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute 
to our society, and who will love and respect our country.
    The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by 
ending chain migration. Under the current broken system, a 
single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of 
distant relatives. Under our plan, we focus on the immediate 
family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children. 
This vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but 
for our security, and our future.
    In recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were 
made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration. In the 
age of terrorism, these programs present risks we can no longer 
afford.
    It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules, and 
finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century.
    These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, 
and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration 
system.
    For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve 
this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes 
it happen.
    Most importantly, these four pillars will produce 
legislation that fulfills my ironclad pledge to only sign a 
bill that puts America first. So let us come together, set 
politics aside, and finally get the job done.
    These reforms will also support our response to the 
terrible crisis of opioid and drug addiction.
    In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses: 174 
deaths per day. Seven per hour. We must get much tougher on 
drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping 
this scourge.
    My Administration is committed to fighting the drug 
epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need. The 
struggle will be long and difficult--but, as Americans always 
do, we will prevail.
    As we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges 
bring out the best in America.
    We see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the 
Holets family of New Mexico. Ryan Holets is 27 years old, and 
an officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. He is here 
tonight with his wife Rebecca. Last year, Ryan was on duty when 
he saw a pregnant, homeless woman preparing to inject heroin. 
When Ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child, she 
began to weep. She told him she did not know where to turn, but 
badly wanted a safe home for her baby.
    In that moment, Ryan said he felt God speak to him: ``You 
will do it--because you can.'' He took out a picture of his 
wife and their four kids. Then, he went home to tell his wife 
Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed to adopt. The Holets named 
their new daughter Hope.
    Ryan and Rebecca: You embody the goodness of our Nation. 
Thank you, and congratulations.
    As we rebuild America's strength and confidence at home, we 
are also restoring our strength and standing abroad.
    Around the world, we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups, 
and rivals like China and Russia that challenge our interests, 
our economy, and our values. In confronting these dangers, we 
know that weakness is the surest path to conflict, and 
unmatched power is the surest means of our defense.
    For this reason, I am asking the Congress to end the 
dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military.
    As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our 
nuclear arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but making 
it so strong and powerful that it will deter any acts of 
aggression. Perhaps someday in the future there will be a 
magical moment when the countries of the world will get 
together to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we 
are not there yet.
    Last year, I also pledged that we would work with our 
allies to extinguish ISIS from the face of the Earth. One year 
later, I am proud to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS 
has liberated almost 100 percent of the territory once held by 
these killers in Iraq and Syria. But there is much more work to 
be done. We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated.
    Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight. Near 
Ragga, last November, Justin and his comrade, Chief Petty 
Officer Kenton Stacy, were on a mission to clear buildings that 
ISIS had rigged with explosives so that civilians could return 
to the city.
    Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital, Kenton Stacy 
was severely wounded by an explosion. Immediately, Justin 
bounded into the booby-trapped building and found Kenton in bad 
shape. He applied pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to 
reopen an airway. He then performed CPR for 20 straight minutes 
during the ground transport and maintained artificial 
respiration through 2 hours of emergency surgery.
    Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin's selfless 
love for a fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in 
Texas. Raqqa is liberated. And Justin is wearing his new Bronze 
Star, with a ``V'' for ``Valor.'' Staff Sergeant Peck: All of 
America salutes you.
    Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian 
hospitals are evil. When possible, we annihilate them. When 
necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we 
must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are 
unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured overseas, they 
should be treated like the terrorists they are.
    In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds of 
dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the 
battlefield--including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi.
    So today, I am keeping another promise. I just signed an 
order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military 
detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at 
Guantanamo Bay.
    I am also asking the Congress to ensure that, in the fight 
against ISIS and al-Qa'ida, we continue to have all necessary 
power to detain terrorists--wherever we chase them down.
    Our warriors in Afghanistan also have new rules of 
engagement. Along with their heroic Afghan partners, our 
military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and 
we no longer tell our enemies our plans.
    Last month, I also took an action endorsed unanimously by 
the Senate just months before: I recognized Jerusalem as the 
capital of Israel.
    Shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the United 
Nations General Assembly against America's sovereign right to 
make this recognition. American taxpayers generously send those 
same countries billions of dollars in aid every year.
    That is why, tonight, I am asking the Congress to pass 
legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars 
always serve American interests, and only go to America's 
friends.
    As we strengthen friendships around the world, we are also 
restoring clarity about our adversaries.
    When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their 
corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands 
with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for 
freedom.
    I am asking the Congress to address the fundamental flaws 
in the terrible Iran nuclear deal.
    My Administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the 
communist and socialist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.
    But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally 
or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea.
    North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could 
very soon threaten our homeland.
    We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent 
that from happening.
    Past experience has taught us that complacency and 
concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not 
repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into 
this dangerous position.
    We need only look at the depraved character of the North 
Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it 
could pose to America and our allies.
    Otto Warmbier was a hardworking student at the University 
of Virginia. On his way to study abroad in Asia, Otto joined a 
tour to North Korea. At its conclusion, this wonderful young 
man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. 
After a shameful trial, the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 
years of hard labor, before returning him to America last 
June--horribly injured and on the verge of death. He passed 
away just days after his return.
    Otto's Parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are with us 
tonight--along with Otto's brother and sister, Austin and 
Greta. You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens 
our world, and your strength inspires us all. Tonight, we 
pledge to honor Otto's memory with American resolve.
    Finally, we are joined by one more witness to the ominous 
nature of this regime. His name is Mr. Ji Seong-ho.
    In 1996, Seong-ho was a starving boy in North Korea. One 
day, he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a 
few scraps of food. In the process, he passed out on the train 
tracks, exhausted from hunger. He woke up as a train ran over 
his limbs. He then endured multiple amputations without 
anything to dull the pain. His brother and sister gave what 
little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt 
themselves--permanently stunting their own growth. Later, he 
was tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a 
brief visit to China. His tormentors wanted to know if he had 
met any Christians. He had--and he resolved to be free.
    Seong-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches across 
China and Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family 
followed. His father was caught trying to escape, and was 
tortured to death.
    Today he lives in Seoul, where he rescues other defectors, 
and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the 
most--the truth.
    Today he has a new leg, but Seong-ho, I understand you 
still keep those crutches as a reminder of how far you have 
come. Your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all.
    Seong-ho's story is a testament to the yearning of every 
human soul to live in freedom.
    It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years 
ago gave birth to a special place called America. It was a 
small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a 
vast wilderness. But it was home to an incredible people with a 
revolutionary idea: that they could rule themselves. That they 
could chart their own destiny. And that, together, they could 
light up the world.
    That is what our country has always been about. That is 
what Americans have always stood for, always strived for, and 
always done.
    Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the Statue of Freedom. 
She stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our 
ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her.
    Monuments to Washington and Jefferson--to Lincoln and King.
    Memorials to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga--to young 
Americans who shed their blood on the shores of Normandy, and 
the fields beyond. And others, who went down in the waters of 
the Pacific and the skies over Asia.
    And freedom stands tall over one more monument: this one. 
This Capitol. This living monument to the American people.
    A people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all 
around us--defending hope, pride, and the American way.
    They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. 
They care for our children at home. They defend our flag 
abroad. They are strong moms and brave kids. They are 
firefighters, police officers, border agents, medics, and 
Marines.
    But above all else, they are Americans. And this Capitol, 
this city, and this Nation, belong to them.
    Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve 
them, to protect them, and to always be worthy of them.
    Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the 
bounds of science and discovery. And they forever remind us of 
what we should never forget: The people dreamed this country. 
The people built this country. And it is the people who are 
making America great again.
    As long as we are proud of who we are, and what we are 
fighting for, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
    As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our 
citizens, and trust in our God, we will not fail.
    Our families will thrive.
    Our people will prosper.
    And our Nation will forever be safe and strong and proud 
and mighty and free.
    Thank you, and God bless America.

                                                   Donald J. Trump.
    The White House, January 30, 2018.

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