U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

19–011 2012

112th Congress, 2d Session – – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 112–76 

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION 

OF CONGRESS 

MESSAGE 

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRANSMITTING

THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION 

OF CONGRESS 

JANUARY 25, 2012.—Message and accompanying papers referred to the 

Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered 

to be printed 


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To the Congress of the United States: 

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: 

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed 

home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered 

a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million 

of our fellow citizens fought—and several thousand gave their lives. 

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has 

made the United States safer and more respected around the 

world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans 

fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin 

Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been 

broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home. 

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, 

and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too 

many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They 

work together. 

Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. 

Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads 

the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new 

generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and 

prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy 

built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded. 

We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At 

the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and 

middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran 

of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My 

grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of 

a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth. 

The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a Depression and fascism. They understood they were 

part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of 

success that every American had a chance to share—the basic 

American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well 

enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, 

and put a little away for retirement. 

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. 

No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can 

either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do 

really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or 

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one does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of 

rules. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them. 

Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs 

and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made 

businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks 

at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up. 

In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages 

had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. 

Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. 

Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority 

to stop the bad behavior. 

It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy 

into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more 

debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. 

In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million 

jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in 

full effect. 

Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they 

created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And 

we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a 

crisis like that never happens again. 

The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too 

far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with 

anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend 

to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis 

in the first place. 

No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, 

bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak 

about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last—an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. 

This blueprint begins with American manufacturing. 

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of 

collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs 

at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle 

their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. 

Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one 

automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major 

car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. 

And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs. 

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. 

And tonight, the American auto industry is back. 

What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It 

can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can’t 

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ting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of 

Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to 

bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, 

Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity. 

So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to 

business leaders is simple: ask yourselves what you can do to bring 

jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we 

can to help you succeed. 

We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax 

breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies 

that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax 

rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. 

So let’s change it. First, if you’re a business that wants to 

outsource jobs, you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it. That 

money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like 

Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home. 

Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its 

fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now 

on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for 

companies that choose to stay here and hire here. 

Third, if you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you’re a high-tech manufacturer, we should double 

the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you 

want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory 

left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, 

or training for new workers. 

My message is simple. It’s time to stop rewarding businesses 

that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create 

jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms and I’ll sign 

them right away. 

We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. 

exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I 

signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal—ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American 

goods in Panama, Colombia and South Korea. Soon, there will be 

new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, 

and Chicago. 

I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don’t 

play by the rules. We’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration—and it’s made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we 

stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It’s not 

right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be 

pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on 

ours only because they’re heavily subsidized. 

Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement 

Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices 

in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent 


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counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this 

Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you— 

America will always win. 

I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the 

United States, but can’t find workers with the right skills. Growing 

industries in science and technology have twice as many openings 

as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that—openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work. 

That’s inexcusable. And we know how to fix it. 

Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid 

off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine 

factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design 

courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie’s tuition, then 

hired her to help operate their plant. 

I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train 

two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. 

My Administration has already lined up more companies that want 

to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and 

community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando and Louisville 

are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers—places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing. 

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, 

one website, and one place to go for all the information and help 

they need. It’s time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work. 

These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But 

to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and 

education has to start earlier. 

For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we’ve convinced nearly every State in the country 

to raise their standards for teaching and learning—the first time 

that’s happened in a generation. 

But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them. 

At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, 

tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. 

We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from 

poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every 

person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest 

pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies— 

just to make a difference. 

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the 

status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to 

keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, 


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grant schools flexibility: to teach with creativity and passion, to 

stop teaching to the test, and to replace teachers who just aren’t 

helping kids learn. 

We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away 

from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students 

stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen. 

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the 

cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt 

than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates 

on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax 

credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way 

through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the 

next five years. 

Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t 

just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. 

States also need to do their part, by making higher education a 

higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have 

to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke 

with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that. Some 

schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. 

Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me 

put colleges and universities on notice: if you can’t stop tuition 

from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. 

Higher education can’t be a luxury—it’s an economic imperative 

that every family in America should be able to afford. 

Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, 

hardworking students in this country face another challenge: the 

fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought 

here as small children, are American through and through, yet 

they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came 

more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but 

as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new 

products and create new jobs somewhere else. 

That doesn’t make sense. 

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the 

border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office. 

The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working 

on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if electionyear politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, 

let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who 

want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away. 

You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the 

talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means 

women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should 

support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and 

entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs. 

After all, innovation is what America has always been about. 

Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So 


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let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising 

wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So 

put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year. 

Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries 

taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could 

lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones 

untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can 

stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t 

let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same 

kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and 

the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries. 

Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in Americanmade energy. Over the last three years, we’ve opened millions of 

new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I’m directing my 

Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is 

the highest that it’s been in eight years. That’s right—eight years. 

Not only that—last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any 

of the past sixteen years. 

But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t 

enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy 

that develops every available source of American energy—a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs. 

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 

one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible 

action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose 

the chemicals they use. America will develop this resource without 

putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk. 

The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks 

and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t 

have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by 

the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty 

years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock—reminding us that Government support 

is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the 

ground. 

What’s true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three 

years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech 

batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use 

has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because 

of it. 

When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, 

he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second 

chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan, who said, ‘‘I’m 

proud to be working in the industry of the future.’’ 

Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these 

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nologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk 

away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from 

workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same 

commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. 

That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an 

industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a 

clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean 

energy tax credits and create these jobs. 

We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why 

Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well tonight, I will. I’m directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million 

homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the 

largest commitments to clean energy in history—with the Navy 

purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes 

a year. 

Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. 

So here’s another proposal: help manufacturers eliminate energy 

waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade 

their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over 

the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. 

Send me a bill that creates these jobs. 

Building this new energy future should be just one part of a 

broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure. So much of 

America needs to be rebuilt. We’ve got crumbling roads and 

bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete 

high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business 

owner in rural America from selling her products all over the 

world. 

During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and 

the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our 

States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, 

from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use 

them today. 

In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing 

away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. 

But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we’re no 

longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and 

use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home. 

There’s never been a better time to build, especially since the 

construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing 

bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren’t the only ones 

hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who’ve seen their 

home values decline. And while Government can’t fix the problem 

on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn’t have to sit and wait 

for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief. 


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That’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every re- sponsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on 

their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No 

more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on 

the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won’t add to 

the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a 

chance to repay a deficit of trust. 

Let’s never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play 

by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top 

to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America 

built to last insists on responsibility from everybody. 

We’ve all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people 

who couldn’t afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn’t afford 

them. That’s why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, 

or faulty medical devices, don’t destroy the free market. They make 

the free market work better. 

There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the 

first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor 

did in his. I’ve ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that 

don’t make sense. We’re revising over 500 more, just a fraction of 

reforms that will save business and citizens more than $10 billion 

over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago 

that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year 

proving that they could contain a spill—because milk was somehow 

classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk. 

I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal 

agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from 

making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we 

saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting 

our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is 

safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when 

health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your 

policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men. 

And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed 

to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore 

what should be any financial system’s core purpose: getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or 

send a kid to college. 

So if you’re a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer 

allowed to make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re 

required to write out a ‘‘living will’’ that details exactly how you’ll 

pay the bills if you fail—because the rest of us aren’t bailing you 

out ever again. And if you’re a mortgage lender or a payday lender 

or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices 

are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in 

Richard Cordray with one job: to look out for them. 

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ple’s investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud 

laws because there’s no real penalty for being a repeat offender. 

That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of 

bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. 

So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count. 

And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special 

unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to 

expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging 

of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will 

hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to 

homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that 

hurt so many Americans. 

A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. But it 

should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest 

in our future. 

Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 

160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. 

People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. 

There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let’s agree right here, 

right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay. 

When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that 

means making choices. Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 

trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break 

for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of 

loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires 

pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right 

now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. 

Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? 

Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else—like 

education and medical research; a strong military and care for our 

veterans? Because if we’re serious about paying down our debt, we 

can’t do both. 

The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As 

I told the Speaker this summer, I’m prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, 

and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain 

a guarantee of security for seniors. 

But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like 

me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share 

of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: if you make 

more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: 

Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you’re 

earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under 

$250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes 

shouldn’t go up. You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and 

stagnant wages. You’re the ones who need relief. 

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a 

billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most 

Americans would call that common sense. 


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We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire 

it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share 

of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don’t need and the country 

can’t afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to 

make up the difference—like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends 

meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They know 

that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that 

same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our 

deficit. That’s an America built to last. 

I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views 

about taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what 

party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same 

thing right now: nothing will get done this year, or next year, or 

maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken. 

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical? 

The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn’t 

come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in 

Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or 

not. Who benefited from that fiasco? 

I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street 

and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of 

the country is at least as bad—and it seems to get worse every 

year. 

Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in 

politics. So together, let’s take some steps to fix that. Send me a 

bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will 

sign it tomorrow. Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks 

in industries they impact. Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice 

versa—an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of 

Washington. 

Some of what’s broken has to do with the way Congress does its 

business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get 

anything—even routine business—passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties 

should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a 

rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days. 

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to 

grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so 

that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the 

needs of the American people. 

Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower 

the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the 

two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead 

of building consensus around common sense ideas. 

I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln 

believed: that Government should do for people only what they canVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:43 Jan 26, 2012 Jkt 019011 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HD076.XXX HD076

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not do better by themselves, and no more. That’s why my education 

reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and 

States. That’s why we’re getting rid of regulations that don’t work. 

That’s why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program. 

On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain 

the most about Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the 

folks back home. 

The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or 

without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the 

economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States of 

America can’t achieve. 

That is the lesson we’ve learned from our actions abroad over the 

last few years. 

Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows 

against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda 

operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America. 

From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind down the 

war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. 

Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. 

This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an 

enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a 

source of attacks against America. 

As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across 

the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from 

Sana’a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators—a murderer with American blood on his 

hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the 

Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can’t be 

reversed, and that human dignity can’t be denied. 

How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. 

But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will 

advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. 

We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for 

the rights and dignity of all human beings—men and women; 

Christians, Muslims and Jews. We will support policies that lead 

to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty. 

And we will safeguard America’s own security against those who 

threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. 

Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided 

about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one. 

The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced 

with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: 

America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear 

weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that 

goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far 


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better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can 

rejoin the community of nations. 

The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. 

Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. 

Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment to 

Israel’s security has meant the closest military cooperation between 

our two countries in history. We’ve made it clear that America is 

a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. 

From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear materials, to the 

missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the blows 

we’ve dealt to our enemies; to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back. 

Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know 

what they’re talking about. That’s not the message we get from 

leaders around the world, all of whom are eager to work with us. 

That’s not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town 

to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they’ve been in 

years. Yes, the world is changing; no, we can’t control every event. 

But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs—and as long as I’m President, I intend to keep it that way. 

That’s why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed 

a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our 

budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already 

sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the 

growing danger of cyberthreats. 

Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women 

in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them 

as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and 

benefits they have earned—which is why we’ve increased annual 

VA spending every year I’ve been President. And it means enlisting 

our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation. 

With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing 

new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden 

have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 

135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I’m proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire 

veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as 

those who defend her. 

Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been 

sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When 

you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; 

Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or 

straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the 

person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick 

of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving 

no one behind. 

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team 

took with them on the mission to kill bin Laden. On it are each 

of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day 

in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates—a man who 


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was George Bush’s defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a 

woman who ran against me for president. 

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought 

about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young 

men involved in the raid later told me that he didn’t deserve credit 

for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single 

member of that unit did their job—the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from 

entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and 

children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. 

More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member 

of that unit trusted each other—because you can’t charge up those 

stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there’s 

someone behind you, watching your back. 

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded 

that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those 

thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get 

each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. 

As long as we’re joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain 

our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is 

hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong. 

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States 

of America. 

BARACK OBAMA. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, January 24, 2012. 

Æ 


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