U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

99–011 2011

112th Congress, 1st Session – – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 112–51 

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION 

OF CONGRESS 

MESSAGE 

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRANSMITTING

AN ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO A JOINT SESSION OF 

CONGRESS 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011.—Message and accompanying papers referred to the 

Committee on 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, and fellow Americans: 

Tonight we meet at an urgent time for our country. We continue 

to face an economic crisis that has left millions of our neighbors 

jobless, and a political crisis that has made things worse. 

This past week, reporters have been asking ‘‘What will this 

speech mean for the President? What will it mean for Congress? 

How will it affect their polls, and the next election?’’ 

But the millions of Americans who are watching right now: they 

don’t care about politics. They have real life concerns. Many have 

spent months looking for work. Others are doing their best just to 

scrape by—giving up nights out with the family to save on gas or 

make the mortgage; postponing retirement to send a kid to college. 

These men and women grew up with faith in an America where 

hard work and responsibility paid off. They believed in a country 

where everyone gets a fair shake and does their fair share—where 

if you stepped up, did your job, and were loyal to your company, 

that loyalty would be rewarded with a decent salary and good benefits; maybe a raise once in awhile. If you did the right thing, you 

could make it in America. 

But for decades now, Americans have watched that compact 

erode. They have seen the deck too often stacked against them. 

And they know that Washington hasn’t always put their interests 

first. 

The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours. The question 

is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop 

the political circus and actually do something to help the economy; 

whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has 

defined this nation since our beginning. 

Those of us here tonight can’t solve all of our nation’s woes. Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our 

businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s 

lives. 

I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right 

away. It’s called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing 

controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything in here is 

the kind of proposal that’s been supported by both Democrats and 

Republicans—including many who sit here tonight. And everything 

in this bill will be paid for. Everything. 

The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are 

working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more 

jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the 

long-term unemployed. It will provide a tax break for companies 


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who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every 

working American and every small business. It will provide a jolt 

to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that 

if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products 

and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away. 

Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new 

jobs begin. And you know that while corporate profits have come 

roaring back, smaller companies haven’t. So for everyone who 

speaks so passionately about making life easier for ‘‘job creators,’’ 

this plan is for you. 

Pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will 

get a tax cut if they hire new workers or raise workers’ wages. Pass 

this jobs bill, and all small business owners will also see their payroll taxes cut in half next year. If you have 50 employees making 

an average salary, that’s an $80,000 tax cut. And all businesses 

will be able to continue writing off the investments they make in 

2012. 

It’s not just Democrats who have supported this kind of proposal. 

Fifty House Republicans have proposed the same payroll tax cut 

that’s in this plan. You should pass it right away. 

Pass this jobs bill, and we can put people to work rebuilding 

America. Everyone here knows that we have badly decaying roads 

and bridges all over this country. Our highways are clogged with 

traffic. Our skies are the most congested in the world. 

This is inexcusable. Building a world-class transportation system 

is part of what made us an economic superpower. And now we’re 

going to sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster 

railroads? At a time when millions of unemployed construction 

workers could build them right here in America? 

There are private construction companies all across America just 

waiting to get to work. There’s a bridge that needs repair between 

Ohio and Kentucky that’s on one of the busiest trucking routes in 

North America. A public transit project in Houston that will help 

clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country. And there 

are schools throughout this country that desperately need renovating. How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that 

are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a 

great school—and we can give it to them, if we act now. 

The American Jobs Act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 

schools. It will put people to work right now fixing roofs and windows; installing science labs and high-speed internet in classrooms 

all across this country. It will rehabilitate homes and businesses in 

communities hit hardest by foreclosures. It will jumpstart thousands of transportation projects across the country. And to make 

sure the money is properly spent and for good purposes, we’re 

building on reforms we’ve already put in place. No more earmarks. 

No more boondoggles. No more bridges to nowhere. We’re cutting 

the red tape that prevents some of these projects from getting 

started as quickly as possible. And we’ll set up an independent 

fund to attract private dollars and issue loans based on two criteria: how badly a construction project is needed and how much 

good it would do for the economy. 

This idea came from a bill written by a Texas Republican and a 

Massachusetts Democrat. The idea for a big boost in construction 


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is supported by America’s largest business organization and America’s largest labor organization. It’s the kind of proposal that’s been 

supported in the past by Democrats and Republicans alike. You 

should pass it right away. 

Pass this jobs bill, and thousands of teachers in every state will 

go back to work. These are the men and women charged with preparing our children for a world where the competition has never 

been tougher. But while they’re adding teachers in places like 

South Korea, we’re laying them off in droves. It’s unfair to our 

kids. It undermines their future and ours. And it has to stop. Pass 

this jobs bill, and put our teachers back in the classroom where 

they belong. 

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get extra tax credits if 

they hire America’s veterans. We ask these men and women to 

leave their careers, leave their families, and risk their lives to fight 

for our country. The last thing they should have to do is fight for 

a job when they come home. 

Pass this bill, and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young 

people will have the hope and dignity of a summer job next year. 

And their parents, low-income Americans who desperately want to 

work, will have more ladders out of poverty. 

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if 

they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for 

a job. We have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in 

their search for work. This jobs plan builds on a program in Georgia that several Republican leaders have highlighted, where people 

who collect unemployment insurance participate in temporary work 

as a way to build their skills while they look for a permanent job. 

The plan also extends unemployment insurance for another year. 

If the millions of unemployed Americans stopped getting this insurance, and stopped using that money for basic necessities, it would 

be a devastating blow to this economy. Democrats and Republicans 

in this Chamber have supported unemployment insurance plenty of 

times in the past. At this time of prolonged hardship, you should 

pass it again—right away. 

Pass this jobs bill, and the typical working family will get a fifteen hundred dollar tax cut next year. Fifteen hundred dollars that 

would have been taken out of your paycheck will go right into your 

pocket. This expands on the tax cut that Democrats and Republicans already passed for this year. If we allow that tax cut to expire—if we refuse to act—middle-class families will get hit with a 

tax increase at the worst possible time. We cannot let that happen. 

I know some of you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on 

anyone for as long as you live. Now is not the time to carve out 

an exception and raise middle-class taxes, which is why you should 

pass this bill right away. 

This is the American Jobs Act. It will lead to new jobs for construction workers, teachers, veterans, first responders, young people and the long-term unemployed. It will provide tax credits to 

companies that hire new workers, tax relief for small business owners, and tax cuts for the middle-class. And here’s the other thing 

I want the American people to know: the American Jobs Act will 

not add to the deficit. It will be paid for. And here’s how: 


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The agreement we passed in July will cut government spending by about $1 trillion over the next ten years. It also charges this 

Congress to come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in savings by 

Christmas. Tonight, I’m asking you to increase that amount so that 

it covers the full cost of the American Jobs Act. And a week from 

Monday, I’ll be releasing a more ambitious deficit plan—a plan that 

will not only allow us to boost jobs and growth in the short-term, 

but stabilize our debt in the long run. 

This approach is basically the one I’ve been advocating for 

months. In addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts I’ve already signed into law, it’s a balanced plan that would reduce the 

deficit by making additional spending cuts; by making modest adjustments to health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid; and 

by reforming our tax code in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share. What’s more, 

the spending cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a 

drag on our economy, or prevent us from helping small business 

and middle-class families get back on their feet right away. 

Now, I realize there are some in my party who don’t think we 

should make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid, and I 

understand their concerns. But here’s the truth. Millions of Americans rely on Medicare in their retirement. And millions more will 

do so in the future. They pay for this benefit during their working 

years. They earn it. But with an aging population and rising health 

care costs, we are spending too fast to sustain the program. And 

if we don’t gradually reform the system while protecting current 

beneficiaries, it won’t be there when future retirees need it. We 

have to reform Medicare to strengthen it. 

I’m also well aware that there are many Republicans who don’t 

believe we should raise taxes on those who are most fortunate and 

can best afford it. But here is what every American knows. While 

most people in this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of 

the most affluent citizens and corporations enjoy tax breaks and 

loopholes that nobody else gets. Right now, Warren Buffet pays a 

lower tax rate than his secretary—an outrage he has asked us to 

fix. We need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake, and everybody pays their fair share. And I believe the vast majority of 

wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to do just that, if it helps 

the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order. 

I’ll also offer ideas to reform a corporate tax code that stands as 

a monument to special interest influence in Washington. By eliminating pages of loopholes and deductions, we can lower one of the 

highest corporate tax rates in the world. Our tax code shouldn’t 

give an advantage to companies that can afford the best-connected 

lobbyists. It should give an advantage to companies that invest and 

create jobs here in America. 

So we can reduce this deficit, pay down our debt, and pay for this 

jobs plan in the process. But in order to do this, we have to decide 

what our priorities are. We have to ask ourselves, ‘‘What’s the best 

way to grow the economy and create jobs?’’ 

Should we keep tax loopholes for oil companies? Or should we 

use that money to give small business owners a tax credit when 

they hire new workers? Because we can’t afford to do both. Should 

we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we 


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put teachers back to work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs? Right now, we can’t afford to do both. 

This isn’t political grandstanding. This isn’t class warfare. This 

is simple math. These are real choices that we have to make. And 

I’m pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose. It’s not 

even close. And it’s time for us to do what’s right for our future. 

The American Jobs Act answers the urgent need to create jobs 

right away. But we can’t stop there. As I’ve argued since I ran for 

this office, we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and start 

building an economy that lasts into the future—an economy that 

creates good, middle-class jobs that pay well and offer security. We 

now live in a world where technology has made it possible for companies to take their business anywhere. If we want them to start 

here and stay here and hire here, we have to be able to out-build, 

out-educate, and out-innovate every other country on Earth. 

This task, of making America more competitive for the long haul, 

is a job for all of us. For government and for private companies. 

For states and for local communities—and for every American citizen. All of us will have to up our game. All of us will have to 

change the way we do business. 

My administration can and will take some steps to improve our 

competitiveness on our own. For example, if you’re a small business 

owner who has a contract with the federal government, we’re going 

to make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do now. We’re also 

planning to cut away the red tape that prevents too many rapidlygrowing start-up companies from raising capital and going public. 

And to help responsible homeowners, we’re going to work with Federal housing agencies to help more people refinance their mortgages at interest rates that are now near 4%—a step that can put 

more than $2,000 a year in a family’s pocket, and give a lift to an 

economy still burdened by the drop in housing prices. 

Other steps will require Congressional action. Today you passed 

reform that will speed up the outdated patent process, so that entrepreneurs can turn a new idea into a new business as quickly as 

possible. That’s the kind of action we need. Now it’s time to clear 

the way for a series of trade agreements that would make it easier 

for American companies to sell their products in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea—while also helping the workers whose jobs 

have been affected by global competition. If Americans can buy 

Kias and Hyundais, I want to see folks in South Korea driving 

Fords and Chevys and Chryslers. I want to see more products sold 

around the world stamped with three proud words: ‘‘Made in America.’’ 

And on all of our efforts to strengthen competitiveness, we need 

to look for ways to work side-by-side with America’s businesses. 

That’s why I’ve brought together a Jobs Council of leaders from different industries who are developing a wide range of new ideas to 

help companies grow and create jobs. 

Already, we’ve mobilized business leaders to train 10,000 American engineers a year, by providing company internships and training. Other businesses are covering tuition for workers who learn 

new skills at community colleges. And we’re going to make sure the 

next generation of manufacturing takes root not in China or Europe, but right here, in the United States of America. If we provide 


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the right incentives and support—and if we make sure our trading 

partners play by the rules—we can be the ones to build everything 

from fuel-efficient cars to advanced biofuels to semiconductors that 

are sold all over the world. That’s how America can be number one 

again. That’s how America will be number one again. 

Now, I realize that some of you have a different theory on how 

to grow the economy. Some of you sincerely believe that the only 

solution to our economic challenges is to simply cut most government spending and eliminate most government regulations. 

Well, I agree that we can’t afford wasteful spending, and I will 

continue to work with Congress to get rid of it. And I agree that 

there are some rules and regulations that put an unnecessary burden on businesses at a time when they can least afford it. That’s 

why I ordered a review of all government regulations. So far, we’ve 

identified over 500 reforms, which will save billions of dollars over 

the next few years. We should have no more regulation than the 

health, safety, and security of the American people require. Every 

rule should meet that common sense test. 

But what we can’t do—what I won’t do—is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that 

Americans have counted on for decades. I reject the idea that we 

need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. 

I reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have 

to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, 

or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients. I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy. We 

shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the 

cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should 

be in a race to the top. And I believe that’s a race we can win. 

In fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore 

prosperity is just dismantle government, refund everyone’s money, 

let everyone write their own rules, and tell everyone they’re on 

their own—that’s not who we are. That’s not the story of America. 

Yes, we are rugged individualists. Yes, we are strong and selfreliant. And it has been the drive and initiative of our workers and 

entrepreneurs that has made this economy the engine and envy of 

the world. 

But there has always been another thread running throughout 

our history—a belief that we are all connected; and that there are 

some things we can only do together, as a nation. 

We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our 

Union. But in the middle of a Civil War, he was also a leader who 

looked to the future—a Republican president who mobilized government to build the transcontinental railroad; launch the National 

Academy of Sciences; and set up the first land grant colleges. And 

leaders of both parties have followed the example he set. 

Ask yourselves—where would we be right now if the people who 

sat here before us decided not to build our highways and our 

bridges; our dams and our airports? What would this country be 

like if we had chosen not to spend money on public high schools, 

or research universities, or community colleges? Millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, had the opportunity to go to 


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school because of the GI Bill. Where would we be if they hadn’t had 

that chance? 

How many jobs would it have cost us if past Congresses decided 

not to support the basic research that led to the Internet and the 

computer chip? What kind of country would this be if this Chamber 

had voted down Social Security or Medicare just because it violated 

some rigid idea about what government could or could not do? How 

many Americans would have suffered as a result? 

No single individual built America on their own. We built it together. We have been, and always will be, one nation, under God, 

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; a nation with responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another. 

Members of Congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities. 

Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight is the kind that’s been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Every proposal 

I’ve laid out tonight will be paid for. And every proposal is designed 

to meet the urgent needs of our people and our communities. 

I know there’s been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics 

of the moment will allow us to pass this jobs plan—or any jobs 

plan. Already, we’re seeing the same old press releases and tweets 

flying back and forth. Already, the media has proclaimed that it’s 

impossible to bridge our differences. And maybe some of you have 

decided that those differences are so great that we can only resolve 

them at the ballot box. 

But know this: the next election is fourteen months away. And 

the people who sent us here—the people who hired us to work for 

them—they don’t have the luxury of waiting fourteen months. 

Some of them are living week to week; paycheck to paycheck; even 

day to day. They reed help, and they need it now. 

I don’t pretend that this plan will solve all our problems. It 

shouldn’t be, nor will it be, the last plan of action we propose. 

What’s guided us from the start of this crisis hasn’t been the 

search for a silver bullet. It’s been a commitment to stay at it—to 

be persistent—to keep trying every new idea that works, and listen 

to every good proposal, no matter which party comes up with it. 

Regardless of the arguments we’ve had in the past, regardless of 

the arguments we’ll have in the future, this plan is the right thing 

to do right now. You should pass it. And I intend to take that Message to every corner of this country. I also ask every American who 

agrees to lift your voice and tell the people who are gathered here 

tonight that you want action now. Tell Washington that doing 

nothing is not an option. Remind us that if we act as one nation, 

and one people, we have it within our power to meet this challenge. 

President Kennedy once said, ‘‘Our problems are man-made— 

therefore they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he 

wants.’’ 

These are difficult years for our country. But we are Americans. 

We are tougher than the times that we live in, and we are bigger 


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than our politics have been. So let’s meet the moment. Let’s get to 

work, and show the world once again why the United States of 

America remains the greatest nation on Earth. Thank you, God 

bless you, and may God bless the United States of America. 

BARACK OBAMA. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, September 8, 2011. 

Æ 


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