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[House Document 113-1]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

113th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 113-1

 
        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

  February 13, 2013.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
 Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to 
                               be printed
To the Congress of the United States:
    Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, 
fellow citizens:
    Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this 
Chamber that ``the Constitution makes us not rivals for power 
but partners for progress . . . It is my task,'' he said, ``to 
report the State of the Union--to improve it is the task of us 
all.''
    Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the 
American people, there is much progress to report. After a 
decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are 
coming home. After years of grueling recession, our businesses 
have created over six million new jobs. We buy more American 
cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we 
have in twenty. Our housing market is healing, our stock market 
is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy 
stronger protections than ever before.
    Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and 
can say with renewed confidence that the state of our Union is 
stronger.
    But we gather here knowing that there are millions of 
Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been 
rewarded. Our economy is adding jobs--but too many people still 
can't find full-time employment. Corporate profits have 
rocketed to all-time highs--but for more than a decade, wages 
and incomes have barely budged.
    It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true 
engine of America's economic growth--a rising, thriving middle 
class.
    It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that 
built this country--the idea that if you work hard and meet 
your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you 
come from, what you look like, or who you love.
    It is our unfinished task to make sure that this Government 
works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it 
encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and 
opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great 
Nation.
    The American people don't expect Government to solve every 
problem. They don't expect those of us in this chamber to agree 
on every issue. But they do expect us to put the Nation's 
interests before party. They do expect us to forge reasonable 
compromise where we can. For they know that America moves 
forward only when we do so together; and that the 
responsibility of improving this Union remains the task of us 
all.
    Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about 
our budget--decisions that will have a huge impact on the 
strength of our recovery.
    Over the last few years, both parties have worked together 
to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion--mostly 
through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the 
wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. As a result, we are more 
than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit 
reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our 
finances.
    Now we need to finish the job. And the question is, how?
    In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties 
couldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a 
trillion dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically go 
into effect this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts 
would jeopardize our military readiness. They'd devastate 
priorities like education, energy, and medical research. They 
would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of 
thousands of jobs. That's why Democrats, Republicans, business 
leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, 
known here in Washington as ``the sequester,'' are a really bad 
idea.
    Now, some in this Congress have proposed preventing only 
the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like 
education and job training; Medicare and Social Security 
benefits.
    That idea is even worse. Yes, the biggest driver of our 
long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging 
population. And those of us who care deeply about programs like 
Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms--otherwise, 
our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need 
for our children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure 
retirement for future generations.
    But we can't ask senior citizens and working families to 
shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking 
nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful. We won't 
grow the middle class simply by shifting the cost of health 
care or college onto families that are already struggling, or 
by forcing communities to lay off more teachers, cops, and 
firefighters. Most Americans--Democrats, Republicans, and 
Independents--understand that we can't just cut our way to 
prosperity. They know that broad-based economic growth requires 
a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts 
and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share. And 
that's the approach I offer tonight.
    On Medicare, I'm prepared to enact reforms that will 
achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning 
of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan 
Simpson-Bowles commission. Already, the Affordable Care Act is 
helping to slow the growth of health care costs. The reforms 
I'm proposing go even further. We'll reduce taxpayer subsidies 
to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest 
seniors. We'll bring down costs by changing the way our 
Government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills 
shouldn't be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent 
in the hospital--they should be based on the quality of care 
that our seniors receive. And I am open to additional reforms 
from both parties, so long as they don't violate the guarantee 
of a secure retirement. Our Government shouldn't make promises 
we cannot keep--but we must keep the promises we've already 
made.
    To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should 
do what leaders in both parties have already suggested, and 
save hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax 
loopholes and deductions for the well-off and well-connected. 
After all, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education 
and Medicare just to protect special interest tax breaks? How 
is that fair? How does that promote growth?
    Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax 
reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the 
deficit. The American people deserve a tax code that helps 
small businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, 
and more time expanding and hiring; a tax code that ensures 
billionaires with high-powered accountants can't pay a lower 
rate than their hard-working secretaries; a tax code that 
lowers incentives to move jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates 
for businesses and manufacturers that create jobs right here in 
America. That's what tax reform can deliver. That's what we can 
do together.
    I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won't be 
easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will 
get 100 percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost 
us jobs, hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of 
hardworking Americans. So let's set party interests aside, and 
work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart 
savings and wise investments in our future. And let's do it 
without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares 
off investors. The greatest Nation on Earth cannot keep 
conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured 
crisis to the next. Let's agree, right here, right now, to keep 
the people's Government open, pay our bills on time, and always 
uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of 
America. The American people have worked too hard, for too 
long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials 
cause another.
    Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit 
must be part of our agenda. But let's be clear: deficit 
reduction alone is not an economic plan. A growing economy that 
creates good, middle-class jobs--that must be the North Star 
that guides our efforts. Every day, we should ask ourselves 
three questions as a Nation: How do we attract more jobs to our 
shores? How do we equip our people with the skills needed to do 
those jobs? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a 
decent living?
    A year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act 
that independent economists said would create more than one 
million new jobs. I thank the last Congress for passing some of 
that agenda, and I urge this Congress to pass the rest. 
Tonight, I'll lay out additional proposals that are fully paid 
for and fully consistent with the budget framework both parties 
agreed to just 18 months ago. Let me repeat--nothing I'm 
proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime. 
It's not a bigger Government we need, but a smarter Government 
that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth.
    Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs 
and manufacturing.
    After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our 
manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past 
three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is 
bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other 
countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant 
right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs 
in America again.
    There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this 
trend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation 
institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is 
now a state-of-the-art lab where new workers are mastering the 
3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we 
make almost everything. There's no reason this can't happen in 
other towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three 
more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner 
with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left 
behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. 
And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of 
these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in 
manufacturing is Made in America.
    If we want to make the best products, we also have to 
invest in the best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the 
human genome returned $140 to our economy. Today, our 
scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to 
Alzheimer's; developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; 
devising new material to make batteries ten times more 
powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating 
investments in science and innovation. Now is the time to reach 
a level of research and development not seen since the height 
of the Space Race. And today, no area holds more promise than 
our investments in American energy.
    After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to 
control our own energy future. We produce more oil at home than 
we have in 15 years. We have doubled the distance our cars will 
go on a gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we 
generate from sources like wind and solar--with tens of 
thousands of good, American jobs to show for it. We produce 
more natural gas than ever before--and nearly everyone's energy 
bill is lower because of it. And over the last four years, our 
emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our 
planet have actually fallen.
    But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do 
more to combat climate change. Yes, it's true that no single 
event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on 
record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, 
wildfires, and floods--all are now more frequent and intense. 
We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most 
severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states 
have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can 
choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science--and 
act before it's too late.
    The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this 
issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this 
Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to 
climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman 
worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won't act 
soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my 
Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and 
in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for 
the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to 
more sustainable sources of energy.
    Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy 
market and the jobs that came with it. We've begun to change 
that. Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power 
capacity in America. So let's generate even more. Solar energy 
gets cheaper by the year--so let's drive costs down even 
further. As long as countries like China keep going all-in on 
clean energy, so must we.
    In the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner 
power and greater energy independence. That's why my 
Administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new 
oil and gas permits. But I also want to work with this Congress 
to encourage the research and technology that helps natural gas 
burn even cleaner and protects our air and water.
    Indeed, much of our new-found energy is drawn from lands 
and waters that we, the public, own together. So tonight, I 
propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an 
Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and 
technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good. If a 
non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and 
admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. Let's take 
their advice and free our families and businesses from the 
painful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too 
long. I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in 
half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the 
next twenty years. The States with the best ideas to create 
jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient 
buildings will receive Federal support to help make it happen.
    America's energy sector is just one part of an aging 
infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where 
they'd rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating 
roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and internet; 
high-tech schools and self-healing power grids. The CEO of 
Siemens America--a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to 
North Carolina--has said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, 
they'll bring even more jobs. And I know that you want these 
job-creating projects in your districts. I've seen you all at 
the ribbon-cuttings.
    Tonight, I propose a ``Fix-It-First'' program to put people 
to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like 
the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the 
country. And to make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole 
burden, I'm also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America 
that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses 
need most: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to 
withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children. Let's 
prove that there is no better place to do business than the 
United States of America. And let's start right away.
    Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing 
sector. Today, our housing market is finally healing from the 
collapse of 2007. Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in 
six years, home purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and 
construction is expanding again.
    But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many 
families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being 
rejected. Too many families who have never missed a payment and 
want to refinance are being told no. That's holding our entire 
economy back, and we need to fix it. Right now, there's a bill 
in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in 
America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at 
today's rates. Democrats and Republicans have supported it 
before. What are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that 
bill. Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young 
families from buying their first home. What's holding us back? 
Let's streamline the process, and help our economy grow.
    These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, 
and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners 
expand and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless 
we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill 
those jobs. And that has to start at the earliest possible age.
    Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins 
learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today, 
fewer than 3 in 10 four-year-olds are enrolled in a high-
quality preschool program. Most middle-class parents can't 
afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool. And 
for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to 
preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their 
lives.
    Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality 
preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we 
invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven 
dollars later on--by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen 
pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In States that make it 
a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or 
Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and 
do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and 
form more stable families of their own. So let's do what works, 
and make sure none of our children start the race of life 
already behind. Let's give our kids that chance.
    Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts our 
kids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany 
focus on graduating their high-school students with the 
equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community 
colleges, so that they're ready for a job. At schools like P-
Tech in Brooklyn, a collaboration between New York Public 
Schools, the City University of New York, and IBM, students 
will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate 
degree in computers or engineering.
    We need to give every American student opportunities like 
this. Four years ago, we started Race to the Top--a competition 
that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula 
and higher standards, for about 1 percent of what we spend on 
education each year. Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to 
redesign America's high schools so they better equip graduates 
for the demands of a high-tech economy. We'll reward schools 
that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and 
create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, 
and math--the skills today's employers are looking for to fill 
jobs right now and in the future.
    Now, even with better high schools, most young people will 
need some higher education. It's a simple fact: the more 
education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and 
work your way into the middle class. But today, skyrocketing 
costs price way too many young people out of a higher 
education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.
    Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we have made 
college more affordable for millions of students and families 
over the last few years. But taxpayers cannot continue to 
subsidize the soaring cost of higher education. Colleges must 
do their part to keep costs down, and it's our job to make sure 
they do. Tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education 
Act, so that affordability and value are included in 
determining which colleges receive certain types of Federal 
aid. And tomorrow, my Administration will release a new 
``College Scorecard'' that parents and students can use to 
compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get 
the most bang for your educational buck.
    To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to 
the education and training that today's jobs require. But we 
also have to make sure that America remains a place where 
everyone who's willing to work hard has the chance to get 
ahead.
    Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and 
ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, 
leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith 
communities all agree that the time has come to pass 
comprehensive immigration reform.
    Real reform means strong border security, and we can build 
on the progress my Administration has already made--putting 
more boots on the southern border than at any time in our 
history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels 
in 40 years.
    Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to 
earned citizenship--a path that includes passing a background 
check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, 
and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to 
come here legally.
    And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system 
to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the 
highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help 
create jobs and grow our economy.
    In other words, we know what needs to be done. As we speak, 
bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to 
draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. Now let's get this 
done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the 
next few months, and I will sign it right away.
    But we can't stop there. We know our economy is stronger 
when our wives, mothers, and daughters can live their lives 
free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the 
fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the 
Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote 
almost 20 years ago. I urge the House to do the same. And I ask 
this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal 
to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act 
this year.
    We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest 
day's work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker 
making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax 
relief we've put in place, a family with two kids that earns 
the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That's 
wrong. That's why, since the last time this Congress raised the 
minimum wage, nineteen states have chosen to bump theirs even 
higher.
    Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest Nation on 
Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in 
poverty, and raise the Federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. 
This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working 
families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the 
food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting 
ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean 
customers with more money in their pockets. In fact, working 
folks shouldn't have to wait year after year for the minimum 
wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here's an 
idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: 
let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it 
finally becomes a wage you can live on.
    Tonight, let's also recognize that there are communities in 
this country where no matter how hard you work, it's virtually 
impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of 
plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and 
rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first 
job. America is not a place where chance of birth or 
circumstance should decide our destiny. And that is why we need 
to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for 
all who are willing to climb them.
    Let's offer incentives to companies that hire Americans 
who've got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have 
been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance. 
Let's put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-
down neighborhoods. And this year, my Administration will begin 
to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get 
these communities back on their feet. We'll work with local 
leaders to target resources at public safety, education, and 
housing. We'll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and 
invest. And we'll work to strengthen families by removing the 
financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and 
doing more to encourage fatherhood--because what makes you a 
man isn't the ability to conceive a child; it's having the 
courage to raise one.
    Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger 
America. It is this kind of prosperity--broad, shared, and 
built on a thriving middle class--that has always been the 
source of our progress at home. It is also the foundation of 
our power and influence throughout the world.
    Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and 
civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of 
them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its 
mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating 
the core of al Qaeda. Already, we have brought home 33,000 of 
our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will 
move into a support role, while Afghan Security forces take the 
lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 
34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This 
drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in 
Afghanistan will be over.
    Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and 
sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our 
commitment will change. We are negotiating an agreement with 
the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training 
and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again 
slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to 
pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates.
    Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a 
shadow of its former self. Different al Qaeda affiliates and 
extremist groups have emerged--from the Arabian Peninsula to 
Africa. The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet 
this threat, we don't need to send tens of thousands of our 
sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations. Instead, we 
will need to help countries like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia 
provide for their own security, and help allies who take the 
fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali. And, where necessary, 
through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take 
direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest 
threat to Americans.
    As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is 
why my Administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable 
legal and policy framework to guide our counterterrorism 
operations. Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of 
our efforts. I recognize that in our democracy, no one should 
just take my word that we're doing things the right way. So, in 
the months ahead, I will continue to engage with Congress to 
ensure not only that our targeting, detention, and prosecution 
of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of 
checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more 
transparent to the American people and to the world.
    Of course, our challenges don't end with al Qaeda. America 
will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the 
world's most dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must 
know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by 
meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the 
sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we 
stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense, and 
lead the world in taking firm action in response to these 
threats.
    Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is 
the time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands 
united in demanding that they meet their obligations, and we 
will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a 
nuclear weapon. At the same time, we will engage Russia to seek 
further reductions in our nuclear arsenals, and continue 
leading the global effort to secure nuclear materials that 
could fall into the wrong hands--because our ability to 
influence others depends on our willingness to lead.
    America must also face the rapidly growing threat from 
cyber-attacks. We know hackers steal people's identities and 
infiltrate private e-mail. We know foreign countries and 
companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also 
seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial 
institutions, and our air traffic control systems. We cannot 
look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the 
face of real threats to our security and our economy.
    That's why, earlier today, I signed a new Executive Order 
that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing 
information sharing, and developing standards to protect our 
national security, our jobs, and our privacy. Now, Congress 
must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government 
a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks.
    Even as we protect our people, we should remember that 
today's world presents not only dangers, but opportunities. To 
boost American exports, support American jobs, and level the 
playing field in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to 
complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership. And 
tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a 
comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership 
with the European Union--because trade that is free and fair 
across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American 
jobs.
    We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts 
of our world enriches us all. In many places, people live on 
little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join 
with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next 
two decades: by connecting more people to the global economy 
and empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds 
new opportunities to serve and helping communities to feed, 
power, and educate themselves; by saving the world's children 
from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an 
AIDS-free generation.
    Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek 
freedom during this period of historic change. I saw the power 
of hope last year in Rangoon--when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an 
American President into the home where she had been imprisoned 
for years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving 
American flags, including a man who said, ``There is justice 
and law in the United States. I want our country to be like 
that.''
    In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong 
alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In 
the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand 
their universal rights, and support stable transitions to 
democracy. The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to 
dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we 
can--and will--insist on respect for the fundamental rights of 
all people. We will keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that 
has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders 
that respect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand 
steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting 
peace. These are the messages I will deliver when I travel to 
the Middle East next month.
    All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those 
who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk--our 
diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of 
the United States Armed Forces. As long as I'm Commander in 
Chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve 
their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in 
the world. We will invest in new capabilities, even as we 
reduce waste and wartime spending. We will ensure equal 
treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their 
families--gay and straight. We will draw upon the courage and 
skills of our sisters and daughters, because women have proven 
under fire that they are ready for combat. We will keep faith 
with our veterans--investing in world-class care, including 
mental health care, for our wounded warriors; supporting our 
military families; and giving our veterans the benefits, 
education, and job opportunities they have earned. And I want 
to thank my wife Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden for their 
continued dedication to serving our military families as well 
as they serve us.
    But defending our freedom is not the job of our military 
alone. We must all do our part to make sure our God-given 
rights are protected here at home. That includes our most 
fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote. When any 
Americans--no matter where they live or what their party--are 
denied that right simply because they can't wait for five, six, 
seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our 
ideals. That's why, tonight, I'm announcing a non-partisan 
commission to improve the voting experience in America. And I'm 
asking two long-time experts in the field, who've recently 
served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor 
Romney's campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. 
The American people demand it. And so does our democracy.
    Of course, what I've said tonight matters little if we 
don't come together to protect our most precious resource--our 
children.
    It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not 
the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun 
violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities 
of Americans--Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment--have 
come together around commonsense reform--like background checks 
that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a 
gun. Senators of both parties are working together on tough new 
laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to 
criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of 
war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because 
they are tired of being outgunned.
    Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you 
want to vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals 
deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more 
than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have 
been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.
    One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya 
Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip 
gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, 
they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks 
ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, 
performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week 
later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, 
just a mile away from my house.
    Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber 
tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives 
have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.
    Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.
    The families of Newtown deserve a vote.
    The families of Aurora deserve a vote.
    The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and 
the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence--
they deserve a simple vote.
    Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of 
violence in this country. Indeed, no laws, no initiatives, no 
administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges 
I've outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be 
perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can, to 
secure this Nation, expand opportunity, and uphold our ideals 
through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary 
work of self-government.
    We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the 
same way they look out for one another, every single day, 
usually without fanfare, all across this country. We should 
follow their example.
    We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named 
Menchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into 
darkness, her thoughts were not with how her own home was 
faring--they were with the twenty precious newborns in her care 
and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe.
    We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named 
Desiline Victor. When she arrived at her polling place, she was 
told the wait to vote might be six hours. And as time ticked 
by, her concern was not with her tired body or aching feet, but 
whether folks like her would get to have their say. Hour after 
hour, a throng of people stayed in line in support of her. 
Because Desiline is 102 years old. And they erupted in cheers 
when she finally put on a sticker that read ``I Voted.''
    We should follow the example of a police officer named 
Brian Murphy. When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in 
Wisconsin, and Brian was the first to arrive, he did not 
consider his own safety. He fought back until help arrived, and 
ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the 
Americans worshiping inside--even as he lay bleeding from 
twelve bullet wounds.
    When asked how he did that, Brian said, ``That's just the 
way we're made.''
    That's just the way we're made.
    We may do different jobs, and wear different uniforms, and 
hold different views than the person beside us. But as 
Americans, we all share the same proud title:
    We are citizens. It's a word that doesn't just describe our 
nationality or legal status. It describes the way we're made. 
It describes what we believe. It captures the enduring idea 
that this country only works when we accept certain obligations 
to one another and to future generations; that our rights are 
wrapped up in the rights of others; and that well into our 
third century as a Nation, it remains the task of us all, as 
citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next 
great chapter in our American story.
    Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States 
of America.
                                                      Barack Obama.
    The White House, February 12, 2013.

                                  
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