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President Obama's State of the Union address full text

The text of the State of the Union address as prepared for delivery by President Barack Obama, and provided by the press office of the White House.

As Prepared for Delivery 鈥撎�听

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens: 听听

Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this Chamber that 鈥渢he Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress鈥�It is my task,鈥� he said, 鈥渢o report the State of the Union 鈥� to improve it is the task of us all.鈥� 听听

Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much progress to report. 听After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home. 听After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new jobs. 听We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in twenty. 听Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.听听

Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger.听

But we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been rewarded. 听Our economy is adding jobs 鈥� but too many people still can鈥檛 find full-time employment. 听

Corporate profits have rocketed to all-time highs 鈥� but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged. 听听

It is our generation鈥檚 task, then, to reignite the true engine of America鈥檚 economic growth 鈥� a rising, thriving middle class.听听It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country 鈥� 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.听

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.听

The American people don鈥檛 expect government to solve every problem. 听They don鈥檛 expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. 听But they do expect us to put the nation鈥檚 interests before party. 听They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. 听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.听

Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget 鈥� decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.听

Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion 鈥� mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. 听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. 听 听听

Now we need to finish the job. 听And the question is, how?听听

In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn鈥檛 agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars鈥� worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year. 听These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness. 听They鈥檇 devastate priorities like education, energy, and medical research. They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. 听That鈥檚 why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as 鈥渢he sequester,鈥� are a really bad idea. 听听

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. 听听

That idea is even worse. 听Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population. 听

And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms 鈥� 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. 听听

But we can鈥檛 ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful. 听We won鈥檛 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. 听

Most Americans 鈥� Democrats, Republicans, and Independents 鈥� understand that we can鈥檛 just cut our way to prosperity. 听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. 听 And that鈥檚 the approach I offer tonight. 听听

On Medicare, I鈥檓 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. 听Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs. The reforms I鈥檓 proposing go even further. 听We鈥檒l reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. 听We鈥檒l bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn鈥檛 be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital 鈥� they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive. 听And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don鈥檛 violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. 听Our government shouldn鈥檛 make promises we cannot keep 鈥� but we must keep the promises we鈥檝e already made. 听听

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. 听After all, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just to protect special interest tax breaks? 听How is that fair? 听How does that promote growth?听

Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. 听

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鈥檛 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. 听

That鈥檚 what tax reform can deliver. 听That鈥檚 what we can do together.听

I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won鈥檛 be easy. 听The politics will be hard for both sides. 听None of us will get 100 percent of what we want. 听But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of hardworking Americans. 听So let鈥檚 set party interests aside, and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. 听And let鈥檚 do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. 听The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. 听Let鈥檚 agree, right here, right now, to keep the people鈥檚 government open, pay our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America. 听The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another.听

Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda. 听But let鈥檚 be clear: deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan. 听

A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs 鈥� that must be the North Star that guides our efforts. 听Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation: 听How do we attract more jobs to our shores? 听How do we equip our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? 听And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?听听

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. 听I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda, and I urge this Congress to pass the rest. 听Tonight, I鈥檒l lay out additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago. 听Let me repeat 鈥� nothing I鈥檓 proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime. 听It鈥檚 not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth.听

Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing. 听听

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. 听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. 听And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.听

There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. 听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. 听There鈥檚 no reason this can鈥檛 happen in other towns. 听So tonight, I鈥檓 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. 听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.听

If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas. 听

Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy. 听Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer鈥檚; developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make batteries ten times more powerful. 听Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation. 听Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race. 听And today, no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy. 听听

After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future. 听We produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years. 听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 鈥� with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to show for it. 听We produce more natural gas than ever before 鈥� and nearly everyone鈥檚 energy bill is lower because of it. 听And over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.听

But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. 听Yes, it鈥檚 true that no single event makes a trend. 听But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. 听Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods 鈥� all are now more frequent and intense. 听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. 听Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science 鈥� and act before it鈥檚 too late. 听 听听

The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. 听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. 听But if Congress won鈥檛 act soon to protect future generations, I will. 听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.听

Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. 听We鈥檝e begun to change that. 听Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. 听So let鈥檚 generate even more. 听Solar energy gets cheaper by the year 鈥� so let鈥檚 drive costs down even further. 听As long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we.听

In the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and greater energy independence. 听That鈥檚 why my Administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. 听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. 听听

Indeed, much of our new-found energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own together. 听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. 听If a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. 听Let鈥檚 take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we鈥檝e put up with for far too long. 听I鈥檓 also issuing a new goal for America: let鈥檚 cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years. 听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.听

America鈥檚 energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair. 听Ask any CEO where they鈥檇 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. 听The CEO of Siemens America 鈥� a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina 鈥� has said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they鈥檒l bring even more jobs. 听And I know that you want these job-creating projects in your districts. 听I鈥檝e seen you all at the ribbon-cuttings.听

Tonight, I propose a 鈥淔ix-It-First鈥� 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. 听And to make sure taxpayers don鈥檛 shoulder the whole burden, I鈥檓 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. 听Let鈥檚 prove that there is no better place to do business than the United States of America. 听And let鈥檚 start right away.听

Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector. 听Today, our housing market is finally healing from the collapse of 2007. 听Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six years, home purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and construction is expanding again. 听听

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. 听Too many families who have never missed a payment and want to refinance are being told no. 听That鈥檚 holding our entire economy back, and we need to fix it. 听Right now, there鈥檚 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鈥檚 rates. 听Democrats and Republicans have supported it before. 听What are we waiting for? 听Take a vote, and send me that bill. 听Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home. 听What鈥檚 holding us back? 听Let鈥檚 streamline the process, and help our economy grow.听

These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs. 听But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs. 听And that has to start at the earliest possible age.听

Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road. 听But today, fewer than 3 in 10 four year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program. 听Most middle-class parents can鈥檛 afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool. 听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. 听听

Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America. 听Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on 鈥� by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. 听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. 听So let鈥檚 do what works, and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. 听Let鈥檚 give our kids that chance.听

Let鈥檚 also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. 听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鈥檙e ready for a job. 听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. 听听

We need to give every American student opportunities like this. 听Four years ago, we started Race to the Top 鈥� 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. 听

Tonight, I鈥檓 announcing a new challenge to redesign America鈥檚 high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy. 听We鈥檒l reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math 鈥� the skills today鈥檚 employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.听

Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education. 听It鈥檚 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. 听But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.听

Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we have made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. 听But taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the soaring cost of higher education. 听Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it鈥檚 our job to make sure they do. 听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. 听And tomorrow, my Administration will release a new 鈥淐ollege Scorecard鈥� 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. 听 听

To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to the education and training that today鈥檚 jobs require. 听But we also have to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who鈥檚 willing to work hard has the chance to get ahead.听

Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. 听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. 听听

Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my Administration has already made 鈥� 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. 听听

Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship 鈥� 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.听听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.听听

In other words, we know what needs to be done. 听As we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. 听

Now let鈥檚 get this done. 听Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away.听

But we can鈥檛 stop there. 听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. 听Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. 听I urge the House to do the same. 听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.听

We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day鈥檚 work with honest wages. 听But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. 听Even with the tax relief we鈥檝e put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. 听That鈥檚 wrong. 听That鈥檚 why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, nineteen states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.听

Tonight, let鈥檚 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. 听This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. 听It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. 听For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. 听In fact, working folks shouldn鈥檛 have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. 听So here鈥檚 an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let鈥檚 tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.听

Tonight, let鈥檚 also recognize that there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it鈥檚 virtually impossible to get ahead. 听Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up. 听Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job. 听America is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. 听And that is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.听

Let鈥檚 offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who鈥檝e 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. 听Let鈥檚 put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. 听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. 听We鈥檒l work with local leaders to target resources at public safety, education, and housing. 听We鈥檒l give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. 听And we鈥檒l work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and doing more to encourage fatherhood 鈥� because what makes you a man isn鈥檛 the ability to conceive a child; it鈥檚 having the courage to raise one.听

Stronger families. 听Stronger communities. 听A stronger America. 听It is this kind of prosperity 鈥� broad, shared, and built on a thriving middle class 鈥� that has always been the source of our progress at home. 听It is also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.听听

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. 听Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. 听This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. 听Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. 听This drawdown will continue. 听And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over. 听听

Beyond 2014, America鈥檚 commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. 听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.听听

Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. 听Different al Qaeda affiliates and extremist groups have emerged 鈥� from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. 听The threat these groups pose is evolving. 听But to meet this threat, we don鈥檛 need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations. 听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. 听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. 听

As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. 听That is why my Administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our counterterrorism operations. 听Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. 听I recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my word that we鈥檙e doing things the right way. 听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.听

Of course, our challenges don鈥檛 end with al Qaeda. 听America will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world鈥檚 most dangerous weapons. 听The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations. 听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. 听听

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. 听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 鈥� because our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to lead.听

America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks. 听We know hackers steal people鈥檚 identities and infiltrate private e-mail. 听We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. 听Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems. 听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. 听听

That鈥檚 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. 听Now, Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks. 听听

Even as we protect our people, we should remember that today鈥檚 world presents not only dangers, but opportunities. 听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. 听听And tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union 鈥� because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.听

We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all. 听In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. 听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鈥檚 children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation. 听听听

Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of historic change. 听I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon 鈥� 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, 鈥淭here is justice and law in the United States. 听I want our country to be like that.鈥澨�

In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. 听In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. 听The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we can 鈥� and will 鈥� insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. 听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. 听And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace. 听These are the messages I will deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month.听听

All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk 鈥� our diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. 听As long as I鈥檓 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. 听We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. 听We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families 鈥� gay and straight. 听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. 听We will keep faith with our veterans 鈥� 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. 听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.听

But defending our freedom is not the job of our military alone. 听We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. 听That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: 听the right to vote. 听When any Americans 鈥� no matter where they live or what their party 鈥� are denied that right simply because they can鈥檛 wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. 听That鈥檚 why, tonight, I鈥檓 announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. 听And I鈥檓 asking two long-time experts in the field, who鈥檝e recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney鈥檚 campaign, to lead it. 听We can fix this, and we will. 听The American people demand it. 听And so does our democracy.听

Of course, what I鈥檝e said tonight matters little if we don鈥檛 come together to protect our most precious resource 鈥� our children. 听听

It has been two months since Newtown. 听I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. 听But this time is different. 听Overwhelming majorities of Americans 鈥� Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment 鈥� have come together around commonsense reform 鈥� like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. 听Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. 听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. 听听

Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress.听If you want to vote no, that鈥檚 your choice. 听But these proposals deserve a vote. 听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.听听

One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. 听She was 15 years old. 听She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. 听She was a majorette. 听She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend. 听Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. 听And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.听

Hadiya鈥檚 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. 听They deserve a vote.听

Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.听

The families of Newtown deserve a vote.听

The families of Aurora deserve a vote.听

The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence 鈥� they deserve a simple vote.听

Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. 听Indeed, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges I鈥檝e outlined tonight. 听But we were never sent here to be perfect. 听

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.听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. 听We should follow their example.听

We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu Sanchez. 听When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, her thoughts were not with how her own home was faring 鈥� they were with the twenty precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe.听听

We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named Desiline Victor. 听When she arrived at her polling place, she was told the wait to vote might be six hours. 听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. 听Hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line in support of her. 听Because Desiline is 102 years old. 听And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read 鈥淚 Voted.鈥澨齏e should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy. 听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. 听He fought back until help arrived, and ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the Americans worshiping inside 鈥� even as he lay bleeding from twelve bullet wounds.听

When asked how he did that, Brian said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the way we鈥檙e made.鈥澨�听

That鈥檚 just the way we鈥檙e made.听

We may do different jobs, and wear different uniforms, and hold different views than the person beside us. 听But as Americans, we all share the same proud title:听

We are citizens. 听It鈥檚 a word that doesn鈥檛 just describe our nationality or legal status. 听It describes the way we鈥檙e made. 听It describes what we believe. 听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. 听听

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