2015 The Federal government announced the sale of the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Center grounds, formerly the Teapot Dome Naval Petroleum Reserve, to Standard Oil Resources Corporation. Teapot Dome, of course, is famously known in most places of the scandal that occurred during Warren G. Harding's administration.
2016. Kenny Sailors, inventor of basketball's jump shot while a student at the University of Wyoming, died at age 95. Sailors had a spectacular university basketball career and went on to play professional basketball after graduating from US. Sailors went on to become an outfitter in Alaska before returning to Wyoming in retirement. He was living in Laramie, where his fame commenced, at the time of his death.
2018 President Trump delivered his first State of the Union Address, which was:
This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.
On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of
collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at
stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded
responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their
differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler
has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is
investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the
entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.
We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.
What's happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can
happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can't bring back
every job that's left our shores. But right now, it's getting more
expensive to do business in places like China.
Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of
Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring
jobs back home. Today, for the first time in 15 years, Master Lock's
unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.
So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing
back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders
is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your
country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.
We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks
for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose
to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the
world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.
So
let's change it. First, if you're a business that wants to outsource
jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should
be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that
decide to bring jobs home.
Second, no American company
should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs
and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should
have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards
lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.
Third, if you're an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax
cut. If you're a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax
deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate
in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should
get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.
My message is simple. It's time to stop rewarding businesses that ship
jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here
in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I'll sign them right away.
We're also making it easier for American businesses to sell products
all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports
over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into
law, we are on track to meet that goal - ahead of schedule. Soon, there
will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama,
Colombia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets
of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.
I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American
products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the
rules. We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate
as the last administration-- and it's made a difference. Over a
thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in
Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It's not right when another
country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It's not fair
when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're
heavily subsidized.
Tonight, I'm announcing the creation
of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating
unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more
inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our
borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has
an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing
finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive
on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you-- America
will always win.
I also hear from many business leaders
who want to hire in the United States but can't find workers with the
right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as
many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that--
openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.
That's inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.
Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens
opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership
with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college
design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition,
then hired her to help operate their plant.
I want
every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie
did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans
with skills that will lead directly to a job. My administration has
already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships
between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like
Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to
give more community colleges the resources they need to become community
career centers-- places that teach people skills that local businesses
are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech
manufacturing.
And I want to cut through the maze of
confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie
have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the
information and help they need. It's time to turn our unemployment
system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.
These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to
prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education
has to start earlier.
For less than one percent of what
our nation spends on education each year, we've convinced nearly every
state in the country to raise their standards for teaching and
learning-- the first time that's happened in a generation.
But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.
At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight
budgets have forced states to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a
good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over
$250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child
who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can
point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most
teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their
own pocket for school supplies-- just to make a difference.
Teachers matter. So instead of
bashing them, or defending the status quo, let's offer schools a deal.
Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the
best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with
creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace
teachers who just aren't helping kids learn.
We also
know that when students aren't allowed to walk away from their
education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight,
I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school
until they graduate or turn eighteen.
When kids do
graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a
time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this
Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from
doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves
middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people
the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of
work-study jobs in the next five years.
Of course, it's
not enough for us to increase student aid. We can't just keep
subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we'll run out of money. States also
need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in
their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by
working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college
presidents who've done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help
students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is,
it's possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If
you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers
will go down. Higher education can't be a luxury-- it's an economic
imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.
Let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking
students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they
aren't yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children,
are American through and through, yet they live every day with the
threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and
science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send
them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.
That doesn't make sense.
I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal
immigration. That's why my Administration has put more boots on the
border than ever before. That's why there are fewer illegal crossings
than when I took office.
The opponents of action are out
of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform
right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a
comprehensive plan, let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible
young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and
defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn
their citizenship. I will sign it right away.
You see,
an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and
ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn
equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who's
willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to
become the next Steve Jobs.
After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new
jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let's pass an
agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent
aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax
relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good
jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get
it on my desk this year.
Innovation also demands basic
research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed
labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer
cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops
and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don't gut these investments in
our budget. Don't let other countries win the race for the future.
Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the
computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American
industries.
Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater
than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we've opened
millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I'm
directing my administration to open more than 75 percent of our
potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil
production is the highest that it's been in eight years. That's right -
eight years. Not only that - last year, we relied less on foreign oil
than in any of the past sixteen years.
But with only 2
percent of the world's oil reserves, oil isn't enough. This country
needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every
available source of American energy-- a strategy that's cleaner,
cheaper, and full of new jobs.
We have a supply of
natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my
administration will take every possible action to safely develop this
energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the
end of the decade. And I'm requiring all companies that drill for gas on
public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will develop
this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at
risk.
The development of natural gas will create jobs
and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving
that we don't have to choose between our environment and our economy.
And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of 30
years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural
gas out of shale rock-- reminding us that Government support is critical
in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.
What's true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years,
our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America
to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because
of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And
thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.
When
Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he
worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found
work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the
recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it's hiring
workers like Bryan, who said, "I'm proud to be working in the industry
of the future."
Our experience with shale gas
shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don't always come
right away. Some technologies don't pan out; some companies fail. But I
will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk
away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or
battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same
commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That's
long enough. It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry
that's rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy
industry that's never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits
and create these jobs.
We can also spur energy
innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be
too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change.
But there's no reason why Congress shouldn't at least set a clean
energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you
haven't acted. Well tonight, I will. I'm directing my Administration to
allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power
three million homes. And I'm proud to announce that the Department of
Defense, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the
largest commitments to clean energy in history - with the navy
purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.
Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So
here's another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in
their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their
buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next
decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and
more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that
creates these jobs.
Building this new energy future
should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America's
infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We've got
crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy.
An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small
business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the
world.
During the Great Depression, America built the
Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected
our states with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican
administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody,
from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them
today.
In the next few weeks, I will sign an executive
order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction
projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we're no
longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the
rest to do some nation-building right here at home.
There's never been a better time to build, especially since the
construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble
burst. Of course, construction workers weren't the only ones hurt. So
were millions of innocent Americans who've seen their home values
decline. And while Government can't fix the problem on its own,
responsible homeowners shouldn't have to sit and wait for the housing
market to hit bottom to get some relief.
That's why I'm
sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the
chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at
historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround
from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will
ensure that it won't add to the deficit, and will give banks that were
rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.
Let's never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the
rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that do the
same. It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No
bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists
on responsibility from everybody.
We've all paid the
price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn't afford them,
and buyers who knew they couldn't afford them. That's why we need smart
regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent
financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don't
destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.
There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary,
or too costly. In fact, I've approved fewer regulations in the first
three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his.
I've ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don't make
sense. We've already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of
them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next
five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have
forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they
could contain a spill-- because milk was somehow classified as an oil.
With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.
I'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal
agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making
sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the gulf
two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from
mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is
clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies
had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge
women differently from men.
And I will not go back to
the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules.
The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system's
core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and
getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a
business, or send a kid to college.
So if you're a big
bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky
bets with your customers' deposits. You're required to write out a
"living will" that details exactly how you'll pay the bills if you fail -
because the rest of us aren't bailing you out ever again. And if you're
a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days
of signing people up for products they can't afford with confusing
forms and deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers
finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.
We will also establish a
Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on
large-scale fraud and protect people's investments. Some financial firms
violate major anti-fraud laws because there's no real penalty for being
a repeat offender. That's bad for consumers, and it's bad for the vast
majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right
thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.
And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit
of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our
investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky
mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold
accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and
help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many
Americans.
A return to the American values of fair play
and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our
economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and
invest in our future.
Right now, our most immediate
priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while
the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of
each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So
let's agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the
payroll tax cut without delay.
When it comes to the
deficit, we've already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and
savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right
now, we're poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed
to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter
of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class
households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do
we want to keep our investments in everything else-- like education and
medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because
if we're serious about paying down our debt, we can't do both.
The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told
the Speaker this summer, I'm prepared to make more reforms that rein in
the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social
Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for
seniors.
But in return, we need to change our tax code
so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our
fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you
make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30
percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn
is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if
you're earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn't get special tax
subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a
year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn't go up.
You're the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You're
the ones who need relief.
Now, you can call this class
warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much
as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.
We don't begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When
Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's
not because they envy the rich. It's because they understand that when I
get tax breaks I don't need and the country can't afford, it either
adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference--
like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through
school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That's not right.
Americans know it's not right. They know that this generation's success
is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each
other, and to their country's future, and they know our way of life will
only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That's
how we'll reduce our deficit. That's an America built to last.
I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about
taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they
belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now:
Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year
after that, because Washington is broken.
Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?
The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn't come
from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over
whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited
from that fiasco?
I've talked tonight about the deficit
of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between
this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad-- and it seems
to get worse every year.
Some of this has to do with the
corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let's take some
steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members
of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let's limit any elected
official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let's make sure
people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can't lobby
Congress, and vice versa - an idea that has bipartisan support, at least
outside of Washington.
Some of what's broken has to do
with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is
no longer enough to get anything-- even routine business - passed
through the Senate.
Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties
should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule
that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or
down vote within 90 days.
The executive branch also
needs to change. Too often, it's inefficient, outdated and remote.
That's why I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to
consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner,
quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.
Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the
temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties
must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that
politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building
consensus around common sense ideas.
I'm a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln
believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do
better by themselves, and no more. That's why my education reform
offers more competition, and more control for schools and States. That's
why we're getting rid of regulations that don't work. That's why our
health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government
program.
On the other hand, even my Republican friends
who complain the most about Government spending have supported
federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices
for the folks back home.
The point is, we should all
want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able
to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make
real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions
that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your
help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States
of America can't achieve.
That is the lesson we've learned from our actions abroad over the last few years.
Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan
to Yemen, the al-Qaida operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing
that they can't escape the reach of the United States of America.
From this position of strength, we've begun to wind down the war in
Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three
thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to
Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership
with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against
America.
As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change
has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo;
from Sana'a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world's
longest-serving dictators-- a murderer with American blood on his hands.
Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime
will soon discover that the forces of change can't be reversed, and that
human dignity can't be denied.
How this incredible
transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in
the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region
to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served
our own country so well. We will stand against violence and
intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human
beings-- men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support
policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets,
because tyranny is no match for liberty.
And we will safeguard America's own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran.
Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about
how to deal with Iran's nuclear program now stands as one. The regime
is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling
sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this
pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: America is determined
to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no
options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of
this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes
course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of
nations.
The renewal of American leadership can be felt
across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger
than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment
to Israel's
security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two
countries in history. We've made it clear that America is a Pacific
power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the
coalitions we've built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions
we've led against hunger and disease; from the blows we've dealt to our
enemies; to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.
Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in
decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're
talking about. That's not the message we get from leaders around the
world, all of whom are eager to work with us. That's not how people feel
from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America
are higher than they've been in years. Yes, the world is changing; no,
we can't control every event. But America remains the one indispensable
nation in world affairs-- and as long as I'm President, I intend to keep
it that way.
That's why, working with our military
leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain
the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion
dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have
already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country
from the growing danger of cyber-threats.
Above all, our
freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it.
As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That
includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned-- which is
why we've increased annual VA spending every year I've been President.
And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our
Nation.
With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden
have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs
for veterans and their families. And tonight, I'm proposing a Veterans
Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and
firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her.
Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who've been sent
here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on
that uniform, it doesn't matter if you're black or white; Asian or
Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When
you're marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or
the mission fails. When you're in the thick of the fight, you rise or
fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.
One of my proudest possessions is
the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin
Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans.
But that doesn't matter. Just like it didn't matter that day in the
Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates-- a man who was George Bush's defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president.
All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about
politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved
in the raid later told me that he didn't deserve credit for the
mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that
unit did their job-- the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out
of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound;
the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the
SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only
succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other-- because
you can't charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you
know that there's someone behind you, watching your back.
So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I'm reminded that
our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those 13
stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great
because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a
team. This Nation is great because we get each other's backs. And if we
hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge
too great; no mission too hard. As long as we're joined in common
purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves
forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always
be strong.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
