Barack Obama in 2016 State of the Union address


On Budget & Economy: Broad economic change causes economic insecurity for workers

The economy has been changing in profound ways. Today, technology can replace any job where work can be automated. Companies in a global economy can locate anywhere, and they face tougher competition. As a result, workers have less leverage for a raise. Companies have less loyalty to their communities. And more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top. All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs; even when the economy is growing.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Civil Rights: Discrimination ultimately makes US less safe

The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity, and our openness, and the way we respect every faith. When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called names, that doesn't make us safer. That's not telling it like it is. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals.It betrays who we are as a country.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Corporations: Private sector is lifeblood of economy but needs limits

A thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy. I think there are outdated regulations that need to be changed. There is red tape that needs to be cut. But after years now of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity or bigger paychecks just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody else's expense.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Corporations: Business should be more community oriented

I believe that in this new economy, workers and start-ups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And I'm not alone in this. This year I plan to lift up the many businesses who've figured out that doing right by their workers or their customers or their communities ends up being good for their shareholders. And I want to spread those best practices across America.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Education: Universal Pre-K and computer science classes on horizon

Real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start, we've increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, boosted graduates in fields like engineering. In the coming years, we should be providing Pre-K for all and offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Education: Prioritize free community college and reducing student debt

We have to make college affordable for every American. We've already reduced student loan payments to 10 percent of a borrower's income. And that's good. But now, we've actually got to cut the cost of college. Providing two years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I'm going to keep fighting to get that started this year.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Energy & Oil: Clean energy for climate change & creating new business

We need commitment when it comes to developing clean energy sources. If anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You will be pretty lonely, because you'll be debating our military, most of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community. But even if the planet wasn't at stake -- why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Foreign Policy: World order in flux but US still dominates

The big question that we have to answer together is how to keep America safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying to nation-build everywhere there's a problem. All the talk of America's economic decline is political hot air. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker. Let me tell you something. The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. We're threatened most by failing states. The Middle East is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation. Economic headwinds are blowing in from a Chinese economy that is in significant transition. Even as their economy severely contracts, Russia is pouring resources in to prop up Ukraine and Syria - client states that they saw slipping away from their orbit. The international system we built after World War II is now struggling to keep pace with this new reality.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Foreign Policy: US should learn lessons from Iraq and Vietnam

Instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world -- in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, in parts of Central America, in Africa, and Asia. We can't try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis, even if it's done with the best of intentions. That's not leadership; that's a recipe for quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately will weaken us. It's the lesson of Vietnam; it's the lesson of Iraq.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Free Trade: TPP facilitates US control over Asian market

We forged a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open markets, and protect workers and the environment, and advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes on products made in America, which will then support more good jobs here in America. With TPP, China does not set the rules in that region; we do. You want to show our strength in this new century? Approve this agreement. Give us the tools to enforce it. It's the right thing to do.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Government Reform: Governing cannot work without compromise

The future we want is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates. It will only happen if we fix our politics. A better politics doesn't mean we have to agree on everything. This is a big country, different regions, different attitudes, different interests. But Democracy grinds to a halt without willingness to compromise, or when even basic facts are contested, or when we listen only to those who agree with us.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Health Care: 18 millions people have gained health insurance

The Affordable Care Act is about filling the gaps in employer-based care so that when you lose a job, or you go back to school, or you strike out and launch that new business, you'll still have coverage. Nearly 18 million people have gained coverage so far and in the process, health care inflation has slowed.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Health Care: Prioritize finding a cure for cancer

Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they've had in over a decade. For the loved ones we've all lost, for the families that we can still save, let's make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Homeland Security: Self-defeating to overstate ISIS threat

As we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages -- they pose an enormous danger to civilians; they have to be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That is the story ISIL wants to tell. That's the kind of propaganda they use to recruit.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Jobs: US economy is strong: 900,000 new jobs in the past 6 years

The US in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs, the strongest two years of job growth since the `90s, an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry just had its best year ever. That's just part of a manufacturing surge that's created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past 6 years. And we've done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Jobs: Need retraining programs for workers who lose jobs

Say a hardworking American loses his job -- we shouldn't just make sure that he can get unemployment insurance; we should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business that's ready to hire him. If that new job doesn't pay as much, there should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay his bills. And even if he's going from job to job, he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Principles & Values: America is defined by innovative spirit: it's in our DNA

How do we reignite that spirit of innovation to meet our biggest challenges? Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we didn't deny Sputnik was up there. We didn't argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight. And 12 years later, we were walking on the moon. Now, that spirit of discovery is in our DNA. America is every immigrant and entrepreneur racing to shape a better world.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Technology: Must continue to make technology accessible

And over the past seven years, we've protected an open Internet, and taken bold new steps to get more students and low-income Americans online. We've launched next-generation manufacturing hubs, and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day. But we can do so much more.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Welfare & Poverty: Expand tax cuts for childless low income workers

I also know Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty. America is about giving everybody willing to work a chance, a hand up. And I'd welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers who don't have children.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress Jan 20, 2016

On Homeland Security: We spend more on military than next 8 nations combined

President Obama said, "We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined." Is that literally true? We found the answer on Wikipedia, for the top 9 countries in military expenditures (in billions per year):
  1. $581B United States
  2. $129B China
  3. $81B Saudi Arabia
  4. $70B Russia
  5. $62B United Kingdom
  6. $53B France
  7. $48B Japan
  8. $45B India
  9. $44B Germany

The "next eight nations combined" add up to $532 billion annual military expenditures. Compare that to the U.S.'s annual total of $581 billion, and Pres. Obama is accurate. (Sen. Rand Paul said in 2015 the same statement about "the next ten countries combined," and we rated his statement "loosely accurate", but Obama could have gone up to "the next nine nations combined" adding in South Korea's $34B). Obama's point was the same as Paul's: the U.S. has by far the strongest military on earth, and we need not increase military spending to maintain our military dominance.

Source: 2016 State of the Union: OnTheIssues FactCheck Jan 13, 2016

On Jobs: We've cut unemployment in half during my term

Obama asserted in his State of the Union speech, "We're in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history... an unemployment rate cut in half." Is that true? That the unemployment rate was cut in half during Obama's term in office? We checked the Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Rate Table:

That chart indicates that unemployment reached a peak of 10.0% in Oct. 2009, eight months after Obama took office. And the current unemployment rate as of Dec. 2015 is 5.0%, exactly half of the peak unemployment rate. So, yes, the president was correct. But voters might interpret his meaning as "an unemployment rate cut in half from when I took office", which is not correct; to be correct, you must use the interpretation "an unemployment rate cut in half from the peak of the recession."

Source: 2016 State of the Union: OnTheIssues FactCheck Jan 13, 2016

On Corporations: Food stamps didn't cause financial crisis; Wall Street did

After years of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules. Food Stamp recipients did not cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did.

Immigrants aren't the principal reason wages haven't gone up. Those decisions are made in the boardrooms. It's sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts.

The point is, I believe, that in this new economy, workers and start-ups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And I'm not alone in this. This year, I plan to lift up the many businesses who've figured out that doing right by their workers or their customers or their communities ends up being good for their shareholders, and I want to spread those best practices across America. That's part of a brighter future. In fact, it turns out many of our best corporate citizens are also our most creative.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Energy & Oil: Make technology work for us on climate change

How do we make technology work for us, and not against us, especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?

Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You will be pretty lonely because you'll be debating our military, most of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it's a problem and intend to solve it.

But even if the planet wasn't at stake, even if 2014 wasn't the warmest year on record until 2015 turned out even hotter--why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?

None of this is going to happen overnight, and yes, there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo. But the jobs we'll create, the money we'll save, the planet we'll preserve, that is the kind of future our kids and our grandkids deserve.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Energy & Oil: 7 years of investment in solar & wind nationwide

Seven years ago, we made the single biggest investment in clean energy in our history. Here are the results. In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York, solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills and employs more Americans than coal--in jobs that pay better than average.

We're taking steps to give homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy--something, by the way, that environmentalists and Tea Partiers have teamed up to support. And meanwhile, we've cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly 60 percent and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth. Gas under $2 a gallon ain't bad either.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Foreign Policy: The Cold War is over; lift 50-year embargo on Cuba

Fifty years of isolating Cuba had failed to promote democracy, it set us back in Latin America. That's why we restored diplomatic relations, opened the door to travel and commerce, positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the Cuban people. So, if you want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere, recognize that the Cold War is over. Lift the embargo.

American leadership in the 21st century is not a choice between ignoring the rest of the world, except when we kill terrorists; or occupying and rebuilding whatever society is unraveling. Leadership means a wise application of military power, and rallying the world behind causes that are right. It means seeing our foreign assistance as part of our national security, not something separate, not charity.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Free Trade: TPP cuts 18,000 taxes on products made in America

We forged the Trans-Pacific Partnership to open markets, and protect workers and the environment, and advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes on products made in America which will then support more good jobs here in America. With TPP, China does not set the rules in that region; we do. We want to show our strength in this new century? Approve this agreement, give us the tools to enforce it. It's the right thing to do.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Government Reform: We've got to make it easier to vote, not harder

We've got to make it easier to vote, not harder. We need to modernize it for the way we live now. This is America. We want to make it easier for people to participate. I intend to travel the country to push for reforms that do just that.

But I can't do these things on my own. Changes in our political process--in not just who gets elected, but how they get elected--that will only happen when the American people demand it. That's what's meant by a government of, by, and for the people.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Health Care: Lead eradication of malaria and HIV, like we did with Ebola

There is a smarter approach [than just being a military superpower], that uses every element of our national power. It says on issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us.

That's how we stopped the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Our military, our doctors, our development workers--they were heroic. They set up the platform that then allowed other countries to join in behind us and stamp out that epidemic. Hundreds of thousands--maybe a couple million lives were saved.

When we help African countries care for the sick, It's the right thing to do, and it prevents the next pandemic from reaching our shores. Now right now, we are on track to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS, that's within our grasp, and we have the chance to accomplish the same thing with malaria, something I'll be pushing this Congress to fund this year. That's American strength. That's American leadership. And that kind of leadership depends on the power of our example.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Homeland Security: Talk of economic decline & military weakness is just hot air

A big question that we have to answer together is how to keep America safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying to nation- build everywhere there's a problem. All the talk of America's economic decline is political hot air. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker. Let me tell you something. The United States is the most powerful nation on Earth, period. Period. It's not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined. Our troops are the finest fighting force in the history of the world.

No nation attacks us directly or our allies because they know that's the path to ruin. Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office, and when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead. They call us. So I think it's useful to level set here, because when we don't, we don't make good decisions.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Technology: We protected an open internet & got more Americans online

How do we re-ignite that spirit of innovation to meet our biggest challenges? The spirit of discovery is in our DNA. America is Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers and George Washington Carver. America is Grace Hopper and Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride. America is every immigrant and entrepreneur from Boston to Austin to Silicon Valley racing to shape a better future.

That's who we are, and over the past seven years, we've nurtured that spirit. We've protected an open Internet, and taken bold new steps to get more students and low-income Americans online. We've launched next-generation manufacturing hubs and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day. But we can do so much more.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

On Technology: Put Americans to work on 21st-century transportation system

We've got to accelerate the transition away from old, dirtier energy sources. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future, especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. We do them no favor when we don't show them where the trends are going. And that's why I'm going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet. And that way, we put money back into those communities and put tens of thousands of Americans to work building a 21st century transportation system.

Now, none of this is going to happen overnight, and yes, there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo. But the jobs we'll create, the money we'll save, the planet we'll preserve, that is the kind of future our kids and our grandkids deserve. And it's within our grasp.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address Jan 12, 2016

The above quotations are from 2016 State of the Union address to Congress, plus the opposition party responses: Jan. 14, 2016.
Click here for other excerpts from 2016 State of the Union address to Congress, plus the opposition party responses: Jan. 14, 2016.
Click here for other excerpts by Barack Obama.
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Page last updated: Dec 03, 2021