Barack Obama in 2013 State of the Union address
On Budget & Economy:
FactCheck: $2.5T deficit reduction is a debatable estimate
Obama said the administration and Congress "have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion." A bipartisan group called the estimate "very reasonable." But it is only an estimate--and a debatable one at that--for deficit reduction
from budgets through fiscal year 2022. Exactly how much will be cut will be up to future Congresses. And, even if Congress meets those deficit-reduction goals, deficit spending will continue and the federal debt will grow larger--unless much more is done
Obama has cited the $2.5 trillion figure on numerous occasions. It is based largely on two pieces of legislation: the Budget Control Act, which placed caps on discretionary spending, and the American Taxpayer Relief Act, which prevented tax hikes on
most Americans but allowed rates to go up on the top 1% of taxpayers.
Republicans challenge the $2.5 trillion figure with some justification, because the amount of savings depends heavily on the baseline--that is, the starting point of comparison.
Source: FactCheck.org on 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 13, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
FactCheck: Wind & solar doubled, but now only 1.4% of energy
Obama said "We have doubled . the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar." True, but they're still a very small percentage of energy production and consumption in the U.S.We looked at this claim when
Obama made it several times on the presidential campaign trail last fall. We found that wind and solar energy generation had doubled from 2008 to 2011. Consumption for wind also doubled, and it nearly doubled for solar.
But wind and solar were very small portions of energy generated before--and even after--that increase. Wind was 13% of all renewable energy generated in 2011. (Renewable includes biomass, such as ethanol, and hydro.)
Solar was 1.3% of renewable energy generated. Renewable energy altogether accounted for just 9% of U.S. energy consumption in 2011.
Source: FactCheck.org on 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 13, 2013
On Jobs:
FactCheck: Yes, 500K manufacturing jobs since 2010, but...
The president was correct when he said U.S. "manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three" years, but that's not the whole story.Overall, there has been a net loss of more than 600,000 manufacturing jobs since Obama took office in
January 2009, and manufacturing job growth during his tenure has stalled since reaching a peak of nearly 12 million jobs in July 2012.
Over the past three years--since January 2010--the U.S. economy has added 490,000 manufacturing jobs.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 11,950,000 manufacturing jobs in January 2013--up from the 11,460,000 jobs recorded in January 2010. However, there were 12,556,000 manufacturing jobs in January 2009.
So overall, there has been a loss of 606,000 jobs since Obama took office. More recently, "manufacturing growth has been stuck in neutral," as the National Association of Manufacturers said in a Feb. 12 press release.
Source: FactCheck.org on 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 13, 2013
On Budget & Economy:
$4T in deficit reduction: tax the top 1%
Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget--decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion--
mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our finances.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Budget & Economy:
Uphold full faith & credit of US; keep government open
I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won't be easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get 100 percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of
hardworking Americans. So let's set party interests aside, and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And let's do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off
investors. The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. Let's agree, right here, right now, to keep the people's government open, pay our bills on time, and always
uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America. The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Budget & Economy:
Home mortgage problems are holding back our economy
Even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected. Too many families who have never missed a payment and want to refinance are being told no.
That's holding our entire economy back, and we need to fix it. Right now, there's a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today's rates.
Democrats and Republicans have supported it before. What are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill. Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home.
What's holding us back? Let's streamline the process, and help our economy grow.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Civil Rights:
Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act
We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day's work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we've put in place, a family with two kids
that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That's wrong. That's why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, nineteen states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Education:
Re-equip high schools to train for jobs right now
[Our proposed] initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to
fill those jobs.Let's make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their high school students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community
colleges, so that they're ready for a job.
Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy.
We'll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math--the skills today's employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Education:
College Scorecard: compare schools by affordability
Today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we have made college more affordable for millions of students and families
over the last few years. But taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the soaring cost of higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it's our job to make sure they do. Tonight, I ask Congress to change the
Higher Education Act, so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my
Administration will release a new "College Scorecard" that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
Bipartisan market-based solution to climate change
I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will.
I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
We must do more to combat climate change
We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar--with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to show for it. We produce more natural gas than ever before-
and nearly everyone's energy bill is lower because of it. And over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to
combat climate change. Yes, it's true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods--all are now more frequent and intense. We can choose to
believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science--and act before it's too late
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
Energy Security Trust: oil & gas tax funds green energy R&D
Much of our new-found energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own together. So tonight, I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars
and trucks off oil for good. If a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we.
Let's take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too long. I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses
over the next twenty years. The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make it happen.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Families & Children:
Pass the Violence Against Women Act
But we can't stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives, mothers, and daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence
Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. I urge the House to do the same. And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Foreign Policy:
Support stable transition to democracy in Burma & elsewhere
America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of historic change. I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon--when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President into the home where she had been imprisoned for years; when
thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags.In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their
universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we can--and will--insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people.
We will keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. These are the messages I will deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Free Trade:
Negotiate a Transatlantic and a Trans-Pacific Partnership
Today's world presents not only dangers, but opportunities. To boost American exports, support American jobs, and level the playing field in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership.
And tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union--because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Government Reform:
Waiting 6 or 7 hours to cast a ballot betrays our ideals
Defending our freedom is not the job of our military alone. We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote.
When any Americans--no matter where they live or what their party--are denied that right simply because they can't wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals.
That's why, tonight, I'm announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And I'm asking two long-time experts in the field,
who've recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney's campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it. And so does our democracy.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Gun Control:
Gun violence victims deserve a vote
It has been two months since Newtown. This is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans--Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment--have come together around
commonsense reform--like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are
asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets.Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months
since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.
Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. The families of Newtown deserve a vote. The families of Aurora deserve a vote.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Health Care:
An AIDS-free generation is within our reach
Progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the US 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 helping communities to feed, power, and educate themselves; by saving the world's children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Homeland Security:
Defense cuts bad; but non-defense cuts even worse
In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year.
These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness. They'd devastate priorities like education, energy, and medical research. They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs.
That's why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as "the sequester," are a really bad idea.Now, some in this
Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training; Medicare and Social Security benefits. That idea is even worse.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Homeland Security:
Define legal framework for targeting & detaining terrorists
Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. Different al Qaeda affiliates--from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we don't need to send tens of
thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations. We will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is why my
Administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our counterterrorism operations. Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. I recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my
word that we're doing things the right way. So I will 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.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Immigration:
Comprehensive immigration reform including legal immigration
Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration
reform.Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my Administration has already made--putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in
40 years.
Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship--a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks
trying to come here legally.
And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Jobs:
Make America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing
Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing. After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants
in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year, we created our first
manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. There's no reason this can't happen in other towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and
Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Jobs:
Raise federal minimum wage to $9 per hour, and tie to COLA
Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families.
It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets.
Working folks shouldn't have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here's an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that
it finally becomes a wage you can live on.
America is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Principles & Values:
Put nation's interests before party
It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country--the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love.It is our
unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation.
The American people don't expect government to solve every problem. They don't expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect us to put the nation's interests before party.
They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together; and that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Social Security:
No new promises we can't keep; but keep promises we've made
We can't ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful. Most Americans understand that we can't just cut our way to prosperity.
They know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share. And that's the approach I offer tonight.On Medicare, the reforms I'm proposing
reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. Our medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital--they should be based on the quality of care that our
seniors receive. And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don't violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn't make promises we cannot keep--but we must keep the promises we've already made.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Technology:
$140 for each $1 spent on genome; make more such investments
If we want to make the best products, we have to invest in the best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy. Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's; developing
drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new materials. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Technology:
Fix It First: urgent repairs like 70,000 bridges
America's energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they'd rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and internet; high-tech schools
and self-healing power grids. Tonight, I propose a "Fix-It-First" program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country.
And to make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole burden, I'm also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods;
modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children. Let's prove that there is no better place to do business than the United States of America. And let's start right away.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On Technology:
Cyber-attacks are real threats to security and economy
America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks. We know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate private e-mail. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets.
Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems.
We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.That's why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information
sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy. Now, Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
On War & Peace:
Move into support role in Afghanistan; 34,000 troops home
We can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al Qaeda. Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into
a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in
Afghanistan will be over.Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We are negotiating an agreement with the
Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Feb 12, 2013
Page last updated: Feb 24, 2019