Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow
Americans:

Today in America, a teacher spent extra time with a student who needed
it, and did her part to lift America's graduation rate to its highest
level in more than three decades.

An entrepreneur flipped on the lights in her tech startup, and did her
part to add to the more than eight million new jobs our businesses have
created over the past four years.

An autoworker fine-tuned some of the best, most fuel-efficient cars in
the world, and did his part to help America wean itself off foreign oil.

A farmer prepared for the spring after the strongest five-year stretch
of farm exports in our history.  A rural doctor gave a young child the
first prescription to treat asthma that his mother could afford.  A man
took the bus home from the graveyard shift, bone-tired but dreaming big
dreams for his son.  And in tight-knit communities across America,
fathers and mothers will tuck in their kids, put an arm around their
spouse, remember fallen comrades, and give thanks for being home from a
war that, after twelve long years, is finally coming to an end.

Tonight, this chamber speaks with one voice to the people we represent:
it is you, our citizens, who make the state of our union strong.

Here are the results of your efforts:  The lowest unemployment rate in
over five years.  A rebounding housing market.  A manufacturing sector
that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s.  More oil
produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world  the first time
that's happened in nearly twenty years.  Our deficits  cut by more than
half.  And for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around
the world have declared that China is no longer the world's number one
place to invest; America is.

That's why I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America.  After
five years of grit and determined effort, the United States is
better-positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth.

The question for everyone in this chamber, running through every
decision we make this year, is whether we are going to help or hinder
this progress.  For several years now, this town has been consumed by a
rancorous argument over the proper size of the federal government.  It's
an important debate  one that dates back to our very founding.  But
when that debate prevents us from carrying out even the most basic
functions of our democracy  when our differences shut down government
or threaten the full faith and credit of the United States  then we are
not doing right by the American people.

As President, I'm committed to making Washington work better, and
rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here.  I believe most of
you are, too.  Last month, thanks to the work of Democrats and
Republicans, this Congress finally produced a budget that undoes some of
last year's severe cuts to priorities like education.  Nobody got
everything they wanted, and we can still do more to invest in this
country's future while bringing down our deficit in a balanced way.  But
the budget compromise should leave us freer to focus on creating new
jobs, not creating new crises.

In the coming months, let's see where else we can make progress
together.  Let's make this a year of action.  That's what most Americans
want  for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their
hopes, their aspirations.  And what I believe unites the people of this
nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or
poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all  the notion
that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.

Let's face it: that belief has suffered some serious blows.  Over more
than three decades, even before the Great Recession hit, massive shifts
in technology and global competition had eliminated a lot of good,
middle-class jobs, and weakened the economic foundations that families
depend on.

Today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock
prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done
better.  But average wages have barely budged.  Inequality has deepened.
 Upward mobility has stalled.  The cold, hard fact is that even in the
midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to
get by  let alone get ahead.  And too many still aren't working at all.

Our job is to reverse these trends.  It won't happen right away, and we
won't agree on everything.  But what I offer tonight is a set of
concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle
class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class.  Some
require Congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. 
But America does not stand still  and neither will I.  So wherever and
whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for
more American families, that's what I'm going to do.

As usual, our First Lady sets a good example.  Michelle's Let's Move
partnership with schools, businesses, and local leaders has helped bring
down childhood obesity rates for the first time in thirty years  an
achievement that will improve lives and reduce health care costs for
decades to come.  The Joining Forces alliance that Michelle and Jill
Biden launched has already encouraged employers to hire or train nearly
400,000 veterans and military spouses.  Taking a page from that
playbook, the White House just organized a College Opportunity Summit
where already, 150 universities, businesses, and nonprofits have made
concrete commitments to reduce inequality in access to higher education
 and help every hardworking kid go to college and succeed when they get
to campus.  Across the country, we're partnering with mayors, governors,
and state legislatures on issues from homelessness to marriage equality.

 The point is, there are millions of Americans outside Washington who
 are tired of stale political arguments, and are moving this country
 forward.  They believe, and I believe, that here in America, our
 success should depend not on accident of birth, but the strength of our
 work ethic and the scope of our dreams.  That's what drew our forebears
 here.  It's how the daughter of a factory worker is CEO of America's
 largest automaker; how the son of a barkeeper is Speaker of the House;
 how the son of a single mom can be President of the greatest nation on
 Earth.

Opportunity is who we are.  And the defining project of our generation
is to restore that promise.

We know where to start: the best measure of opportunity is access to a
good job.  With the economy picking up speed, companies say they intend
to hire more people this year.  And over half of big manufacturers say
they're thinking of insourcing jobs from abroad.

So let's make that decision easier for more companies.  Both Democrats
and Republicans have argued that our tax code is riddled with wasteful,
complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here, and reward
companies that keep profits abroad.  Let's flip that equation.  Let's
work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship
jobs overseas, and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs here
at home.

Moreover, we can take the money we save with this transition to tax
reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports,
unclogging our commutes  because in today's global economy, first-class
jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure.  We'll need Congress to
protect more than three million jobs by finishing transportation and
waterways bills this summer.  But I will act on my own to slash
bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so
we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible.

We also have the chance, right now, to beat other countries in the race
for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs.  My administration
has launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing in Raleigh and
Youngstown, where we've connected businesses to research universities
that can help America lead the world in advanced technologies.  Tonight,
I'm announcing we'll launch six more this year.  Bipartisan bills in
both houses could double the number of these hubs and the jobs they
create.  So get those bills to my desk and put more Americans back to
work.

Let's do more to help the entrepreneurs and small business owners who
create most new jobs in America.  Over the past five years, my
administration has made more loans to small business owners than any
other.  And when ninety-eight percent of our exporters are small
businesses, new trade partnerships with Europe and the Asia-Pacific will
help them create more jobs.  We need to work together on tools like
bipartisan trade promotion authority to protect our workers, protect our
environment, and open new markets to new goods stamped "Made in the
USA."  China and Europe aren't standing on the sidelines.  Neither
should we.

We know that the nation that goes all-in on innovation today will own
the global economy tomorrow.  This is an edge America cannot surrender. 
Federally-funded research helped lead to the ideas and inventions behind
Google and smartphones.  That's why Congress should undo the damage done
by last year's cuts to basic research so we can unleash the next great
American discovery  whether it's vaccines that stay ahead of
drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material that's stronger than
steel.  And let's pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses
to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless litigation.

Now, one of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our
commitment to American energy.  The all-of-the-above energy strategy I
announced a few years ago is working, and today, America is closer to
energy independence than we've been in decades.

One of the reasons why is natural gas  if extracted safely, it's the
bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution
that causes climate change.  Businesses plan to invest almost $100
billion in new factories that use natural gas.  I'll cut red tape to
help states get those factories built, and this Congress can help by
putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars
and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas.  My administration
will keep working with the industry to sustain production and job growth
while strengthening protection of our air, our water, and our
communities.  And while we're at it, I'll use my authority to protect
more of our pristine federal lands for future generations.

It's not just oil and natural gas production that's booming; we're
becoming a global leader in solar, too.  Every four minutes, another
American home or business goes solar; every panel pounded into place by
a worker whose job can't be outsourced.  Let's continue that progress
with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil
fuel industries that don't need it, so that we can invest more in fuels
of the future that do.

And even as we've increased energy production, we've partnered with
businesses, builders, and local communities to reduce the energy we
consume.  When we rescued our automakers, for example, we worked with
them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars.  In the
coming months, I'll build on that success by setting new standards for
our trucks, so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at
the pump.

Taken together, our energy policy is creating jobs and leading to a
cleaner, safer planet.  Over the past eight years, the United States has
reduced our total carbon pollution more than any other nation on Earth. 
But we have to act with more urgency  because a changing climate is
already harming western communities struggling with drought, and coastal
cities dealing with floods.  That's why I directed my administration to
work with states, utilities, and others to set new standards on the
amount of carbon pollution our power plants are allowed to dump into the
air.  The shift to a cleaner energy economy won't happen overnight, and
it will require tough choices along the way.  But the debate is settled.
 Climate change is a fact.  And when our children's children look us in
the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more
stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say
yes, we did.

Finally, if we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the
call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law
enforcement  and fix our broken immigration system.  Republicans and
Democrats in the Senate have acted.  I know that members of both parties
in the House want to do the same.  Independent economists say
immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by
almost $1 trillion in the next two decades.  And for good reason: when
people come here to fulfill their dreams  to study, invent, and
contribute to our culture  they make our country a more attractive
place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone.  So let's
get immigration reform done this year.

The ideas I've outlined so far can speed up growth and create more jobs.
 But in this rapidly-changing economy, we have to make sure that every
American has the skills to fill those jobs.

The good news is, we know how to do it.  Two years ago, as the auto
industry came roaring back, Andra Rush opened up a manufacturing firm in
Detroit.  She knew that Ford needed parts for the best-selling truck in
America, and she knew how to make them.  She just needed the workforce. 
So she dialed up what we call an American Job Center  places where
folks can walk in to get the help or training they need to find a new
job, or better job.  She was flooded with new workers.  And today,
Detroit Manufacturing Systems has more than 700 employees.

What Andra and her employees experienced is how it should be for every
employer  and every job seeker.  So tonight, I've asked Vice President
Biden to lead an across-the-board reform of America's training programs
to make sure they have one mission: train Americans with the skills
employers need, and match them to good jobs that need to be filled right
now.  That means more on-the-job training, and more apprenticeships that
set a young worker on an upward trajectory for life.  It means
connecting companies to community colleges that can help design training
to fill their specific needs.  And if Congress wants to help, you can
concentrate funding on proven programs that connect more ready-to-work
Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.

 I'm also convinced we can help Americans return to the workforce faster
 by reforming unemployment insurance so that it's more effective in
 today's economy.  But first, this Congress needs to restore the
 unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people.

Let me tell you why.

Misty DeMars is a mother of two young boys. She'd been steadily employed
since she was a teenager.  She put herself through college.  She'd never
collected unemployment benefits.  In May, she and her husband used their
life savings to buy their first home.  A week later, budget cuts claimed
the job she loved.  Last month, when their unemployment insurance was
cut off, she sat down and wrote me a letter  the kind I get every day. 
"We are the face of the unemployment crisis," she wrote.  "I am not
dependent on the governmentOur country depends on people like us who
build careers, contribute to societycare about our neighborsI am
confident that in time I will find a jobI will pay my taxes, and we
will raise our children in their own home in the community we love. 
Please give us this chance."

Congress, give these hardworking, responsible Americans that chance. 
They need our help, but more important, this country needs them in the
game.  That's why I've been asking CEOs to give more long-term
unemployed workers a fair shot at that new job and new chance to support
their families; this week, many will come to the White House to make
that commitment real.  Tonight, I ask every business leader in America
to join us and to do the same  because we are stronger when America
fields a full team.

 Of course, it's not enough to train today's workforce.  We also have to
 prepare tomorrow's workforce, by guaranteeing every child access to a
 world-class education.

Estiven Rodriguez couldn't speak a word of English when he moved to New
York City at age nine.  But last month, thanks to the support of great
teachers and an innovative tutoring program, he led a march of his
classmates  through a crowd of cheering parents and neighbors  from
their high school to the post office, where they mailed off their
college applications.  And this son of a factory worker just found out
he's going to college this fall.

Five years ago, we set out to change the odds for all our kids.  We
worked with lenders to reform student loans, and today, more young
people are earning college degrees than ever before.  Race to the Top,
with the help of governors from both parties, has helped states raise
expectations and performance.  Teachers and principals in schools from
Tennessee to Washington, D.C. are making big strides in preparing
students with skills for the new economy  problem solving, critical
thinking, science, technology, engineering, and math.  Some of this
change is hard.  It requires everything from more challenging
curriculums and more demanding parents to better support for teachers
and new ways to measure how well our kids think, not how well they can
fill in a bubble on a test.  But it's worth it  and it's working.

The problem is we're still not reaching enough kids, and we're not
reaching them in time.  That has to change.

Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child's
life is high-quality early education.  Last year, I asked this Congress
to help states make high-quality pre-K available to every four year-old.
 As a parent as well as a President, I repeat that request tonight. But
in the meantime, thirty states have raised pre-k funding on their own. 
They know we can't wait.  So just as we worked with states to reform our
schools, this year, we'll invest in new partnerships with states and
communities across the country in a race to the top for our youngest
children.  And as Congress decides what it's going to do, I'm going to
pull together a coalition of elected officials, business leaders, and
philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high-quality pre-K
they need.

Last year, I also pledged to connect 99 percent of our students to
high-speed broadband over the next four years.  Tonight, I can announce
that with the support of the FCC and companies like Apple, Microsoft,
Sprint, and Verizon, we've got a down payment to start connecting more
than 15,000 schools and twenty million students over the next two years,
without adding a dime to the deficit.

We're working to redesign high schools and partner them with colleges
and employers that offer the real-world education and hands-on training
that can lead directly to a job and career.  We're shaking up our system
of higher education to give parents more information, and colleges more
incentives to offer better value, so that no middle-class kid is priced
out of a college education.  We're offering millions the opportunity to
cap their monthly student loan payments to ten percent of their income,
and I want to work with Congress to see how we can help even more
Americans who feel trapped by student loan debt.  And I'm reaching out
to some of America's leading foundations and corporations on a new
initiative to help more young men of color facing tough odds stay on
track and reach their full potential.

The bottom line is, Michelle and I want every child to have the same
chance this country gave us.  But we know our opportunity agenda won't
be complete  and too many young people entering the workforce today
will see the American Dream as an empty promise  unless we do more to
make sure our economy honors the dignity of work, and hard work pays off
for every single American.

Today, women make up about half our workforce.  But they still make 77
cents for every dollar a man earns.  That is wrong, and in 2014, it's an
embarrassment. A woman deserves equal pay for equal work.  She deserves
to have a baby without sacrificing her job.  A mother deserves a day off
to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship 
and you know what, a father does, too.  It's time to do away with
workplace policies that belong in a "Mad Men" episode.  This year, let's
all come together  Congress, the White House, and businesses from Wall
Street to Main Street  to give every woman the opportunity she
deserves.  Because I firmly believe when women succeed, America
succeeds.

Now, women hold a majority of lower-wage jobs  but they're not the only
ones stifled by stagnant wages.  Americans understand that some people
will earn more than others, and we don't resent those who, by virtue of
their efforts, achieve incredible success.  But Americans overwhelmingly
agree that no one who works full time should ever have to raise a family
in poverty.

In the year since I asked this Congress to raise the minimum wage, five
states have passed laws to raise theirs.  Many businesses have done it
on their own.  Nick Chute is here tonight with his boss, John Soranno. 
John's an owner of Punch Pizza in Minneapolis, and Nick helps make the
dough.  Only now he makes more of it: John just gave his employees a
raise, to ten bucks an hour  a decision that eased their financial
stress and boosted their morale.

Tonight, I ask more of America's business leaders to follow John's lead
and do what you can to raise your employees' wages.  To every mayor,
governor, and state legislator in America, I say, you don't have to wait
for Congress to act; Americans will support you if you take this on. 
And as a chief executive, I intend to lead by example. Profitable
corporations like Costco see higher wages as the smart way to boost
productivity and reduce turnover. We should too.  In the coming weeks, I
will issue an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to pay their
federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour 
because if you cook our troops' meals or wash their dishes, you
shouldn't have to live in poverty.

Of course, to reach millions more, Congress needs to get on board.
Today, the federal minimum wage is worth about twenty percent less than
it was when Ronald Reagan first stood here.  Tom Harkin and George
Miller have a bill to fix that by lifting the minimum wage to $10.10. 
This will help families.  It will give businesses customers with more
money to spend.  It doesn't involve any new bureaucratic program.  So
join the rest of the country.  Say yes.  Give America a raise.

There are other steps we can take to help families make ends meet, and
few are more effective at reducing inequality and helping families pull
themselves up through hard work than the Earned Income Tax Credit. 
Right now, it helps about half of all parents at some point.  But I
agree with Republicans like Senator Rubio that it doesn't do enough for
single workers who don't have kids.  So let's work together to
strengthen the credit, reward work, and help more Americans get ahead.

Let's do more to help Americans save for retirement. Today, most workers
don't have a pension.  A Social Security check often isn't enough on its
own.  And while the stock market has doubled over the last five years,
that doesn't help folks who don't have 401ks.  That's why, tomorrow, I
will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working Americans to
start their own retirement savings: MyRA. It's a new savings bond that
encourages folks to build a nest egg.  MyRA guarantees a decent return
with no risk of losing what you put in.  And if this Congress wants to
help, work with me to fix an upside-down tax code that gives big tax
breaks to help the wealthy save, but does little to nothing for
middle-class Americans.  Offer every American access to an automatic IRA
on the job, so they can save at work just like everyone in this chamber
can.  And since the most important investment many families make is
their home, send me legislation that protects taxpayers from footing the
bill for a housing crisis ever again, and keeps the dream of
homeownership alive for future generations of Americans.

One last point on financial security.  For decades, few things exposed
hard-working families to economic hardship more than a broken health
care system.  And in case you haven't heard, we're in the process of
fixing that.

A pre-existing condition used to mean that someone like Amanda Shelley,
a physician assistant and single mom from Arizona, couldn't get health
insurance.  But on January 1st, she got covered.  On January 3rd, she
felt a sharp pain.  On January 6th, she had emergency surgery.  Just one
week earlier, Amanda said, that surgery would've meant bankruptcy.

That's what health insurance reform is all about  the peace of mind
that if misfortune strikes, you don't have to lose everything.

Already, because of the Affordable Care Act, more than three million
Americans under age 26 have gained coverage under their parents' plans.

More than nine million Americans have signed up for private health
insurance or Medicaid coverage.

And here's another number: zero.  Because of this law, no American can
ever again be dropped or denied coverage for a preexisting condition
like asthma, back pain, or cancer. No woman can ever be charged more
just because she's a woman.  And we did all this while adding years to
Medicare's finances, keeping Medicare premiums flat, and lowering
prescription costs for millions of seniors.

Now, I don't expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of
this law.  But I know that the American people aren't interested in
refighting old battles.  So again, if you have specific plans to cut
costs, cover more people, and increase choice  tell America what you'd
do differently.  Let's see if the numbers add up.  But let's not have
another forty-something votes to repeal a law that's already helping
millions of Americans like Amanda.  The first forty were plenty.  We got
it.  We all owe it to the American people to say what we're for, not
just what we're against.

And if you want to know the real impact this law is having, just talk to
Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky, who's here tonight.  Kentucky's not
the most liberal part of the country, but he's like a man possessed when
it comes to covering his commonwealth's families.  "They are our friends
and neighbors," he said.  "They are people we shop and go to church
withfarmers out on the tractorsgrocery clerksthey are people who go
to work every morning praying they don't get sick.  No one deserves to
live that way."

Steve's right.  That's why, tonight, I ask every American who knows
someone without health insurance to help them get covered by March 31st.
 Moms, get on your kids to sign up.  Kids, call your mom and walk her
through the application.  It will give her some peace of mind  plus,
she'll appreciate hearing from you.  After all, that's the spirit that
has always moved this nation forward.  It's the spirit of citizenship 
the recognition that through hard work and responsibility, we can pursue
our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family to
make sure the next generation can pursue its dreams as well. Citizenship
means standing up for everyone's right to vote.  Last year, part of the
Voting Rights Act was weakened.  But conservative Republicans and
liberal Democrats are working together to strengthen it; and the
bipartisan commission I appointed last year has offered reforms so that
no one has to wait more than a half hour to vote.  Let's support these
efforts.  It should be the power of our vote, not the size of our bank
account, that drives our democracy. Citizenship means standing up for
the lives that gun violence steals from us each day.  I have seen the
courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this
country who say "we are not afraid," and I intend to keep trying, with
or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent
Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy
Hook. Citizenship demands a sense of common cause; participation in the
hard work of self-government; an obligation to serve to our communities.
 And I know this chamber agrees that few Americans give more to their
country than our diplomats and the men and women of the United States
Armed Forces. Tonight, because of the extraordinary troops and civilians
who risk and lay down their lives to keep us free, the United States is
more secure.  When I took office, nearly 180,000 Americans were serving
in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Today, all our troops are out of Iraq.  More
than 60,000 of our troops have already come home from Afghanistan.  With
Afghan forces now in the lead for their own security, our troops have
moved to a support role. Together with our allies, we will complete our
mission there by the end of this year, and America's longest war will
finally be over. After 2014, we will support a unified Afghanistan as it
takes responsibility for its own future.  If the Afghan government signs
a security agreement that we have negotiated, a small force of Americans
could remain in Afghanistan with NATO allies to carry out two narrow
missions: training and assisting Afghan forces, and counterterrorism
operations to pursue any remnants of al Qaeda.  For while our
relationship with Afghanistan will change, one thing will not: our
resolve that terrorists do not launch attacks against our country. The
fact is, that danger remains.  While we have put al Qaeda's core
leadership on a path to defeat, the threat has evolved, as al Qaeda
affiliates and other extremists take root in different parts of the
world. In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Mali, we have to keep working with
partners to disrupt and disable these networks. In Syria, we'll support
the opposition that rejects  the agenda of terrorist networks. Here at
home, we'll keep strengthening our defenses, and combat new threats like
cyberattacks.  And as we reform our defense budget, we have to keep
faith with our men and women in uniform, and invest in the capabilities
they need to succeed in future missions. We have to remain vigilant. 
But I strongly believe our leadership and our security cannot depend on
our military alone. As Commander-in-Chief, I have used force when needed
to protect the American people, and I will never hesitate to do so as
long as I hold this office.  But I will not send our troops into harm's
way unless it's truly necessary; nor will I allow our sons and daughters
to be mired in open-ended conflicts.  We must fight the battles that
need to be fought, not those that terrorists prefer from us 
large-scale deployments that drain our strength and may ultimately feed
extremism. So, even as we aggressively pursue terrorist networks 
through more targeted efforts and by building the capacity of our
foreign partners  America must move off a permanent war footing. 
That's why I've imposed prudent limits on the use of drones  for we
will not be safer if people abroad believe we strike within their
countries without regard for the consequence.  That's why, working with
this Congress, I will reform our surveillance programs  because the
vital work of our intelligence community depends on public confidence,
here and abroad, that the privacy of ordinary people is not being
violated.  And with the Afghan war ending, this needs to be the year
Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we
close the prison at Guantanamo Bay  because we counter terrorism not
just through intelligence and military action, but by remaining true to
our Constitutional ideals, and setting an example for the rest of the
world. You see, in a world of complex threats, our security and
leadership depends on all elements of our power  including strong and
principled diplomacy.  American diplomacy has rallied more than fifty
countries to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong
hands, and allowed us to reduce our own reliance on Cold War stockpiles.
 American diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syria's
chemical weapons are being eliminated, and we will continue to work with
the international community to usher in the future the Syrian people
deserve  a future free of dictatorship, terror and fear. As we speak,
American diplomacy is supporting Israelis and Palestinians as they
engage in difficult but necessary talks to end the conflict there; to
achieve dignity and an independent state for Palestinians, and lasting
peace and security for the State of Israel  a Jewish state that knows
America will always be at their side. And it is American diplomacy,
backed by pressure, that has halted the progress of Iran's nuclear
program  and rolled parts of that program back  for the very first
time in a decade.  As we gather here tonight, Iran has begun to
eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of enriched uranium.  It is not
installing advanced centrifuges.  Unprecedented inspections help the
world verify, every day, that Iran is not building a bomb.  And with our
allies and partners, we're engaged in negotiations to see if we can
peacefully achieve a goal we all share: preventing Iran from obtaining a
nuclear weapon. These negotiations will be difficult.  They may not
succeed.  We are clear-eyed about Iran's support for terrorist
organizations like Hezbollah, which threaten our allies; and the
mistrust between our nations cannot be wished away.  But these
negotiations do not rely on trust; any long-term deal we agree to must
be based on verifiable action that convinces us and the international
community that Iran is not building a nuclear bomb.  If John F. Kennedy
and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the Soviet Union, then surely a
strong and confident America can negotiate with less powerful
adversaries today. The sanctions that we put in place helped make this
opportunity possible.  But let me be clear: if this Congress sends me a
new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto
it.  For the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a
chance to succeed.  If Iran's leaders do not seize this opportunity,
then I will be the first to call for more sanctions, and stand ready to
exercise all options to make sure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon. 
But if Iran's leaders do seize the chance, then Iran could take an
important step to rejoin the community of nations, and we will have
resolved one of the leading security challenges of our time without the
risks of war. Finally, let's remember that our leadership is defined not
just by our defense against threats, but by the enormous opportunities
to do good and promote understanding around the globe  to forge greater
cooperation, to expand new markets, to free people from fear and want. 
And no one is better positioned to take advantage of those opportunities
than America.  Our alliance with Europe remains the strongest the world
has ever known.  From Tunisia to Burma, we're supporting those who are
willing to do the hard work of building democracy.  In Ukraine, we stand
for the principle that all people have the right to express themselves
freely and peacefully, and have a say in their country's future.  Across
Africa, we're bringing together businesses and governments to double
access to electricity and help end extreme poverty.  In the Americas, we
are building new ties of commerce, but we're also expanding cultural and
educational exchanges among young people.  And we will continue to focus
on the Asia-Pacific, where we support our allies, shape a future of
greater security and prosperity, and extend a hand to those devastated
by disaster  as we did in the Philippines, when our Marines and
civilians rushed to aid those battered by a typhoon, and were greeted
with words like, "We will never forget your kindness" and "God bless
America!" We do these things because they help promote our long-term
security.  And we do them because we believe in the inherent dignity and
equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or
sexual orientation.  And next week, the world will see one expression of
that commitment  when Team USA marches the red, white, and blue into
the Olympic Stadium  and brings home the gold. My fellow Americans, no
other country in the world does what we do.  On every issue, the world
turns to us, not simply because of the size of our economy or our
military might  but because of the ideals we stand for, and the burdens
we bear to advance them. No one knows this better than those who serve
in uniform.  As this time of war draws to a close, a new generation of
heroes returns to civilian life.  We'll keep slashing that backlog so
our veterans receive the benefits they've earned, and our wounded
warriors receive the health care  including the mental health care 
that they need.  We'll keep working to help all our veterans translate
their skills and leadership into jobs here at home.  And we all continue
to join forces to honor and support our remarkable military families.
Let me tell you about one of those families I've come to know. I first
met Cory Remsburg, a proud Army Ranger, at Omaha Beach on the 65th
anniversary of D-Day.  Along with some of his fellow Rangers, he walked
me through the program  a strong, impressive young man, with an easy
manner, sharp as a tack.  We joked around, and took pictures, and I told
him to stay in touch. A few months later, on his tenth deployment, Cory
was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan. His
comrades found him in a canal, face down, underwater, shrapnel in his
brain.  For months, he lay in a coma.  The next time I met him, in the
hospital, he couldn't speak; he could barely move.  Over the years, he's
endured dozens of surgeries and procedures, and hours of grueling rehab
every day.  Even now, Cory is still blind in one eye.  He still
struggles on his left side.  But slowly, steadily, with the support of
caregivers like his dad Craig, and the community around him, Cory has
grown stronger. Day by day, he's learned to speak again and stand again
and walk again  and he's working toward the day when he can serve his
country again.  "My recovery has not been easy," he says. "Nothing in
life that's worth anything is easy."  Cory is here tonight.  And like
the Army he loves, like the America he serves, Sergeant First Class Cory
Remsburg never gives up, and he does not quit.  My fellow Americans, men
and women like Cory remind us that America has never come easy.  Our
freedom, our democracy, has never been easy.  Sometimes we stumble; we
make mistakes; we get frustrated or discouraged.  But for more than two
hundred years, we have put those things aside and placed our collective
shoulder to the wheel of progress  to create and build and expand the
possibilities of individual achievement; to free other nations from
tyranny and fear; to promote justice, and fairness, and equality under
the law, so that the words set to paper by our founders are made real
for every citizen.  The America we want for our kids  a rising America
where honest work is plentiful and communities are strong; where
prosperity is widely shared and opportunity for all lets us go as far as
our dreams and toil will take us  none of it is easy.  But if we work
together; if we summon what is best in us, with our feet planted firmly
in today but our eyes cast towards tomorrow  I know it's within our
reach.  Believe it. God bless you, and God bless the United States of
America.