Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of
the United States, and my fellow Americans:

Less than 1 year has passed since I first stood at this podium, in this
majestic chamber, to speak on behalf of the American People -- and to
address their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. That night, our
new Administration had already taken swift action. A new tide of
optimism was already sweeping across our land.

Each day since, we have gone forward with a clear vision and a righteous
mission -- to make America great again for all Americans.

Over the last year, we have made incredible progress and achieved
extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we expected, and others
we could never have imagined. We have shared in the heights of victory
and the pains of hardship. We endured floods and fires and storms. But
through it all, we have seen the beauty of America's soul, and the steel
in America's spine.

Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who we are, and
show us what we can be.

We saw the volunteers of the "Cajun Navy," racing to the rescue with
their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a devastating
hurricane.

We saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the Las
Vegas strip.

We heard tales of Americans like Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee
Leppert, who is here tonight in the gallery with Melania. Ashlee was
aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in Houston during
Hurricane Harvey. Through 18 hours of wind and rain, Ashlee braved live
power lines and deep water, to help save more than 40 lives. Thank you,
Ashlee.

We heard about Americans like firefighter David Dahlberg. He is here
with us too. David faced down walls of flame to rescue almost 60
children trapped at a California summer camp threatened by wildfires.

To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, California, and everywhere else -- we are with you,
we love you, and we will pull through together.

Some trials over the past year touched this chamber very personally.
With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this
House -- a guy who took a bullet, almost died, and was back to work
three and a half months later: the legend from Louisiana, Congressman
Steve Scalise.

We are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the Capitol Police
Officers, the Alexandria Police, and the doctors, nurses, and paramedics
who saved his life, and the lives of many others in this room.

In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together, not as
Republicans or Democrats, but as representatives of the people. But it
is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. Tonight, I call
upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground,
and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were
elected to serve.

Over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew: that no
people on Earth are so fearless, or daring, or determined as Americans.
If there is a mountain, we climb it. If there is a frontier, we cross
it. If there is a challenge, we tame it. If there is an opportunity, we
seize it.

So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is
strong because our people are strong.

And together, we are building a safe, strong, and proud America.

Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including
200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. After years of wage stagnation,
we are finally seeing rising wages.

Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. African-American
unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic
American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.

Small business confidence is at an all-time high. The stock market has
smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion in value. That is
great news for Americans' 401k, retirement, pension, and college savings
accounts.

And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months
ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history.

Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and
small businesses.

To lower tax rates for hardworking Americans, we nearly doubled the
standard deduction for everyone. Now, the first $24,000 earned by a
married couple is completely tax-free. We also doubled the child tax
credit.

A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill reduced
by $2,000 -- slashing their tax bill in half.

This April will be the last time you ever file under the old broken
system -- and millions of Americans will have more take-home pay
starting next month.

We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans
making less than $50,000 a year -- forcing them to pay tremendous
penalties simply because they could not afford government-ordered health
plans. We repealed the core of disastrous Obamacare -- the individual
mandate is now gone.

We slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 21
percent, so American companies can compete and win against anyone in the
world. These changes alone are estimated to increase average family
income by more than $4,000.

Small businesses have also received a massive tax cut, and can now
deduct 20 percent of their business income.

Here tonight are Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub Manufacturing
-- a small business in Ohio. They have just finished the best year in
their 20-year history. Because of tax reform, they are handing out
raises, hiring an additional 14 people, and expanding into the building
next door.

One of Staub's employees, Corey Adams, is also with us tonight. Corey is
an all-American worker. He supported himself through high school, lost
his job during the 2008 recession, and was later hired by Staub, where
he trained to become a welder. Like many hardworking Americans, Corey
plans to invest his taxcut raise into his new home and his two
daughters' education. Please join me in congratulating Corey.

Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already gotten
tax cut bonuses -- many of them thousands of dollars per worker. Apple
has just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in
America, and hire another 20,000 workers.

This is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to
start living the American Dream.

So to every citizen watching at home tonight -- no matter where you have
been, or where you come from, this is your time. If you work hard, if
you believe in yourself, if you believe in America, then you can dream
anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve anything.

Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have,
and what kind of Nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one
team, one people, and one American family.

We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the
same great American flag.

Together, we are rediscovering the American way.

In America, we know that faith and family, not government and
bureaucracy, are the center of the American life. Our motto is "in God
we trust."

And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing veterans as
heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support.

Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-year-old boy from Redding,
California, who noticed that veterans' graves were not marked with flags
on Veterans Day. He decided to change that, and started a movement that
has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes. Preston:
a job well done.

Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic duty as
Americans. Preston's reverence for those who have served our Nation
reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts
for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national
anthem.

Americans love their country. And they deserve a Government that shows
them the same love and loyalty in return.

For the last year we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between
our citizens and their Government.

Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will interpret the
Constitution as written, including a great new Supreme Court Justice,
and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the history
of our country.

We are defending our Second Amendment, and have taken historic actions
to protect religious liberty.

And we are serving our brave veterans, including giving our veterans
choice in their healthcare decisions. Last year, the Congress passed,
and I signed, the landmark VA Accountability Act. Since its passage, my
Administration has already removed more than 1,500 VA employees who
failed to give our veterans the care they deserve -- and we are hiring
talented people who love our vets as much as we do.

I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of, which has
been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey.

All Americans deserve accountability and respect -- and that is what we
are giving them. So tonight, I call on the Congress to empower every
Cabinet Secretary with the authority to reward good workers -- and to
remove Federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the
American people.

In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have eliminated more
regulations in our first year than any administration in history.

We have ended the war on American Energy -- and we have ended the war on
clean coal. We are now an exporter of energy to the world.

In Detroit, I halted Government mandates that crippled America's
autoworkers -- so we can get the Motor City revving its engines once
again.

Many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the United
States -- something we have not seen for decades. Chrysler is moving a
major plant from Mexico to Michigan; Toyota and Mazda are opening up a
plant in Alabama. Soon, plants will be opening up all over the country.
This is all news Americans are unaccustomed to hearing -- for many
years, companies and jobs were only leaving us. But now they are coming
back.

Exciting progress is happening every day.

To speed access to breakthrough cures and affordable generic drugs, last
year the FDA approved more new and generic drugs and medical devices
than ever before in our history.

We also believe that patients with terminal conditions should have
access to experimental treatments that could potentially save their
lives.

People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to
country to seek a cure -- I want to give them a chance right here at
home. It is time for the Congress to give these wonderful Americans the
"right to try."

One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription
drugs. In many other countries, these drugs cost far less than what we
pay in the United States. That is why I have directed my Administration
to make fixing the injustice of high drug prices one of our top
priorities. Prices will come down.

America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade
deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our
jobs, and our Nation's wealth.

The era of economic surrender is over.

From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and to be
reciprocal.

We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones.

And we will protect American workers and American intellectual property,
through strong enforcement of our trade rules.

As we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild our crumbling
infrastructure.

America is a nation of builders. We built the Empire State Building in
just 1 year -- is it not a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just
to get a permit approved for a simple road?

I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast,
reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people
deserve.

Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to produce a bill that generates
at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need.

Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with State and
local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector
investment -- to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit.

Any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process --
getting it down to no more than two years, and perhaps even one.

Together, we can reclaim our building heritage. We will build gleaming
new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land.
And we will do it with American heart, American hands, and American
grit.

We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day's work. We want
every child to be safe in their home at night. And we want every citizen
to be proud of this land that we love.

We can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from dependence to
independence, and from poverty to prosperity.

As tax cuts create new jobs, let us invest in workforce development and
job training. Let us open great vocational schools so our future workers
can learn a craft and realize their full potential. And let us support
working families by supporting paid family leave.

As America regains its strength, this opportunity must be extended to
all citizens. That is why this year we will embark on reforming our
prisons to help former inmates who have served their time get a second
chance.

Struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will also be
helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of
American workers and American families.

For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our
most vulnerable communities. They have allowed millions of low-wage
workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest Americans.
Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives.

Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers: Evelyn Rodriguez, Freddy
Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert Mickens. Their two teenage
daughters -- Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens -- were close friends on Long
Island. But in September 2016, on the eve of Nisa's 16th Birthday,
neither of them came home. These two precious girls were brutally
murdered while walking together in their hometown. Six members of the
savage gang MS13 have been charged with Kayla and Nisa's murders. Many
of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to
enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors - and wound up in Kayla
and Nisa's high school.

Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight, everyone in this chamber
is praying for you. Everyone in America is grieving for you. And 320
million hearts are breaking for you. We cannot imagine the depth of your
sorrow, but we can make sure that other families never have to endure
this pain.

Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to finally close the deadly
loopholes that have allowed MS13, and other criminals, to break into
our country. We have proposed new legislation that will fix our
immigration laws, and support our ICE and Border Patrol Agents, so that
this cannot ever happen again.

The United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud that we do
more than any other country to help the needy, the struggling, and the
underprivileged all over the world. But as President of the United
States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, and my constant
concern is for America's children, America's struggling workers, and
America's forgotten communities. I want our youth to grow up to achieve
great things. I want our poor to have their chance to rise.

So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of both
parties -- Democrats and Republicans -- to protect our citizens of every
background, color, religion, and creed. My duty, and the sacred duty of
every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans -- to
protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right
to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too.

Here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our country: Homeland
Security Investigations Special Agent Celestino Martinez -- he goes by
CJ. CJ served 15 years in the Air Force before becoming an ICE agent and
spending the last 15 years fighting gang violence and getting dangerous
criminals off our streets. At one point, MS13 leaders ordered CJ's
murder. But he did not cave to threats or fear. Last May, he commanded
an operation to track down gang members on Long Island. His team has
arrested nearly 400, including more than 220 from MS13.

CJ: Great work. Now let us get the Congress to send you some
reinforcements.

Over the next few weeks, the House and Senate will be voting on an
immigration reform package.

In recent months, my Administration has met extensively with both
Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration
reform. Based on these discussions, we presented the Congress with a
detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair
compromise -- one where nobody gets everything they want, but where our
country gets the critical reforms it needs.

Here are the four pillars of our plan:

The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to
citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought here by
their parents at a young age -- that covers almost three times more
people than the previous administration. Under our plan, those who meet
education and work requirements, and show good moral character, will be
able to become full citizens of the United States.

The second pillar fully secures the border. That means building a wall
on the Southern border, and it means hiring more heroes like CJ to keep
our communities safe. Crucially, our plan closes the terrible loopholes
exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our country -- and it
finally ends the dangerous practice of "catch and release."

The third pillar ends the visa lottery -- a program that randomly hands
out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of
our people. It is time to begin moving towards a merit-based immigration
system -- one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who
will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our
country.

The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending chain
migration. Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring
in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. Under our plan, we
focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and
minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just for our
economy, but for our security, and our future.

In recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made possible by
the visa lottery and chain migration. In the age of terrorism, these
programs present risks we can no longer afford.

It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules, and finally bring
our immigration system into the 21st century.

These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one that
will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system.

For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this
problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen.

Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that
fulfills my ironclad pledge to only sign a bill that puts America first.
So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job
done.

These reforms will also support our response to the terrible crisis of
opioid and drug addiction.

In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses: 174 deaths per day.
Seven per hour. We must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if
we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge.

My Administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping
get treatment for those in need. The struggle will be long and difficult
-- but, as Americans always do, we will prevail.

As we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges bring out the
best in America.

We see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the Holets
family of New Mexico. Ryan Holets is 27 years old, and an officer with
the Albuquerque Police Department. He is here tonight with his wife
Rebecca. Last year, Ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless
woman preparing to inject heroin. When Ryan told her she was going to
harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she did not know
where to turn, but badly wanted a safe home for her baby.

In that moment, Ryan said he felt God speak to him: "You will do it --
because you can." He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids.
Then, he went home to tell his wife Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed
to adopt. The Holets named their new daughter Hope.

Ryan and Rebecca: You embody the goodness of our Nation. Thank you, and
congratulations.

As we rebuild America's strength and confidence at home, we are also
restoring our strength and standing abroad.

Around the world, we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups, and rivals
like China and Russia that challenge our interests, our economy, and our
values. In confronting these dangers, we know that weakness is the
surest path to conflict, and unmatched power is the surest means of our
defense.

For this reason, I am asking the Congress to end the dangerous defense
sequester and fully fund our great military.

As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear
arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but making it so strong and
powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression. Perhaps someday in
the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the
world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons.
Unfortunately, we are not there yet.

Last year, I also pledged that we would work with our allies to
extinguish ISIS from the face of the Earth. One year later, I am proud
to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated almost 100
percent of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria.
But there is much more work to be done. We will continue our fight until
ISIS is defeated.

Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight. Near Raqqa last
November, Justin and his comrade, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, were
on a mission to clear buildings that ISIS had rigged with explosives so
that civilians could return to the city.

Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital, Kenton Stacy was severely
wounded by an explosion. Immediately, Justin bounded into the
booby-trapped building and found Kenton in bad shape. He applied
pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an airway. He then
performed CPR for 20 straight minutes during the ground transport and
maintained artificial respiration through 2 hours of emergency surgery.

Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin's selfless love for a
fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. Raqqa is
liberated. And Justin is wearing his new Bronze Star, with a "V" for
"Valor." Staff Sergeant Peck: All of America salutes you.

Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are
evil. When possible, we annihilate them. When necessary, we must be able
to detain and question them. But we must be clear: Terrorists are not
merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured
overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are.

In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds of dangerous
terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield -- including the
ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi.

So today, I am keeping another promise. I just signed an order directing
Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep
open the detention facilities at Guantnamo Bay.

I am also asking the Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS
and al-Qa'ida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain
terrorists -- wherever we chase them down.

Our warriors in Afghanistan also have new rules of engagement. Along
with their heroic Afghan partners, our military is no longer undermined
by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies our plans.

Last month, I also took an action endorsed unanimously by the Senate
just months before: I recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the United Nations
General Assembly against America's sovereign right to make this
recognition. American taxpayers generously send those same countries
billions of dollars in aid every year.

That is why, tonight, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to
help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American
interests, and only go to America's friends.

As we strengthen friendships around the world, we are also restoring
clarity about our adversaries.

When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt
dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the people of
Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom.

I am asking the Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the
terrible Iran nuclear deal.

My Administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the communist and
socialist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.

But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally
than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea.

North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon
threaten our homeland.

We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from
happening.

Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only
invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of
past administrations that got us into this dangerous position.

We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime
to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America
and our allies.

Otto Warmbier was a hardworking student at the University of Virginia.
On his way to study abroad in Asia, Otto joined a tour to North Korea.
At its conclusion, this wonderful young man was arrested and charged
with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial, the dictatorship
sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor, before returning him to
America last June -- horribly injured and on the verge of death. He
passed away just days after his return.

Otto's Parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are with us tonight -- along
with Otto's brother and sister, Austin and Greta. You are powerful
witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength
inspires us all. Tonight, we pledge to honor Otto's memory with American
resolve.

Finally, we are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of this
regime. His name is Mr. Ji Seong-ho.

In 1996, Seong-ho was a starving boy in North Korea. One day, he tried
to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food. In
the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from hunger.
He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured multiple
amputations without anything to dull the pain. His brother and sister
gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt
themselves -- permanently stunting their own growth. Later, he was
tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief visit
to China. His tormentors wanted to know if he had met any Christians. He
had -- and he resolved to be free.

Seong-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches across China and
Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His father was
caught trying to escape, and was tortured to death.

Today he lives in Seoul, where he rescues other defectors, and
broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the most - the truth.

Today he has a new leg, but Seong-ho, I understand you still keep those
crutches as a reminder of how far you have come. Your great sacrifice is
an inspiration to us all.

Seong-ho's story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul to
live in freedom.

It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave
birth to a special place called America. It was a small cluster of
colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness. But it was
home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea: that they could
rule themselves. That they could chart their own destiny. And that,
together, they could light up the world.

That is what our country has always been about. That is what Americans
have always stood for, always strived for, and always done.

Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the Statue of Freedom. She stands
tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and
lived and died to protect her.

Monuments to Washington and Jefferson -- to Lincoln and King.

Memorials to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga -- to young Americans
who shed their blood on the shores of Normandy, and the fields beyond.
And others, who went down in the waters of the Pacific and the skies
over Asia.

And freedom stands tall over one more monument: this one. This Capitol.
This living monument to the American people.

A people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all around us --
defending hope, pride, and the American way.

They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. They care
for our children at home. They defend our flag abroad. They are strong
moms and brave kids. They are firefighters, police officers, border
agents, medics, and Marines.

But above all else, they are Americans. And this Capitol, this city, and
this Nation, belong to them.

Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to
protect them, and to always be worthy of them.

Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the bounds of
science and discovery. And they forever remind us of what we should
never forget: The people dreamed this country. The people built this
country. And it is the people who are making America great again.

As long as we are proud of who we are, and what we are fighting for,
there is nothing we cannot achieve.

As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens, and
trust in our God, we will not fail.

Our families will thrive.

Our people will prosper.

And our Nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and
free.

Thank you, and God bless America.