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Remarks of President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, “Opportunity For All,” January 28, 2014, Washington, D.C.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 Americas 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 thats 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 thats 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 worlds number one place to invest; America is.Thats 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. Its 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, Im 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 years severe cuts to priorities like education. Nobody got everything they wanted, and we can still do more to invest in this countrys 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, lets see where else we can make progress together. Lets make this a year of action. Thats 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.Lets 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 arent working at all.Our job is to reverse these trends. It wont happen right away, and we wont 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 Im 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, thats what Im going to do.As usual, our First Lady sets a good example. Michelles Lets 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, were 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. Thats what drew our forebears here. Its how the daughter of a factory worker is CEO of Americas 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 theyre thinking of insourcing jobs from abroad.So lets 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. Lets flip that equation. Lets 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 todays global economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. Well 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 weve connected businesses to research universities that can help America lead the world in advanced technologies. Tonight, Im announcing well 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.Lets 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 arent 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. Thats why Congress should undo the damage done by last years cuts to basic research so we can unleash the next great American discovery whether its vaccines that stay ahead of drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material thats stronger than steel. And lets 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 weve been in decades. One of the reasons why is natural gas if extracted safely, its 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. Ill 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 were at it, Ill use my authority to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations.Its not just oil and natural gas production thats booming; were 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 cant be outsourced. Lets continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that dont need it, so that we can invest more in fuels of the future that do.And even as weve increased energy production, weve 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, Ill 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. Thats 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 wont happen overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way. But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact. And when our childrens 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 lets get immigration reform done this year.The ideas Ive 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, Ive asked Vice President Biden to lead an across-the-board reform of Americas 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.Im also convinced we can help Americans return to the workforce faster by reforming unemployment insurance so that its more effective in todays 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. Sh