2012年 オバマ大統領 一般教書演説全文

ごめん、本当は英語のほうに日本語を照らし合わせたかったのだけど、
ちょっと時間がないようです。
一般教書演説の全文＋要旨。

参考１）http://www.nikkei.com/news/special/related-article/g=96958A96889DE1EAE0EAE1EBEAE2E0E7E2E3E0E2E3E09790E0E2E2E2;q=9694E0E0E3E0E0E2E3E3E7E5E0E7;p=9694E0E0E3E0E0E2E3E3E7E5E3EB;o=9694E0E0E3E0E0E2E3E3E7E5E3EA
参考２）http://jp.wsj.com/US/Politics/node_380666

　先月、私はアンドリュース空軍基地に行き、イラクでの任務に就いていた最後の部隊を出迎えた。こうした人々が米国を世界のなかでより安全で、より尊敬される国につくり上げた。９年間で初めてイラクで戦っている米国人はいない。この20年間で初めてウサマ・ビンラディンは米国にとって脅威ではない。アルカイダの多くの幹部は敗れ去った。タリバンは衰え、アフガニスタン駐留軍は帰国し始めている。

　我々が彼らの例に従うならば、我々が実現できることを想像してみてほしい。ハイテク製造業、高い賃金の仕事をひきつける国。自らのエネルギーをコントロールでき、安全保障や繁栄が不安定な地域に影響されない未来。勤勉さが報われ、責任感が評価される持続性のある経済――。

　我々はできる。我々は以前にやっていたので、できると分かっている。第２次世界大戦後、英雄たちが戦争から帰ってきたとき、彼らは最も強い経済、中間層を生み出した。一生懸命働けば家族を養え、自宅を保有し、子供を大学に通わせることができた。

　我々の時代の課題はこの約束をどのように続けるかということだ。これほど近々の課題はない。もはや議論の余地はない。我々はだれもが平等となるような経済を再生できる。これは民主党だけの価値でも、共和党だけの価値でもなく、米国の価値だ。

　過去22カ月で300万人以上の雇用が生み出された。米国の製造業は1990年代以降ではじめて再び雇用をつくり出している。我々は負債を削ることで合意し、ウォール街（金融機関）を規制する新たな法律を設けた。あのような危機は二度と起きない。私が大統領でいる限り政策の実現に向けてこの議場にいるだれとでも協力するつもりだ。障害には行動でたたかう。この経済危機をもたらした政策に戻そうとするあらゆる動きに反対する。

　◆経済政策　今夜、我々がどのように前進していくかということについて話したい。持続する経済の青写真を示したい。米国の製造業、エネルギー、労働者の技術力、新たな価値観に頼れるような経済だ。

　この青写真は米国の製造業から始まる。

　私が就任した当時、自動車産業は崩壊の瀬戸際だった。そのまま死なせた方が良いという声もあったが、100万人の雇用がかかっており、私はそうはしなかった。救済する代わりに我々は義務を求めた。リストラを求めたのだ。ゼネラル・モーターズは世界首位に返り咲き、クライスラーは最も早い成長を見せ、フォード・モーターは米国で数十億ドルもの投資を行っている。自動車業界全体で16万人近い雇用を生み出したのだ。

　我々は米国の労働者に、創意工夫に賭けた。そして今夜、米国の自動車産業は戻ってきた。

　デトロイトで起こったことは他の産業でも起こっている。海外に去った雇用を全て戻すことはできない。だが、今では中国でビジネスする方が高くつき始めている。今や製造業を取り戻す絶好の機会なのだ。ビジネスリーダーへのメッセージは簡潔だ。自国に雇用を戻すために何ができるか考えてほしい。そのために米国はできることは何でもする。

　まず税制から始めよう。米国にとどまる企業は世界で最も高額の税金にさらされる。これを変えよう。税制優遇は海外に出て行く企業は受けられず、雇用を戻すと決めた企業が受けられるようにすべきだ。今後、多国籍企業は最低限の税金を支払わねばならず、ここにとどまる企業の税金を下げるために使われる。米国で生産するハイテク企業の税控除額を倍増する。工場が無くなった地域に移動する企業には資金調達を支援する。

　米企業の海外販売も支援する。２年前、私は５年間で輸出を倍増する目標を定めたが、計画より進んでいる。米国製品の市場を開くためなら、私は世界のどこにでも出向く。ルールに従わない相手には遠慮しない。中国のような国の不公平貿易を調査する貿易是正部門を設置する。米国の労働者は地球上で最も生産性が高く、フィールドが平等なら米国が常に勝つと約束しよう。

　◆教育政策　教師は重要だ。彼らを批判するのでなく、学校と約束しようではないか。優秀な教師の水準を保つための材料を与え、最高の報酬を与えよう。創造性と情熱をもって子供たちの学習の助けになろうとしない教師は交代させる。また、すべての州に対し、生徒が卒業するか18歳になるまでは、生徒みなを学校にとどまらせるよう求める。

　子どもたちが学校を卒業すると、もっとも負担となる障壁が大学の費用だ。米国民の学費の負担が大きい場合、議会は７月から学費ローンの利子を倍増する措置を停止する必要がある。中流家庭に数千ドルの節約をもたらす税措置を延長する。そしてより多くの若い人々に、向こう５年で就学しながらの働く機会を倍増させ、学費を稼げる機会を与える。

　多くの熱意ある学生たちには障壁がほかにもある。米国の市民権を得ていない者も多くおり、彼らは送還の脅威にさらされている。ビジネスや科学を学びに来て、学位を取得すると、米国以外のどこかで新たな製品を開発し、雇用を生み出す。これは意味を成さない。

　違法入国には厳しく対応すべきだ。そのため私の政権は国境の取り締まりをかつてより強めている。我々は包括的な入国管理の改革に取りかかるべきだ。しかし、選挙の年には難しい。少なくとも、新たなビジネスを始める責任ある若者を閉め出すようなことはやめることで合意しよう。彼らに市民権を与える機会となる法案を持ってきてほしい。私はすぐにでも署名する。

　持続可能な経済はこの国の皆の才能と威厳を高めるものだ。女性も平等な仕事や平等な報酬を得るべきだ。アップルのスティーブ・ジョブズ氏に続くような起業家をめざす人たち皆を支援すべきだ。革新は米国が常に追求してきたものだ。多くの新たな雇用が小さなビジネスの起業によってもたらされてきた。我らの成功を妨げるような規制を打ち砕こう。小さな事業への優遇税制を拡大し給料を高めるような法案を、年内にまとめよう。

　革新には基礎的な研究が必要だ。今日、政府が支援する研究機関ではガン治療の新たな処置などが開発されている。こうした分野の投資の予算を奪ってはならない。他国との競争で負けてもいけない。

　◆エネルギー政策　米国ほどエネルギー分野で大きな革新が約束されている国はない。過去３年間、広大な石油・ガス田を探査のため開放。そして今夜、海底の石油・ガス田の75％以上を開放するよう指示する。米国の原油生産は過去８年間で最高。昨年は過去16年で外国石油への依存度が最も低かった。

　しかし、世界の埋蔵量の２％にすぎない石油だけでは十分ではない。米国産エネルギーに関し、利用可能なすべての資源を活用する必要がある。環境負荷が低く、安く、そして多くの新たな雇用をもたらすものだ。

　我々には100年近く調達し続けられる天然ガス資源がある。私の政権では安全に開発するためのすべての可能な措置を講じる。これにより、2020年までに60万人以上の雇用を支えられる。そして公共の土地でガスを探査するすべての企業に対し、利用する化学物質の開示を要請する。

　私はクリーンエネルギーに関しての約束を諦めない。風力や太陽エネルギー産業を中国やドイツに譲らない。米国は１世紀にわたって石油会社に助成してきたが、もう十分だ。ほとんど利益を生まない産業に税金を使うのはやめ、前途有望なクリーンエネルギー産業に投資すべきだ。クリーンエネルギー税控除制度を可決し、関連する雇用を生み出すべきだ。

　エネルギーの浪費を節約するために、製造業の工場でのエネルギー消費削減を支援し、そのための施設改修を奨励することを提案する。今後10年間で、製造業のエネルギー支出は1000億ドル減るだろう。

　◆金融規制改革・消費者保護　私は責任感のある住宅所有者が、低金利の住宅ローンに借り換え年間3000ドル節約できるようにする案を議会に提出する予定だ。

　規則を守っている何百人もの米国民は、同様に規則を守る政府と金融システムを持つに値する。

政府の救済処置や援助金はもうない。責任逃れもさせない。持続する米国を建設するために、全ての人々に責任を果たしてもらう。金融危機から学んだ教訓から、無責任な行動を防止する賢明な規制が必要だ。自由経済を壊すためではなく、自由経済をより良く機能させるためだ。規制の中でも時代遅れで意味のない規則は撤廃するように政府各機関に命令済みだ。既に500以上の規制改革を実施した結果、米国民や企業は今後５年間で100億ドル以上節約できるだろう。

　我々は訓練された調査員からなる金融犯罪取り締まりの組織を設立し、大規模な不正を取り締まり、投資を守るつもりだ。常習犯に対する罰則がないので、詐欺取り締まり規定に違反する金融機関があるのだ。消費者にとって有害であり、正しい行動をとっている大部分の銀行員や金融サービスに従事する人にとって有害でもある。だから詐欺行為に対する法律を通過させる必要がある。

　今夜、司法長官に連邦検察官からなる特別組織を創設するように依頼し、不正な貸し付けや住宅ローン危機を導いたリスクの高い住宅ローンに関する調査を主導させる。

　◆債務問題　財政赤字について、私たちは既に２兆ドル以上の歳出削減などで合意している。もう一段努力する必要がある。税の抜け道を使い、富裕層の４分の１が中間層よりも低い税率で税金を払っている。ウォーレン・バフェット氏も低い税率で税金を払っている。

　私や議会のメンバーのような人々が公正な税金を払うため、税法を改正する必要がある。税制改革はバフェット・ルールに従う必要がある。

　行政は変わる必要がある。非効率で遅れていることが多くある。そのため、私は議会に連邦の官僚機構を統合する権限を与えてくれるようにお願いしている。政府はよりスリムになり米国民の要求に迅速に対応する必要がある。

　◆外交政策　イラク戦争の終結により、我々の敵に決定的な打撃を与えることができた。パキスタンからイエメンに至るまで、（国際テロ組織）アルカイダの残党たちは米国の手から逃げられないと知って慌てふためいている。

　我々はアフガニスタンでの戦争の段階的縮小を始めた。同国への権限の移譲を継続し、恒久的なパートナーシップを築くことにより、同国は二度と米国に対する攻撃の拠点となることはない。

　我々の外交の力で、イランの核開発計画への対処を巡ってかつて分断していた世界は、いま団結している。

　米国はイランによる核兵器の入手を断固として阻止する。私はその目的を達成するためにいかなる選択肢も排除しない。しかしこの問題の平和的な解決は依然として可能であり、イランが行動を改め、義務を果たせば、国際社会に復帰することができる。

　欧州やアジアにおける昔からの同盟関係はこれまでになく強力だ。我々は米国が太平洋の国であることを明確にしてきた。ビルマ（ミャンマー）における新しい始まりは新たな希望をともした。

　米国が衰退しているとか、我々の影響力が弱まっているなどと言う人々は、何も分かっていない。確かに世界は変化している。我々が全ての出来事をコントロールすることはできない。しかし米国は世界情勢における唯一不可欠な国家であり続ける。私が大統領である限り、その地位を変えるつもりはない。

　だからこそ、私は米軍指導部と協力し、５千億ドル近い予算を節約しながらも世界で最も優秀な軍を維持する新国防戦略を提案した。敵の一歩先を行くために、サイバー攻撃の危険から我が国を守る法案をすでに議会に送った。

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:
Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought – and several thousand gave their lives.
We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.
These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.
We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.
The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share – the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.
The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.
Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.
In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.
Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.
The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.
No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.
This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.
On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.
We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.
What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can’t bring back every job that’s left our shores. But right now, it’s getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.
So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.
We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.
So let’s change it. First, if you’re a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.
Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.
Third, if you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you’re a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.
My message is simple. It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I’ll sign them right away.
We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal – ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.
I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules. We’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration – and it’s made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they’re heavily subsidized.
Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you – America will always win.
I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can’t find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that – openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.
That’s inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.
Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie’s tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.
I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers – places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.
And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It’s time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.
These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.
For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we’ve convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning – the first time that’s happened in a generation.
But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.
At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies – just to make a difference.
Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.
We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.
When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.
Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury – it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.
Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.
That doesn’t make sense.
I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.
The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.
You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.
After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year.
Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.
Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I’m directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. That’s right – eight years. Not only that – last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen years.
But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.
We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.
The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock – reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.
What’s true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.
When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan, who said, “I’m proud to be working in the industry of the future.”
Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don’t always come right away. Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.
We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well tonight, I will. I’m directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history – with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.
Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here’s another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.
Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.
During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.
In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.
There’s never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren’t the only ones hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who’ve seen their home values decline. And while Government can’t fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn’t have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.
That’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won’t add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.
Let’s never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.
We’ve all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn’t afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn’t afford them. That’s why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don’t destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.
There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I’ve ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. We’ve already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill – because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.
I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.
And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system’s core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or send a kid to college.
So if you’re a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re required to write out a “living will” that details exactly how you’ll pay the bills if you fail – because the rest of us aren’t bailing you out ever again. And if you’re a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.
We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.
And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.
A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.
Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let’s agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.
When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else – like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we’re serious about paying down our debt, we can’t do both.
The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I’m prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.
But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you’re earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn’t go up. You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You’re the ones who need relief.
Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.
We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference – like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They know that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit. That’s an America built to last.
I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.
Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?
The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn’t come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco?
I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad – and it seems to get worse every year.
Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let’s take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa – an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.
Some of what’s broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything – even routine business – passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.
The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.
Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about cl