Automated Transcript By Speak

Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States.

Thank you. Thank you.

Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor to present to you the President of the United States.

Mr. speaker. Thank you. You can smile. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, please. Mr. Speaker, Madam Vice President. Our first lady and 2nd gentleman. Good to see you guys up there. Members of Congress. By the way, Chief Justice, I may need a court order. She gets to go to the.

The game tomorrow, next week I have to stay home.

Gotta work something out here, members of the cabinet, leaders of our military, Chief Justice, associate justice and retired justice, the Supreme Court, and to you, my fellow Americans. You know, I start tonight by congratulating 118th Congress and the new speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. Speaker, I don't want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you. And I want to congratulate the new leader of the House Democrats, the first African-American Minority Leader in history, Hakeem Jeffries.

You want to inspire the fact I campaigned for him?

Congratulations to the longest serving leader in the history of the United States Senate, Mitch McConnell. Warrior Mitch.

And congratulations to Chuck Schumer, another, you know, another term as Senate Minority Leader. You know, I think you only this time you have a slightly bigger majority Mr. Leader, you're a Majority Leader, but that much bigger. Yeah, well, I tell you what. I want to give special, special recognition to someone who I think is going to be considered the greatest speaker in the history of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

Folks, the story of America is the story of progress and resilience. Of always moving forward. Of never, ever giving up. It's a story unique among all nations. We're the only country that has emerged from every crisis we've ever entered. Stronger than we got into it. Look, folks, that's what we're doing again.

Two years ago, the economy is reeling. I stand here tonight after we've created it with the help of many people in this room. 12 million new jobs. More jobs created in two years than any presidents created in four years because of you. All because of the American people.

Two years ago. And two years ago. COVID had shut down, our businesses were closed, our schools were robbed of so much, and today COVID no longer controls our lives. And two years ago, democracy faced its greatest threats to civil war. And today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken.

As we gather here tonight. We're writing the next chapter in the Great American Story, a story of progress and resilience. When world leaders asked me to define America, and they do believe it or not, I can define it in one word, and I mean this. Possibilities. We don't think anything is beyond our capacity. Everything is a possibility.

You know, we're often told that Democrats and Republicans can't work together, but over the past two years, we've proved the cynics and naysayers wrong. Yes, we disagreed plenty. And yes, there were times when Democrats went alone. But time and again, Democrats and Republicans came together, came together to defend a stronger and safer Europe. It came together to pass one, and the one in a generation. Once in a generation, infrastructure, law, building bridges, connecting our nation and our people. We came together to pass the most significant law ever helping victims, exposed to toxic burn pits and in fact.

Good Cortana. And in fact. I signed over 300 bipartisan pieces of legislation since becoming president from reauthorizing the violence Against Women Act, the electoral Count Reform Act, the respect for Marriage Act that protects the right to marry the person you love. And to my Republican friends, if we could work together the last Congress, there's no reason we can't work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress.

As well.

I think.

Folks.

You all are this, formed as I am, but I think that people send us a clear message, fighting for the sake of fighting. Power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere. That's always been my vision of our country, and I know it's many of yours to restore the soul of this nation, to rebuild the backbone of America, America's middle class, and to unite the country. We've been sent here to finish the job, in my view. For decades, the middle class has been hollowed out. And more than and now, no one administration, but for a long time, too many good paying manufacturing jobs move overseas. Factories closed down. Once thriving cities and towns that many of you represent became shadows of what they used to be.

And along the way, something else we lost pride. Our sense of self worth. I ran for President to fundamentally change things, to make sure our economy works for everyone so we can all feel that pride in what we do. To build an economy from the bottom up in, the middle out. Not from the top down, because when the middle class does well, the poor have a ladder up and the wealthy still do very well. We all do well.

I know a lot of you always kid me for always quoting my dad, but my dad used to say Joey had jobs about a lot more than a paycheck. He really would say this. It's about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, honey, it's gonna be OK and mean it.

Well, folks.

So let's look at the results.

We're not finished yet by any stretch of the imagination, but unemployment rate is at 3.4% of 50 year low. Near record. Near record unemployment. Near record unemployment for black and Hispanic workers. We've already created your help 800,000 good paying manufacturing jobs, the fastest growth in 40 years. And where is it written?

Where is it written that America can't lead the world in manufacturing? And I don't know where that's written. For too many decades, we imported projects and exported jobs. Now, thanks to what you've all done, we're exporting American products and creating American jobs.

Folks.

Inflation. Inflation has been a global problem because the pandemic directly disrupted our supply chains, and Putin's unfair and brutal war in Ukraine disrupted energy supplies as well as food supplies, blocking all that grain in Ukraine. But we're a better position than any country on Earth right now. But we have more to do. But here at home, inflation is coming down. Here at home, gas prices down $1.50 from their peak. Food inflation is coming down. Not fast enough, but coming down. Inflation has fallen every month for the last six months or take home pay has gone up.

Additionally, over the last two years, a record 10 million Americans applied to start new businesses. 10 million. And by the way. Every time. Every time someone starts a small business as an act of hope.

And, Madam Vice President, I want to thank you for leading that effort to ensure that small businesses have access to capital.

And the historic laws we enacted that are gonna just come into being standing here last year, I shared with you a story. Of American genius and possibilities. Semiconductors, small computer chips, the size of a fingerprint that power everything from cell phones to automobiles, and so much more.

These chips were invented in America. Let's get that straight. They were invented in America. We used to make 40% of the world's chips. In the last several decades, we lost our edge. We're down to only producing 10%. We all saw what happened during the pandemic, when chip factories shut down overseas. Today's automobiles need 3000 chips, each of those automobiles.

But American automobiles couldn't make enough cars because there weren't enough chips. Car prices went up. People got laid off. So did everything from refrigerators to cell phones. We can never let that happen again, that's why.

That's why we came together to pass the bipartisan chips and Science Act.

Books.

I know I've been criticized for saying this, but I'm not changing my view. We're going to make sure the supply chain for America begins in America. The supply chain begins in America. We've already created. You've already created. 800,000 new manufacturing jobs without this law before the law kicks in. With this new law, we're going to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs across the country, and I mean all across the country, throughout not just the coast, but through the middle of the country as well. That's going to come from companies that have announced more than $300 billion in investment in American manufacturing over the next few years.

Outside of Columbus, OH, Intel is building the semiconductor factories on 1000 acres, literally a Field of Dreams. It's going to create 10,000 jobs. That one investment, 7000 construction jobs, 3000 jobs in those factories. Once they're finished, they call them factories. Jobs paying an average of $130,000 a year, and many do not require a college degree.

Jobs. Because we work together, these jobs where people don't have to leave home to search for opportunity and it's just getting started. Think about the new homes, the small businesses, the big, the medium sized businesses, so much more that's going to be needed to support those three, those 3000 permanent jobs. And the factories that are going to be built. Talk to mayors and governors, Democrats and Republicans, and they'll tell you what this means for their communities. We're seeing these Field of Dreams transformed to the heartland.

But to maintain the strongest economy in the world, we need the best infrastructure in the world.

Folks.

As you all know. We used to be #1 in the world in infrastructure. We've sunk to 13th in the world, the United States of America, 13. And the world and infrastructure, modern infrastructure. But now we're coming back because we came together and passed the bipartisan infrastructure law, the largest investment infrastructure since President Eisenhower's Interstate highway system.

Folks.

Already we've we've funded over 20,000 projects, including major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland. Projects are gonna put thousands of people to work rebuilding our highways, our bridges, our railroads, our tunnels, ports, airports, clean water, high speed Internet, all across America, urban, rural, tribal, and folks. We're just getting started. We're just getting started. And I mean you sincerely. I want to thank my Republican friends who voted for the law. And my Republican friends who voted against it as well. But I'm still I I still get asked to fund the projects in those districts as well. But don't worry.

I promised I'd be a president for all Americans. We'll fund these projects, and I'll see you at the groundbreaking.

Look.

This law. This law will further unite all of America. Projects like Brent Brent Bridge in Kentucky over the Ohio River, built 60 years ago, badly needed repairs, one of the nation's most congested freight routes, carrying $2 billion worth of freight every single day across the Ohio River.

And folks have been talking about fixing it for decades, but we're really, finally going to get it done.

I went there last month with Democrats and Republicans and from both states to deliver a commitment of $1.6 billion for this project. And while I was there. I met a young woman named Sarah who's here tonight. I don't know.

Where Sarah is the chef in the box, I don't know.

Sarah, how are you? Well, Sarah, for 30 years. For 30 years, I learned, she told me. She'd been a proud member of the Ironworkers Local 44, known as. Known as the Cowboys in the sky.

Folks who built?

Built Cincinnati skyline. Sarah said she can't wait to be 10 stories above the Ohio River building that new bridge. God bless her. That's pride and that's we're also building, we're building back pride. Look, we're also replacing poisonous lead pipes that go into 10 million homes in America's 400,000 school and childcare centers. So every child in America.

Every child in America can drink the water instead of having permanent damage to their brain. Look.

We're making sure. We're making sure.

That.

Every community. Every community in America has access to affordable, high speed Internet. No parent should have to drive by McDonald's parking lot to help them do their homework online or their kids, which many thousands were doing across the country.

And when we do these projects. And again, I get criticized this by making no excuses for it. We're going to buy American. We're going to buy America.

Quote.

And it's totally. It's totally consistent with international trade rules. Why? America has been the law since 1933, but for too long past administrations, Democrat and Republican, have fought to get around it. Not anymore. Tonight I'm announcing new standards require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America.

Made in America. I mean it.

Lumber.

Glass, drywall, fiber optic cable, and I might watch American roads, bridges, and American highways are going to be made with American products as well, folks. My economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten.

So many of you listen to me tonight. I know you feel it.

So many of.

You felt like you've just simply been forgotten. Amid the economic people in the past four decades. Too many people have been left behind and treated like they're invisible. Maybe that's you watching from home. Remember the jobs that went away. You remember them, don't you?

The folks at home remember them. You wonder whether the path even exists anymore, or your children to get ahead without having to move away. Well, that's why I get that. That's why we're building an economy where no one's left behind. Jobs are coming back. Pride is coming back.

Because choices we made in the last several years. You know, this is my view of blue collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives at home, for example.

Too many of you. Laying in bed at night like my dad did.

Staring at the ceiling wondering what in God names happens if your spouse gets cancer. Or your child gets deadly ill. Or something happens to you. What are you going to gain money to pay for those medical bills? Are you gonna have to sell the house or try to get a second mortgage on it? I get it.

I get it. With the Inflation Reduction Act that I signed into law, we're taking on powerful interest to bring health care costs down. So you can sleep better at night. With more security. You know, we pay more for prescription drugs than any nation in the world. We say it again. We pay more for prescription drugs than any major nation on Earth.

For example. One in ten Americans has diabetes. Many of you in this Chamber do, and in the audience. But every day, millions need insulin to control their diabetes. So they can literally stay alive.

Insulin has been around for over 100 years.

The guy who invented didn't even patent him because he wanted to be available for everyone. It cost the drug companies roughly $10 a vial to make that insulin.

Packaging on all you may get up to $13.00, but Big Pharma has been unfairly charging people hundreds of dollars, four to $500.00 a month.

Making record profits.

Not anymore. Not anymore.

So, so many things that we did. They're only now coming to fruition. We said we were doing this and we said we passed the law to do it, but people didn't know because the law didn't take effect until January 1 of this year.

We cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare. People are just finding out. I'm sure you're getting the same calls I'm getting. Look, there are millions of other Americans.

Who do not or are not on Medicare, including 200,000 young people with type one diabetes and in these, needless insulin to stay alive. Let's finish the job this time. Let's cap the cost of insurance for everybody at $35.

Folks.

And Big Pharma is still going to do very well, I promise you all. I promise you, they're gonna do very well. This loss of this law also caps and won't go into effect until 2025. Cost out of pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare at a maximum of $2000 a year. You don't have to pay more than 2000 anyway, no matter how much your drug costs are. Because you know why. You all know it.

Many of you, like many of my family, have cancer.

You know the drugs can range from 1011. Fourteen $15,000 for the cancer drugs. If drug prices rise faster than inflation, drug companies are gonna have to pay Medicare back the difference. Or finally.

And finally, giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices bringing down. Bringing down prescription drug costs doesn't just save seniors money.

It cuts the federal deficit by billions of dollars.

By hundreds of billions of dollars. Because these prescription drugs are drugs purchased by Medicare to make keep their commitment to the seniors.

Well, guess what? Instead of paying four or 500 bucks a month, you're paying 15. That's a lot of savings for the federal government. And by the way, why wouldn't we want that? Now, some Members here are threatening and I know it's not an official party position, so I'm not gonna exaggerate. But certainly to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act as my coach.

That's OK. That's fair. As my football coach is to say, lots of luck in your senior year. Make no mistake. If you try anything to raise the cost of printing jobs, I will veto it.

Look.

I'm pleased to say that more Americans health have health insurance now than ever in history. A record 16 million people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. And thanks, thanks for the law I signed last year. Saving millions of saving $800.00 a year on their premiums. By the way that law was written.

And the benefit expires in 2025. So my plea to some of you, at least in this audience, let's finish the job and make these savings permanent. Expand coverage on Medicaid.

Look.

The Inflation Reduction Act is also the most significant investment ever in climate change ever.

Laura utility Bill trading American job leading the world to a clean energy future. I've visited the devastating aftermath of record floods, droughts, storms and wildfires from Arizona and New Mexico to all the way up to the Canadian border. More timber has been burned and I've observed from helicopters than the entire state of Missouri. And we don't have global warming. Not a problem. In addition to emergency recovery from Puerto Rico to Florida to Idaho, we're rebuilding for the long term. New electric grids that are able to weather major storms and not prevent those fire, forest fires, roads and water systems will stand the next big flood. Clean energy to cut pollution and create jobs and communities often left behind. We're going to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations installed that across the country by 10s of thousands of IBEW workers.

And. We're helping families save more than $1000 a year with tax credits. To purchase electric vehicles and efficient and efficient.

Appliances. Energy efficient appliances. Historic conservation efforts to be responsible stewards of our land. Let's face reality. The climate crisis doesn't care if you're in a red or blue state. It's an existential threat. We have an obligation not to ourselves, with our children or grandchildren, to confront it.

I'm proud of how the how America at last is stepping up to the challenge. We're still going to need oil and gas for a while. But guess what? No.

We.

Do.

But there's so much more to do.

We gotta finish the job.

We pay for these investments for our future by finally making the wealthiest and biggest corporations begin to pay their fair share. Just began. Look, I'm a capitalist. I'm a capitalist, but pay your fair share. I think a lot of you at home. A lot of you at home agree with me and many people that you know the tax system is not fair. It is not fair.

Look.

The idea? That in 2020. 55 of the largest corporations in America, the Fortune 500. Made $40 billion in profits and paid 0 in federal taxes. 0. Folks, it's simply not fair. But now, because of the law I signed, billion dollar companies have to pay a minimum of 15%. God love them.

15%. That's less than a nurse page. And I need to be crystal clear, I said at the very beginning, under my plans, as long as I'm President, nobody earning less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny in taxes. Nobody. Not one penny.

Well, let's finish the job. There's more to do. We have to reward work, not just wealth. Passed my proposal for the billionaire minimum tax. You know there's 1000 billionaires in America. It's up from about 600 in the beginning of term.

But no billionaire should be paying a lower tax rate than a school teacher or firefighter.

I mean it. Think about it. I mean.

Look.

And no yarn enthusiastic about that. But think about it.

Think about it. Have you noticed big oil just reported his profits, record profits. Last year, they made $200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis.

I think it's outrageous.

Why they invested too little of that profit increased domestic production. And when I talked to a couple of them, they say we're afraid you're going to shut down all the oil wells and all the oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them? I said we're going to need oil for at least another decade, and that's going to exceed and beyond that.

We're going to need it.

Production. If they had in fact invested in the production to keep gas prices down. Instead they used the record profits to buy back their own stock. Rewarding the CEO's and shareholders. Corporations ought to do the right thing. That's why I proposed we quadruple the tax on corporate stock buybacks and encourage long, long term investments.

They'll still make considerable profit. Let's finish the job and close the loopholes that allow very wealthy to avoid paying their taxes. Instead of cutting the number of audits for wealthy taxpayers, I just signed a law to reduce the deficit by $114 billion by cracking down on wealthy tax.

Cheats.

That's being fiscally responsible. In the last two years. My administration has cut the deficit by more than $1.7 trillion, the largest deficit reduction in American history. Under the previous administration, the American deficit went up four years in a row. Because those record deficits, no President added more than the national debt.

In any four years that my predecessor?

Nearly 25% of the entire national debt that took over 200 years to accumulate was added by just one administration alone. The last one. They're the facts. Check it out. Check it out. How did Congress respond to that debt? They did the right thing. They left it the debt ceiling three times without preconditions or crisis. They paid American bill to prevent an economic disaster in the country. So tonight I'm asking the Congress to follow suit.

Let's commit here tonight, to the full faith and credit of the United States of America will never, ever be questioned.

So my many of some of my Republican friends. Wanna take the economy hostage? I get it. Unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what those plans are. Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I'm not saying it's a majority.

Let me give you anybody who doubts it. Contact my office. I'll give you a copy. I'll give you a copy of the proposal. That means Congress doesn't.

Vote.

Well, I'm glad to see you, and I'll tell you I enjoy conversion. You know it means if. If Congress doesn't keep the programs the way they are, they'd go away, other Republicans say. I'm not saying it's a majority of you. I don't even think it's even a significant. What is being proposed by individuals?

I'm not politely not naming them, but it's being proposed by some of you.

Look. Folks.

The idea is.

That we're not going to be, we're, we're not going to be moved into being threatened to default on the debt if we don't respond, folks. So folks. As we all apparently agree. Social Security and Medicare is off the off the books now, right?

They're not getting started. Alright.

We're ready.

We got unanimity.

Social Security and Medicare are lifeline for millions of seniors. Americans have to pay into them from the very first paycheck they started. So tonight, let's all agree, and we apparently are. Let's stand up for seniors.

Stand up and show them. Will not cut. So security. We will not cut Medicare. Those benefits belong to the American people they earned. And if anyone tries to cut Social Security, which apparently no one's going to do.

And if anyone tries to cut Medicare, I'll stop them. I'll veto it. And but I'm not going to allow them to take away, be taken away. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. But apparently it's not gonna be a problem.

Next month. When Ioffer my fiscal plan, I asked my Republican friends to lay down their plan as well. I really mean it. Let's sit down together and discuss our mutual plans together. Let's do that.

I can tell you. The plan, I'm going to show, is going to cut the deficit by another $2 trillion.

And it won't cut a single bit of Medicare or Social Security. In fact, we're going to extend the Medicare Trust fund at least two decades because that's going to be the next argument. How do we make keep it solvent, right? Well, well, not raise tax, anyone making under 400 grand but. Will pay for it the way we talked about, you know, by making sure that the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share. Look.

Look. Look.

Here's the deal.

They aren't just taking advantage of the tax code, they're taking advantage of the American consumer. Here's my message to all of you out there. I have your back. We're already preventing Americans from receiving surprise medical bills, stopping $1 billion surprise bills per month so far.

We're protecting. Seniors. Life savings. By cracking down a nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety prescribed drugs that are not needed, millions of Americans can now save thousands of dollars because they can finally get a hearing aid over the counter without a prescription.

Look.

Capitalism. Without competition, it's not capitalism, it's extortion. His exploitation? Last year, I cracked down with the help of many of you on foreign shipping companies that were making you pay higher prices for every good coming into the country. I signed a bipartisan bill that cut shipping costs by 90%, helping American farmers, businessmen and consumers. Let's finish the job. Pass the bipartisan legislation to strengthen, to strengthen antitrust.

Enforcement and for big and prevent big online platforms giving their own products an unfair advantage.

Ministration is also taking on junk fees, those hidden surcharges too many companies use to make you pay more. For example, we're making airlines show you the full ticket price up front. Refund your money if your flight is cancelled or delayed. We've reduced exorbitant bank overdrafts by saving consumers more than $1 billion a year. We're cutting credit card late fees by 75%, from $30.00 to $8.00.

Look.

Junk fees. May not matter to very wealthy, but they matter to most other folks in homes like the one I grew up in, like many of you did.

They add up to hundreds of dollars a month. They make it harder for you to pay your bills or afford that family trip. I know how unfair it feels when a company overcharges you and gets away with it. Not anymore. We've written a bill to stop it all. It's called the junk Fee Prevention act.

We're gonna ban surprise resort fees that hotels charge on on your bill. Those fees can cost up to $90.00 a night at hotels that aren't even resorts.

We the idea. That cable, Internet and cell phone companies can charge you 200 or more. If you decide to switch to another provider, give me a break. We can stop service fees on tickets to concerts and sporting events and make companies disclose all the fees up front. And we'll prohibit airlines from charging $50.00 round trip for family just to be able to sit together. Baggage fees are bad enough, airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage.

Americans are tired of being. We're tired of being played for suckers. It's a pass. Past the Junk 3 Prevention Act so companies stop ripping us off.

For too long, workers have been getting stiffed, but not anymore. We're getting we're beginning to restore the dignity of work, for example.

I I I.

Should have known this, but I didn't until two years ago. 30 million workers have to sign noncompete agreements. For the jobs, they take 30 million. So, a cashier. At a burger place can't walk across town. And take the same job, another burger place and make a few bucks more. It just changed, but they just changed it because we exposed it.

That was part of the deal, guys. Look it up. But not anymore. We're banning those agreements so companies have to compete for workers and pay them what they're worth. And I must tell you. This is bound together response to my friends on my left with the right.

I'm so sick and tired of companies breaking the law by preventing workers from organizing.

Past the PROACT. Because business have a right, workers have a right to form a union. Let's guarantee all workers have a living wage. Let's make sure working parents can afford to raise a family with sick days paid family medical leave. Affordable childcare. That's going to enable millions and more people to go and stay at work and let's restore the full child tax credit.

Which gave 10s of millions of parents some breathing room and cut child poverty in half to the lowest level in history. And by the way, when we do all these things, we increase productivity, we increase economic growth.

So let's finish the job.

And get more families access to affordable, quality housing. Let's get seniors who want to stay in their homes the care they need to do so. Let's give more breathing room to millions of family caregivers looking after their loved ones.

Passed my plan so we get seniors and people with disabilities the home care and services they need and support.

The workers who are doing God's work. These plans are fully paid for and we can afford to do them.

Restoring the dignity of work means making education an affordable ticket to the middle class. You know, when we made public education, 12 years of it universal in the last century, we made the best educated best paid. We became the best educated, best paid nation in the world. The rest of the world caught up. It's caught up. Jill, my wife who teaches full-time, has an expression.

I hope I get it right, kid. Any nation that out educates us is going to outcompete us. Any nation out educates gonna outcompete us. Folks. We all know 12 years of education is not enough to win the economic competition of 21st century.

We want to have the best educated workforce. Let's finish the job. By providing access to preschool for three and four years old, studies show that children who go to preschool are nearly 50% more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a two or four year degree, no matter their background they came from. Let's give public school teachers a raise. We're making progress. By reducing student debt, increasing Pell grants for working in middle class families.

Let's finish the job.

And connect students to career opportunities starting in high school. Provide access to two years of Community College, the best career training in America, in addition to being a pathway to a.

Four year degree.

Let's offer every American a path to a good Creek, whether they go to college or not.

And folks.

Folks in the midst of the COVID crisis when schools were closed. And we were shutting down everything. Let's recognize how far we came in the fight against the pandemic itself. While the virus is not gone, thanks to the resilience of the American people and the ingenuity of medicine. We broken the COVID grip on us. COVID deaths were down by 90%.

We've saved millions of lives and opened up. Our country, we opened our country back up and soon we'll end the public health emergency.

But.

That's called a public health emergency. But we'll remember the toll and pain that's never going to go away. More than a million Americans lost their lives to COVID a million. Families. Grieving. Children orphaned.

Empty chairs. The dining room table constantly reminding you. That she used to sit there. Remembering them. We remain vigilant.

We still need to monitor dozens of variants and support new vaccines and treatments. So Congress needs to fund these efforts and keep America safe. And as we emerge from this crisis. Stronger. We're also gonna double down on prosecuting criminals who stole relief money meant to keep workers and small businesses afloat.

Before I came to office, you remember? During that campaign, the big issue is about inspector generals. Who would protect taxpayers dollars and were sidelined? They were fired. Many people say we don't need them.

And fraud became rampant. Last year I told you the Watchdogs are back. Since then. Since then we've recovered billions of taxpayers dollars. Now let's triple the anti fraud strike force going after these criminals, double the statute of limitations on these crimes, and crack down on identity fraud by criminal syndicates stealing.

Billions of dollars. Billions of dollars from the American people. And the data showed. Now, for every dollar we put in a fighting fraud, the tax rates get back at least 10 times as much. It matters. It matters.

Look. COVID left his scars. Like the spike in violent crime in 2020. The first year of the pandemic. We have an obligation to make sure all people are safe. Public safety depends on public trust, as all of us know.

But too often that trust is violated. Joining us tonight are the parents of Tyree Nichols. Welcome.

I had to bury Tyree last week.

As many of you personally know, there's no words to describe the heartache of grief of losing a child. But imagine. Imagine if you lost that child at the hands of the law. Imagine. Having to worry whether your son or daughter came home from walking down the street. Playing in the park or just driving a car?

Most of us in here. Have never had to have the talk. The talk that brown and black parents have had to have with their children. Bow hunter, Ashley, my children. I never had to have a talk with him.

I never had to tell them if a police officer pulls you over. Turn your interior lights on right away. Don't reach your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Imagine having to worry like that every single time.

Your kid got in the car. His retiree's mother shared with me when I spoke to her. When I ask her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out. The faith of God, she said. Her son was, quote, a beautiful soul.

And something good will come of this. Imagine how much courage and carry that takes. It's up to us, to all of us. We all want the same thing. Neighborhoods free of violence. Law enforcement of enforcement who earns the community's trust.

Just as every cop, when they pin on that badge in the morning, has a right to be able to go home at night. So does everybody else out there.

Our children.

Have a right to come home safely.

Equal protection. Under the law as a covenant. We have with each other in America. We know. Police officers put their lives on the line every single night and day.

And we know we asked them in many cases to do too much, to be counselors, social workers, psychologists, responding to drug overdoses, mental health crises and so much more. In one sense, we asked much too much of them. I know most cops and their families are good, decent, honorable people. The vast majority.

They risk. And they risked their lives. Every time they put that shield on.

But what happened to Tyree in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better.

Give law enforcement the real training they need.

Hold them to higher standards.

Helped them succeed in keeping us safe.

We also need more first responders to professionals to address the growing mental health substance abuse challenges.

More resources reduce violent crime and gun crime. More Community intervention program. More investment in housing, education and job training. All this can help prevent violence in the first place.

When police officers. Or police departments violate the public trust. They must be held accountable.

With the support. Because support.

Of the families of victims. Civil rights groups and law enforcement I signed an executive order for all federal officers banning chokeholds, restricting no knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act.

Let's commit ourselves to make the words of Tyler's mom true. Something good must come from this something.

Good.

And all of us.

All of us.

Folks, it's difficult, but it's simple. All of us have to change in this Chamber. We need to rise to this moment. We can't turn away. Let's do what we know in our hearts. We need to do. Let's come together and finish the job on police reform. Do something.

Do something. That was the plea of parents who lost their children. Uvalda I met with everyone of them. Do something about gun violence.

Thank God. Thank God we did. Passing the most sweeping gun safety law in three decades. That includes things like. That the majority of responsible gun owners already support. Enhanced background checks for 18 to 21 years old. Red flag laws. Keeping guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves and others. But we know our work is not done.

Join us tonight is Brandon say. A 26 year old hero. Brandon put his college dreams on hold to be at his mom's side, his mom's side, when she was dying from cancer. And Brandon? Brandon now works at the dance studio started by his grandparents and two weeks ago.

During the Lunar New Year celebrations, he heard the studio door closed and he saw a man standing there pointing.

Semi automatic pistol Adam. He thought he was going to die. But he thought about the people inside. In that instant he found the courage to act and wrestled a semi automatic pistol away from the gunman who had already killed 11 people, another dance studio. 11. He saved lives.

It's time we do the same banned assault weapons now. Ban them now. Once and for all. I led the fight to do that in 1994. In 10 years, that ban was law. Mass shootings went down after we let it expire, and the Republican administration's mass shootings tripled. Let's finish the job and ban these assault weapons.

And let's also come together on immigration. Make it a bipartisan issue once again. We know we now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border, arresting 8000 human smugglers seizing over £23,000 of fentanyl in just the last several months. We've launched a new border plan last month. Unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela has come down 97% as a consequence of that.

But American border problems won't be fixed until Congress acts. If we don't pass my comprehensive immigration reform.

Least passed my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border.

And a pathway to citizenship for dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, essential workers. Here in the People's House.

It's our duty to protect all the people's rights and freedoms. Congress must restore the right. And the. Congress must restore the right. That was taken away in Roe V Wade and protect Roe V Wade.

Give every woman a constant right. The vice president and I are doing everything. To protect access to reproductive health care. And safeguard patient safety. But already more than a dozen states are unfortunate extreme abortion bans. Make no mistake about it. If Congress passes a national ban, I will veto it.

But let's also pass. It's also passed the Bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LBG LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity our strength. Our strength is not just the example of our power, but the power of our example. Let's remember the world's watching.

I spoke to this Chamber one year ago, just days after Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal attack against Ukraine. A murderous assault, evoking images of death and destruction Europe suffered in World War Two.

Putin's invasion has been a test. For the ages. Tests for America. The tests for the world. Would we stand for the most basic of principles? Where we stand for sovereignty, we stand for the right of people to live free of tyranny.

Where we stand for the defense of democracy. For such defense matters to us because it keeps peace and prevents open season and would be aggressive and threatens our prosperity. One year later. We know the answer. Yes, we would. And we did. We did.

And together. We did what America always does at our best, we LED. We united NATO. We built a global coalition. We stood against Putin's aggression.

We stood with the Ukrainian people to deny we're once again joined by Ukrainians ambassador to United States. She represents not her just her nation, but the courage of her people ambassador.

As our ambassador is here united and we're in united, our support of your country, would you stand so we can all take a look at you?

Thank you. Because we're gonna stand with you. As long as it takes.

Our nation is working for more freedom, more dignity, more and more peace, not just in Europe but everywhere. Before I came to office, the story was about how the People's Republic of China was increasing its power. And America was failing in the world. Not anymore. We made clear, and I made clear my personal conversation, which have been many with President Xi, that we seek competition, not conflict. But I will make no apologies.

That we're investing and to make America stronger. Investing in American innovation and industry will define the future that China intends to be dominated investing in our alliances.

And working with our allies to protect advanced technologies so they will not be used against us. Modernizing our military to safeguard stability and determination to deter aggression. Today, we're the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world, anywhere.

Else in the world.

Not committed. I'm committed to work with China, where we can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake about it. As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.

Look.

Let's be clear. Winning the competition should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world. But in the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker. Autocracies grown weaker, not stronger. Name me a world leader. Who changed places with Xi Jinping? Name me one.

Name me one. America is rallying the world to meet those challenges, from climate to global health to food insecurity to terrorism to territorial aggression. Allies are stepping up, spending more and doing more.

Look.

The bridges were forming between partners in the Pacific and those in the Atlantic. And those who bet against America are learning how wrong they are. It's never, ever been a good bet to bet against America. Never. Well. When I came to office, most assured that bipartisanship assumed was impossible.

But never believed it.

That's why a year ago I offered a unity agenda to the nation as I stood here. We made real progress together. We passed the law making it easy for doctors to prescribe effective treatments for opioid addiction. We passed. The gun safety law making historic investments in mental health. We launched the ARPA H Drive for breakthrough in the fights against cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes and so much more.

We passed. Heath Robinson packed act, named after the late Iraq War veteran who story about exposure to toxic burn kits I shared here last year.

I understand something about those burn pits, but there's so much more to do.

We can do it together.

Joining us tonight is a father named Doug. From Newton, NH. He wrote Jill, my wife, a letter and me as well. About his courageous daughter Courtney. A contagious laugh. His sister's best friend. Her sister's best friend.

He shared a story all too familiar to millions of Americans and many of you in the audience. According to discovered pills in high school. It spiraled into addiction. And eventually, death from a fentanyl overdose. She's just 20 years old.

Describing the last eight years without her, Doug said. There's no worse pain. If their family has turned pain to purpose. Working to end the stigma. And change laws.

He told us he wants to start a journey toward American recovery. Doug, are with you. Fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year. Big. You got it.

So let's launch a major surge to stop fentanyl production and the sale and trafficking with more drug detection machines, inspection cargo stop pills and powder at the border.

Working with couriers like FedEx can expect more packages for drugs. Strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. Second, let's do more in mental health, especially for our children, when millions of young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma. We are them. Greater access to mental health care after schools. We must finally hold social media companies accountable for experimenting or doing running children for profit. There's time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop big tech from collecting personal data on our kids and teenagers online.

Ban targeted advertising to children and imposed stricter limits on the personal data that companies collect on all of us. 3rd.

Let's do more to keep this nation's ones truly sacred obligation. To equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home. Job training. Job placement for veterans and their spouses as they come to return to civilian life. Helping veterans afford the rent because no one should be homeless in America, especially someone who served the country. Dennis Mcnaughtan Dennis McDonough is here at the VA.

We had our first real discussion when I asked him to take the job. I'm glad he did. We were losing up to 25 veterans a day and suicide. Now we're losing 17 a day to the silent scourge of Suicide 17 veterans a day. Are committing suicide.

More than all the people being killed in the wars. Folks. VA is doing everything you can, including expanding mental health screening. Proven programs that recruits veterans to help other veterans understand what they're going through. Get them the help they need.

We gotta do more. And 4th. Last year, Jill and I reignited the cancer. Moon shot. That I was able to start with President Obama asked me to lead our administration on this issue.

Our goal is to cut the cancer death rates. At least by 50% in the next 25 years. Turn more cancers from death sentences to treatable diseases. Provide more support for patients and their families. It's personal with so many of us, so many of us in this audience.

Joining us. Or Morris and candise. An Irishman and the daughter of immigrants from Panama. They met and fell in love in New York City and got married in the same Chapel. Jill and I got married in New York City.

Kindred spirits. He wrote us a letter. About his little daughter, Ava. And I saw her just before I came over. She was just a year old when she was diagnosed with rare kidney disease cancer.

After 26 blood transfusions, 11 rounds of radiation, 8 rounds of keeno chemo. One kidney removed. Given a 5% survival rate. He wrote how in the darkest moments, he thought, if she goes, I can't stay. Many of you been through that as well.

Jillian, understand that, like so many of you. He read Jill's book describing our family's cancer journey. And how we tried to steal moments of joy where we could with both. For them, that glimmer of joy was the half smile. Of their baby girl.

It meant everything to him. They never gave up hope. Little Ava never gave up hope. She turns 4 next month.

They just found out Abe is beating the odds, is on our way to being cure to cancer. And she's watching from the White House tonight, and she's not asleep already. With the lives we can save. With the lies we can say and the lies we've lost.

Let this be a truly American moment. The rallies, the country and the world together and prove that we can still do big things.

20 years ago, into the leadership of President Bush. And countless advocates and champions, he undertook a bipartisan effort through PEPFAR to transform the global fight against HIV AIDS. It's been a huge success. He thought big. He thought large. He moved.

I believe we can do the same thing with cancer. Let's end cancer as we know it. Cure some cancers. Once and for all.

Folks. There's one reason why we've been able to do all of these things. Our democracy itself. It's the most fundamental thing of all. With democracy, everything's possible. Without it, nothing is.

The last few years our democracy has been threatened and attacked, put at risk. Put to the test in this very room on January the 6th. And then just a few months ago. An unhedged big lie. A sale and unleashed a political violence at the home of the then Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Using the very same language the insurrectionists used as they stalk these halls and chanted on January 6. Here tonight, in this Chamber, is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack. But is this tough in as strong, as resilient as they get? My friend Paul Pelosi? Paul Stanley.

That such a heinous act should have never happened.

We must all speak out. There's no place for political violence in America. We have to protect the right to vote, not suppress the fat fundamental right to honour the results of our elections, not subvert the will of people. We have to uphold the rule of law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy. We must give hate and extremism in any form. No safe harbor.

Democracy. Must not be a partisan issue. It's an American issue. Every generation of Americans has faced a moment where they haven't been called to protect our democracy, defend it, stand up for it.

And this is our moment. My fellow Americans. We meet tonight at an inflection point. One of those moments. Then only a few generations ever face with the direction. We now take is going to decide the course of this nation for decades to come.

We're not bystanders of history. We're not powerless before the forces that confront us. It's within our power of we the people. We're facing the test of our time.

We have to be the nation we've always been at our best. Optimistic, hopeful. forward-looking. A nation that braces light over dark, hope over fear, unity over division. Stability over chaos.

We have to see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans.

We're good people, the only nation in the world built on an idea. The only one. Other nations. Are defined by geography, ethnicity.

But we're the only nation based on an idea. That all of us. Every one of us has created equal in the image of God. A nation that stands as a beacon of the world. A nation. In a new age of possibilities.

So I've come to fulfill my constitutional obligation to report in the state of the Union. And here's my report.

Because the soul of this nation is strong. Because the backbone of the backbone of this nation is strong. Because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the Union is strong. I'm not new to this place.

I stand here tonight having served as long as about anyone of you who've ever served here. But I've never been more optimistic about our future, about the future of America. We just remember who we are. We're the United States of America, and there's nothing. Nothing.

Beyond our capacity, if we do it together, God bless you all and May God protect our troops. Thank you.