Live analysis, transcript & highlights

Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States.

Thank you. You can smile, it’s OK. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, please. Mr. Speaker, madam vice president, our first lady and second gentleman, good to see you guys up there.

By the way, Chief Justice, I may need a court order. She gets to go to the game next week, I have to stay home. We have to work something out here. Members of the cabinet, members of our military, Chief Justice, retired justices of the Supreme Court, and to you, my fellow Americans. You know, I start tonight by congratulating the 118th Congress and 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.

He won despite the fact I campaigned for him. Congratulations to the longest-serving leader in the history of the United States Senate, Mitch McConnell. Where are you, Mitch?

And congratulations to Chuck Schumer, another term as Senate minority leader. You know, only this time you have a slightly bigger majority. You are the majority leader. Not that much bigger. Well, I tell you what, I want to give 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, and never, ever giving up. It is a story unique among all nations. We are the only country that has emerged from every crisis we have ever entered stronger than we got into it.

Look, folks, that’s what we’re doing again. Two years ago, the economy was reeling. I stand here tonight after we created with the help of many people in this room. 12 million new jobs. More jobs created in two years than any president has created in four years, because of you all.

Two years ago, Covid had shut down our businesses. Schools were closed. We were robbed of so much. Today, Covid no longer controls our lives. Two years ago, democracy faced his greatest threat since the Civil War. And today, our democracy remains unbound 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 define — ask me to define America, I defined it in one word: Possibilities.

We do not think anything is beyond our capacity. Everything is a possibility. We’re often told Democrats and Republicans cannot work together. But over the past two years, we have proven codecs and naysayers wrong.

Yes, we disagree plenty, and yes, there were times the Democrats went alone. But time and again, Democrats and Republicans came together. Came together. Came together to defend a stronger and safe Europe. Came together to pass a once-in-a-generation infrastructure law, connecting our nation and our people. We came together to pass the most in if it law ever, helping victims exposed to toxic burn pits.

It’s important. In fact, I signed over 300 bipartisan pieces of legislation since becoming president. The Electoral Count Reform Act. The Respect to Marry Act. To my Republican friends, we came to work together last Congress. There is no reason we cannot work together in this Congress as well.

Folks, I think the people sent 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 has always been my vision of our country, and I know it is many of yours’. To rebuild the backbone of America, America’s middle-class, and unite the country.

We have been sent here to finish the job, in my view. For decades, the middle class has been hollowed out, and not just one administration, but for a long time. Too many good manufacturing jobs moved overseas, factories closed down, once thriving cities and towns that many of you represent became shadows of what they used to be.

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. And we all do well.

I know a lot of you always kid me for always quoting my dad, but he would say Joey, a job is a lot more than just a paycheck. It is about a lot more than a paycheck. It is about your dignity. It is about respect. It is about being up the look you are kid in the — look your kid in the eye and say it is going to be OK, and mean it.

Let’s look at the results. We are not finished yet by any stretch, but unemployment is at a 50-year low. Near-record. Near-record unemployment.

Near-record unemployment for Black and Hispanic workers. We have also created 800,000 good manufacturing jobs, the fastest growth in 40 years. Where is it written that America can not lead the world in manufacturing? I don’t know where that is written. For too many decades, we have exported projects and jobs. Now, thanks to what you have all done, we are exporting American products and creating American jobs.

Inflation has been a global problem because the pandemic disrupted our supply chain, Putin’s unfair and brutal war in Ukraine disrupted energy supplies as well as food supplies, blocking all that grain in Ukraine. We are benefitting more than any other country on Earth right now, but we have more to do.

Here at home, inflation is coming down, gas prices are coming down, food prices are coming down. Inflation prices have come down and 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 is an act of hope. Madam vice president, I want to thank you for leading the effort to make sure small businesses have access to capital, and the historic laws we enacted that will 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, 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 are down to only producing 10%. We all saw what happened during the pandemic when ship factories shut down overseas.

Today’s automobiles need 3,000 chips, each of those automobiles. Each of those automobiles. But American automobiles could not make enough cars because there were not 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 we came together to pass the bipartisan chips and science act.

Folks, I know I have been criticized for saying this, but I am not changing my view. We are going to make sure the supply chain for America begins in America. The supply chain begins in America.

We have already created 800,000 new manufacturing jobs before the law even takes in. With this new law, we will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs across the country. And I mean all across the country. Not just on the coasts, but through the middle of the country as well. That is going to come from companies that have announced more than $300 billion of investment in the menu — in American manufacturing over the next two years.

Outside of Columbus, Ohio, Intel is building semiconductor factories on a thousand acres. Literally a field of dreams. It is going to create 10,000 jobs, that one investment, 7,000 construction jobs. 3,000 jobs in those factories once they are finished. They call them factories. Jobs paying an average of $130,000 a year, and many do not require a college degree.

Because we worked together, these jobs where people don’t have to leave home to search for opportunity. It is just getting started. Think about the new homes, the small businesses, the medium-sized businesses. So much more that is going to be needed to support those 3,000 permanent jobs. And those factories that are going to be built.

I talked to mayors and governors, Democrats and Republicans, and they will tell you what this means for their communities. We are seeing field of dreams transformed in the heartland it, but to maintain the strongest economy in the world, we need the best infrastructure in the world. And folks —

As you all know, we used to be number one in the world in infrastructure. We have sunk to 13th in the world. The United States of America, 13th in the world in modern infrastructure. But now we are coming back because we came together and passed the bipartisan infrastructure law, the largest investment in infrastructure since President Eisenhower’s interstate highway system. Folks, already we have funded over 20,000 projects, including at major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland. Projects that are going to put thousands of people to work rebuilding our highways, bridges, railroads, tunnels, ports and 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 that sincerely. I want to thank my Republican friends who voted for the law and my Republican friends who voted against it as well. But still ask to fund projects in their districts, but don’t worry. I promised to be the president for all Americans. We’ll fund these projects. And I’ll see you at the groundbreaking.

Look, this law will further unite all of America. Projects like the Brent Spence Bridge between Kentucky and the Ohio River. Built 60 years ago. Badly in need of 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, we have been talking about fixing it for decades. But we are finally going to get it done. I went there last month with Democrats and Republicans 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 Sara. I don’t know where she is, is she up in the box? Sara, how are you? Well, Sara, for 30 years, she told me she had been a proud member of Ironworkers Local 44, known as the Cowboys in the Sky, the folks who built the Cincinnati skyline. Sara 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 what we are also building, we are building back pride.

Look, we’re also replacing poisonous lead pipes that go into 10 million homes in America. 400,000 schools and childcare centers, so 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 in America has access to affordable, high-speed internet. No parent should have to drive by a McDonald’s parking lot so their kids can do their homework online. And when we do these projects, we’re going to buy American. We are going to buy American.

And it is totally consistent with international trade rules. Buy American has been the law of the land since 1933. But for too long, past administrations, Democrat and Republican, have fought to get around it. Not anymore. Tonight, I’m also announcing new standards to 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 on my watch, American roads, bridges and American highways will 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 listening tonight, I know you feel it, that so many of you have felt like you have been simply been forgotten. Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind and treated like they’re invisible. Maybe that’s you, watching at home. Remember the jobs that went away. You remember them, don’t you? Folks at home remember them. And you wonder whether a path even exists anymore for your children to get ahead without having to move away. I get that.

That’s why we are building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back, because of the choices we made in the last several years. You know, this is my view of a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives at home.

For example, too many of you lay in bed at night, like my dad did, staring at the ceiling wondering what in God’s name happens if your spouse gets cancer, or your child gets deadly ill, or if something happens to you. Are you going to have the money to pay your medical bills? Are you going to have to sell the house, try to get a second mortgage on it? I get it. I get it.

With the Inflation Reduction Act that I have signed into law, we’re taking on powerful interests 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 major nation on in the world. Let me say it again, we pay more for prescription drugs than any major nation on Earth.

For example, one in 10 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 100 years. The guy who invented it did not even patent it because he wanted it to be available to everyone. It costs drug companies roughly $10 a vial to make. Package and all, maybe up to $13. But Big Pharma has been unfairly charging people hundreds of dollars, $400 to $500 a month, making record profits. Not anymore. Not anymore.

So many things that we did are only now coming to fruition. We said we were doing this, and we said we passed a law to do it, but people didn’t know because the law didn’t take effect until January 1st of this year. We capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare.

People are just finding out. I am sure you are getting the same calls I am getting. Look, there are millions of other Americans who are not on Medicare, including 200,000 young people with type-1 diabetes who need this insulin to stay alive. Let’s finish the job this time. Let’s cap the cost of insulin for everybody at $35.

Folks, Big Pharma is still going to do very well. I promise you all. I promise you they are going to do really well. This law will only go into effect in 2025. It also caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare at a maximum of $2,000 per year. No matter what your drug costs are. Because you know why? You will know what. Many of you, like many of my family, have cancer.

The drugs can range from $12,000, $13,000, $15,000. If drug prices rise faster than inflation, drug companies will have to pay Medicare back the difference. And we’re finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, 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 keep their commitment to seniors. Well, guess what? Instead of paying $400, $500 a month, you are paying $15.

That is a lot of savings for the federal government. By the way, why wouldn’t we want that? I know this is not the official party position, so I will not exaggerate, but some members here are threatening to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s OK, that’s fair. And as my football coach used to say, lots of luck in your senior year.

Make no mistake, if you want to try anything to raise the cost of prescription drugs, I will veto it.

I’m pleased to say that more Americans have health insurance now than ever in history. A record 16 million people are enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. And thanks to the law I signed last year, they are saving millions, saving $800 a year on their premiums. But the way that law was written, and the benefit expires in 2025. So my pleas to some of you in the audience, let’s finish the job, make those savings permanent and expand coverage of Medicaid. Look, the Inflation Reduction Act is also the most significant investment ever in climate change. Ever. Lowering utility bills, creating American jobs, leading the world to a clean energy future.

I’ve visited the devastating aftermaths of record floods, droughts, storms and wildfires. From Arizona, New Mexico, all the way up to the Canadian border. More timber has been burned that I have 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 are rebuilding for the long term. New electric grids that are able to weather major storms. Roads and water systems to withstand the next big flood. Clean energy to cut pollution and create jobs in communities often left behind. We are going to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations installed across the country by tens of thousands of IBEW workers. And we’re helping families save more than $1,000 a year with tax credits to purchase electric vehicles and 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 are in a red or blue state. It is an existential threat. We have an obligation, not to ourselves, but to our children and grandchildren to confront it. I’m proud of how America at last is stepping up to the challenge. We are still going to need oil and gas for a while. But guess what? We do. But there’s so much more to do. We have got to finish the job. And we pay for these investments in our future by finally making the wealthiest and biggest corporations begin to pay their fair share. Just begin.

Look, I’m a capitalist. I’m a capitalist. But pay your fair share. I think a lot of you at home agree with 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 companies in America, the fortune 500, made $40 billion in profits and paid zero in federal taxes? Zero? Folks, that’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 pays. Let me be crystal clear. I said at the very beginning, under my plan as long as I am president, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in taxes. Nobody. Not one penny. But let’s finish the job. There’s more to do. We have to reward work, not just wealth. Pass my proposal for the billionaire minimum tax. There’s 1,000 billionaires in America, up from about 600 at the beginning of my term. No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter. I mean it. Think about it.

I know not all of you are enthusiastic about that, but think about it. You may have noticed that big oil just reported record profits? Last year, they made $200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis. I think it is outrageous. Why? They invested too little of that profit to increase domestic production.

When I talked to a couple of them they said, we are afraid you are going to shut down all the oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them? We are going to need oil for at least another decade. And beyond that. We are going to need it. Instead, they used those record profits to buy back their own stock, rewarding their CEOs and shareholders. Corporations ought to do the right thing.

That’s why I propose that we quadruple the tax on corporate stock buybacks to encourage long-term investments. They will still make considerable profit. Let’s finish the job and close the loopholes that allow the very wealthy to avoid paying their taxes. Instead of cutting the number of audits for wealthy tax payers, I just signed a law that will 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 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 of those record deficits, no president added more to the national debt in any four years than my predecessor. Nearly 25% of the entire national debt, that took 200 years to accumulate, was added by that administration alone. That is a fact. Check it out. Check it out.

How did Congress respond to that debt? They did the right thing, they lifted the debt ceiling three times without preconditions or crisis. They paid American bills to prevent economic disaster for our country.

Tonight, I’m asking this Congress to follow suit. Let us commit here tonight that the full faith and credit of the United States of America will never, ever be questioned. Some of my Republican friends want to 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 want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I am not saying that is a majority. Anybody who doubts it, contact my office and I will give you a copy of the proposal.

I am glad you see it. I enjoy conversion. That means if Congress doesn’t keep the programs they way they are, those programs will go away. I don’t think it is a majority of you, I don’t even think it is significant. I am politely not naming them, but it is being proposed by some of you. Folks, the idea is that we are not going to be moved into being threatened to default on the debt if we do not respond.

So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare off the books now, right?

All right. We got unanimity. Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors. Americans have been paying into them with every single paycheck since they started working. So tonight, let’s all agree — and we apparently are — let’s stand up for seniors. Stand up and show them we will not cut Social Security. We will not cut Medicare. Those benefits belong to the American people. They earned them. If anyone tries to cut Social Security — which apparently no one is going to do. If anyone tries to cut Medicare, I will stop them. I will veto it.

I will not let Medicare be taken away, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. But apparently that will not be a problem.

Next month, when I offer my fiscal plan, I ask my Republican friends to offer their plan. I really mean it. Let’s sit down together and discuss our mutual plans together. The plan I am going to show you is going to cut the deficit by another $2 trillion. I won’t cut a single Social Security or Medicare benefit.

In fact, I will extend the Medicare trust fund by at least two decades. That is going to be the next target. How do we keep it solvent? Well, I will not raise taxes on anyone making under $400,000. But we will pay for it by making sure the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share. Look, here’s the deal. They are not just taking advantage of the tax code, they are taking care of you, the American consumer.

Here’s my message to all of you out there: I have your back. We’re already preventing insurance companies from sending surprise medical bills, stopping $1 billion surprise bills a month so far. We’re protecting seniors’ lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, prescribe drugs that are not needed.

Millions of Americans can now save thousands of dollars because they can finally get hearing aids over-the-counter without a prescription. Look, capitalism without competition is not capitalism. It is extortion. It is exploitation.

Last year, I cracked down on foreign shipping companies that were making you pay higher prices for every good coming into our country. I signed a bipartisan bill that cut shipping costs by 90%, helping American farmers, businessmen and consumers. Let’s finish the job. Pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen antitrust enforcement and prevent big online platforms from giving their own products an unfair advantage.

My administration 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 upfront and refund your money if your flight is canceled or delayed. We’ve reduced exorbitant bank overdrafts, saving consumers more than $1 billion a year. We’re cutting credit card late fees by 75%, from $30 to $8. Junk fees may not matter to the very wealthy, but they matter to most 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 and 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 are going to ban surprise resort fees that hotels charge on your bill. These fees can cost you up to $90 a night at hotels that aren’t even resorts.

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 fees upfront. And we’ll prohibit airlines from charging $50 roundtrip for families just to be able to sit together. Baggage fees are bad enough. Airlines cannot treat your child like a piece of baggage.

Americans are tired of being — we’re tired of being played for suckers. So pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act so companies stop ripping us off. For too long, workers have been getting stiffed. But not anymore. We’re beginning to restore the dignity of work.

For example, I should have known this, but I didn’t until two years ago — 30 million workers had to sign non-compete agreements for the jobs they take. 30 million. So a cashier at a burger place cannot walk across town and take the same job at another burger place and make a few bucks more. They just changed it, because we exposed it. That is part of the deal, look it up. 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 to get a response from my friends on my left — I am so sick and tired of companies breaking the law by preventing workers from organizing. Pass the PRO Act, because workers have a right to form a union.

And 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 and medical leave, affordable child care. That is going to enable millions more people to go to work. And let’s restore the full child tax credit, which gave tens 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 of 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. Pass my plan so we get seniors and people with disabilities the home care 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 12 years of public education universal in the last century, we became the best-educated, best-prepared nation in the world.

But the rest of the world has 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 will out-compete us.

Folks, we all know 12 years is not enough to win the economic competition of the 21st century. If you want to have the best educated workforce, let’s finish the job by providing access to preschool for three- and four-year-olds. Studies show that children who go to preschool are nearly 50% more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a two-year or four-year degree, no matter the background they came from. Let’s give public school teachers a raise.

We’re making progress by reducing student debt and increasing Pell grants for working and middle-class families. Let’s finish the job, and connect students to career opportunities starting in high school, provide access for 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 the path to a good career whether they go to college or not.

And folks, in the midst of the Covid crisis when schools were closed, and we were shutting down everything, let’s recognize how far we’ve come 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 have broken Covid’s grip on us.

Covid deaths are down by 90%. We’ve saved millions of lives and opened our country back up. And soon, we’ll end the public health emergency. But — that’s called a public health emergency. But we will remember the toll and pain that will never go away. More than one million Americans lost their lives to Covid.

One million. Families grieving. Children orphaned. Empty chairs at 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 are also going to 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 bigger she was about inspector generals who protect taxpayer dollars who were sidelined, they were fired. Many people said we don’t need them. And fraud was rampant.

Last year, I told you the watchdogs are back. Since then, we’ve recovered billions of taxpayer dollars. Now, let’s triple the anti-fraud strikeforce 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 from the American people.

And the data shows that for every dollar we put into fighting fraud, taxpayers get back at least 10 times as much. It matters. It matters. Look, Covid left 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 Tyre Nichols. Welcome.

They had to bury Tyre last week. As many of you personally know, there are no words to describe the heartbreak and 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 in the car. Most of us in here have never had to have the talk, the talk that brown and Black parents had to have with their children.

Beau, Hunter, and Ashley, my children, I never had to have to talk with them. That if a police officer pulls you over, turn your lights on right away. Don’t reach for your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Imagine having to worry like that every single time your kid got in a car.

Here is what Tyre’s mother shared with me when I spoke to her, when I asked her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out. With the faith in God, she said her son was quote, a beautiful soul and something good will come of this.

Imagine how much courage and character that takes. It’s up to us. To all of us. We all want the same thing. Neighborhoods free of violence. Law enforcement who earn the community’s trust. Just as every cop who puts on the badge has the right to go home at night, so does everybody else out there. Our children have the right to come home safely. Equal protection under the law is the 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 ask of them to do too much. To be counselors, social workers, psychologists, responding to drug overdoses, mental health crises, and more. In one sense we ask much too much of them. I know most cops are good, decent people. The vast majority.

And they risk their lives every time they put that shield on. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better. Give law enforcement the real training they need, hold them to higher standards, help them succeed in keeping us safe.

We also need more first responders and professionals to address growing mental health and substance abuse challenges. More resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime. More community intervention programs. More investments in housing, education and job training.

All this can help prevent violence in the first place. And when police officers or police departments violate the public trust, they must be held accountable. With the support of 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 Tyre’s mom true. Something good must come from this. Something good. And all of us —

Folks, it’s difficult but simple. All of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment. We can’t turn away. That includes things that the majority of responsible gun owners already support.

Enhanced background checks for 18- to 21-year-olds and 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.

Joining us tonight is Brandon Tsay, a 26-year-old hero. Brandon put off his college dreams to stay by his mom’s side as she was dying from cancer. And Brandon now works at a dance studio started by his grandparents.

Two weeks ago, during the Lunar New Year celebrations, he heard the studio door close and saw a man standing there pointing a semi-automatic pistol at him. He thought he was going to die, but then he thought about the people inside. In that instant, he found the courage to act and wrestled the semi-automatic pistol away from a gunman who had already killed 11 people at another dance studio. 11. He saved lives.

It’s time we do the same. Ban assault weapons now. Ban them now. Once and for all. I led the fight to do that in 1994. In the 10 years the band was law, mass shootings went down. After it expired, during the Republican administration, mass shootings tripled. Let’s finish the job and ban assault.

And let’s also come together on immigration and make it a bipartisan issue once again. We now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border, arresting 8,000 human smugglers. Seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in just the last several months. We have 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 America’s border problems won’t be fixed until Congress acts.

If we don’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass 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 and 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 that was taken away and protect Roe v. Wade. 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 enforcing extreme abortion bans. Make no mistake about it. If Congress passes a national ban, I will veto it. But let’s also pass the bipartisan equality act to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity.

Our strength is not just the example of our power, but the power of our example. Let’s remember the world is watching. I spoke from this chamber one year ago, just days after Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal attack against Ukraine. A murderous assault, evoking images of the death and destruction europe suffered in World War II. Putin’s invasion has been a test for the ages. A test for America. A test for the world. Would we stand for the most basic of principles? Would we stand for sovereignty? We stand for the right of people to live free from tyranny? Would we stand for the defense of democracy? For such a defense matters to us because it keeps peace and prevents open season for would-be aggressors to threaten our prosperity.

One year later, we know the answer. Yes, we would. And we did. We did. 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. Tonight, we are once again joined by Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. She represents not just her nation, but the courage of her people. Ambassador, we are united in our support for your country. Would you stand so we can all take a look at you?

Thank you. We are going to stand with you as long as it takes. Our nation is working for more freedom, more dignity, 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, I made clear in my personal conversation of which I have many, with President Xi, that we seek competition, not conflict. But I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future that China is intent on dominating. Investing in our alliances and working with our allies to protect our advanced technologies so they’re not used against us.

Modernizing our military to safeguard stability and deter aggression. Today, we’re in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world. Anywhere else in the world. And I’m committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake, as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did, to food insecurity. To terrorism and territorial aggression. Allies are stepping up, spending more and doing more. The bridges are 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 been a good bet, never.

When I came to office, most everyone assumed bipartisanship was impossible. I never believed it. That’s why a year ago, I offered a unity agenda to the nation as I stood here. We’ve made real progress. Together, we passed a law making it easier for doctors to prescribe effective treatments for opioid addiction. We passed a gun safety law making historic investments in mental health.

We launched the ARPA-H to drive breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and so much more. We passed the Heath Robinson Pact Act, named for the late Iraq War veteran whose story about exposure to toxic burn pits I shared here last year.

I understand something about those burn pits, but there is so much more to do. Joining us tonight is a father named Doug from Newton, New Hampshire. He wrote Jill, my wife, a letter, and me as well about his daughter, Courtney. Contagious laugh. His 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.

Courtney discovered pills in high school. It spiraled into addiction and eventually death from a fentanyl overdose. She was 20 years old. Describing the last eight years without her, Doug said, there is no worse pain. Yet their family has turned pain to purpose, working to end the stigma and change laws.

He told us he wants to start the journey toward American recovery. Doug, we’re with you. Fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year. You got it. So let’s launch a major surge to stop fentanyl production, sale and trafficking. With more drug detection machines to inspect cargo and stop pills and powder at the border.

Working with couriers like FedEx to inspect more packages for drugs. Strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. Second, let’s do more on mental health, especially for our children. When millions of young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma, we owe them greater access to mental health care at their schools.

We must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experimenting they are doing on our children for profit. It’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop big tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data that companies collect on all of us.

Third, let’s do more to keep our nation’s one 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 and job placement for veterans and their spouses as they return to civilian life. Helping veterans afford their rent because no one should be homeless in America, especially someone who served the country.

Dennis McDonough is here of the VA. I asked you to take the job, I am glad he did. We were losing up to 20 veterans a day. And we cannot go on losing 17 veterans a day to the silent — are committing suicide, more than all the people killed in the wars.

The VA is doing everything it can, including expanding mental health screenings and a proven program that recruits veterans to help other veterans understand what they’re going through and get them the help they need.

And fourth, last year, Jill and I re-ignited the cancer moonshot that President Obama asked me to lead in our administration. Our goal is to cut the cancer death rates at least by 50% over the next 25 years. Turn more cancers from death sentences to treatable diseases. Provide more support for patients and families.

It’s personal, and for so many of us. So many of us in this audience. Joining us are Maurice and Kandice, an Irishman and a daughter of immigrants from Panama. They met and fell in love in New York City and got married in the same chapel as Jill and I did. Kindred spirits. He wrote us a letter about their little daughter Ava. And I saw her just before I came over. She was just a year old when she was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, cancer. After 26 blood transfusions, 11 rounds of radiation, eight rounds of chemo, one kidney removed, a 5% survival rate. He wrote how in the darkest moments he thought, if she goes, I can’t say. Jill and I understand, like so many of you.

They read Jill’s book describing our family’s cancer journey and how we tried to steal moments of joy where we could with Beau. For them, that glimmer of joy was a half-smile from their baby girl. It meant everything. They never gave up hope. Little Ava never gave up hope. She turns four next month.

They just found out that Ava is beating the odds and is on her way to being cured of cancer. And she’s watching from the White House tonight. For the lives we can save and the lives we have lost, let this be a truly American moment that rallies the country and the world together and proves that we can still do big things.

Twenty years ago, under 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. We thought big, he thought hard, he moved.

Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all. Folks, there’s one reason why we have been able to do all of these things, our democracy itself. It’s the most fundamental thing of all. With democracy, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is.

For the last few years, our democracy has been threatened and attacked, put at risk. Put to test in this very room, on January 6. And just a few months ago, an unhinged big lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on January 6. Here tonight in this chamber is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack. But is as tough and strong and as resilient as they get. My friend, Paul Pelosi. Paul, stand up.

But such a heinous act should have never happened. We must all speak out. There is no place for political violence in America. We have to protect the right to vote, not suppress that, fundamental right. Honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. Uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy. And 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 have been called to protect our democracy, defend it, to stand up for it. And this is our moment.

My fellow Americans, we meet tonight at an inflection point. One of those moments that only a few generations ever face, where the direction we now take is going to decide the course of this nation for decades to come. We are not bystanders to history. We are not powerless before the forces that confront us.

It is within our power, of we the people. We are facing the test of our time. We must be the nation we have always been at our best, optimistic, hopeful forward-looking. A nation that embraces, light over dark, hope over fear, unity over division. Stability over chaos. We must see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. We are good people, the only nation in the world built on an idea.

The only one. Other nations are defined by geography and ethnicity, but we’re the only nation based on an idea. That all of us, every one of us, is created equal in the image of God. A nation that stands as a beacon to the world. A nation in a new age of possibilities.

So I have come to fulfil my constitutional obligation to report on the state of the union. And here is where I am at in my report. Because the soul of this nation is strong, because 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 have served about as long as everyone of you who has served here. But I’ve never been more optimistic about our future, the future of America. We just have to remember who we are.

We are the United States of America, and there is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together. God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.