[House Document 116-1]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




116th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - House Document 116-1
 
        PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

       THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS








[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]









  February 6, 2019.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
 Committee on the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to 
                               be printed

                                   ______
		 
                     U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
		 
89-011                    WASHINGTON : 2019                 


























To the Congress of the United States:
    Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the 
First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans: We 
meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a 
new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve 
historic breakthroughs for all Americans.
    Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, 
gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not 
as two parties but as one Nation.
    The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican 
agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American 
people.
    Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend 
American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers; to 
rebuild and revitalize our Nation's infrastructure; to reduce 
the price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an 
immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure; and 
to pursue a foreign policy that puts America's interests first.
    There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we 
have the courage to seize it. Victory is not winning for our 
party. Victory is winning for our country.
    This year, America will recognize two important 
anniversaries that show us the majesty of America's mission, 
and the power of American pride.
    In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General 
Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Great Crusade--the Allied 
liberation of Europe in World War II. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 
15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more 
stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny. 
Here with us tonight are three of those heroes: Private First 
Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant Irving Locker, and Sergeant 
Herman Zeitchik. Gentlemen, we salute you.
    In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young 
pilots flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant 
the American flag on the face of the moon. Half a century 
later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who 
planted that flag: Buzz Aldrin. This year, American astronauts 
will go back to space on American rockets.
    In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed 
science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for 
the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely 
into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we 
must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. An 
amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our 
reach.
    We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, 
our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class 
bigger and more prosperous than ever before.
    But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and 
retribution--and embrace the boundless potential of 
cooperation, compromise, and the common good.
    Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We 
can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new 
coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary 
promise of America's future. The decision is ours to make.
    We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or 
resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or 
pointless destruction.
    Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness.
    Over the last 2 years, my Administration has moved with 
urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by 
leaders of both parties over many decades.
    In just over 2 years since the election, we have launched 
an unprecedented economic boom--a boom that has rarely been 
seen before. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and 
importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs--something 
which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact 
is, we are just getting started.
    Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and 
growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, 
faster than anyone else. Nearly 5 million Americans have been 
lifted off food stamps. The United States economy is growing 
almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are 
considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the 
world. Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a 
century. African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American 
unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever 
recorded. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also 
reached an all-time low. More people are working now than at 
any time in our history--157 million.
    We passed a massive tax cut for working families and 
doubled the child tax credit.
    We virtually ended the estate, or death, tax on small 
businesses, ranches, and family farms.
    We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual 
mandate penalty--and to give critically ill patients access to 
life-saving cures, we passed right to try.
    My Administration has cut more regulations in a short time 
than any other administration during its entire tenure. 
Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers 
thanks to historic reductions in taxes and regulations.
    We have unleashed a revolution in American energy--the 
United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural 
gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we 
are a net exporter of energy.
    After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy 
of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and 
America is winning each and every day.Members of Congress: the 
State of our Union is strong. Our country is vibrant and our 
economy is thriving like never before.
    On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 
jobs last month alone--almost double what was expected. An 
economic miracle is taking place in the United States--and the 
only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or 
ridiculous partisan investigations.
    If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot 
be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way!
    We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad.
    This new era of cooperation can start with finally 
confirming the more than 300 highly qualified nominees who are 
still stuck in the Senate--some after years of waiting. The 
Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair 
to the nominees and to our country.
    Now is the time for bipartisan action. Believe it or not, 
we have already proven that it is possible.
    In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass 
unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a 
sweeping new Farm Bill, historic VA reforms, and after four 
decades of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so we can 
finally terminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans.
    And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking 
criminal justice reform. Last year, I heard through friends the 
story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was 
sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug 
offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison 
minister, inspiring others to choose a better path. She had a 
big impact on that prison population--and far beyond.
    Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness 
that can exist in criminal sentencing--and the need to remedy 
this injustice. She served almost 22 years and had expected to 
be in prison for the rest of her life.
    In June, I commuted Alice's sentence--and she is here with 
us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always 
have the power to shape our own destiny.
    When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison 
gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I 
did the right thing.
    Inspired by stories like Alice's, my Administration worked 
closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act 
into law. This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have 
wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African-American 
community. The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the 
chance to re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens. 
Now, States across the country are following our lead. America 
is a Nation that believes in redemption.
    We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charles from 
Tennessee. In 1996, at age 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 
years for selling drugs and related offenses. Over the next two 
decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law 
clerk, and mentored fellow inmates. Now, Matthew is the very 
first person to be released from prison under the First Step 
Act. Matthew, on behalf of all Americans: welcome home.
    As we have seen, when we are united, we can make 
astonishing strides for our country. Now, Republicans and 
Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national 
crisis.
    The Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund 
our Government, protect our homeland, and secure our southern 
border.
    Now is the time for the Congress to show the world that 
America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting 
the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human 
traffickers out of business.
    As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to 
the United States. We have just heard that Mexican cities, in 
order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, 
are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in 
areas where there is little border protection. I have ordered 
another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the 
tremendous onslaught.
    This is a moral issue. The lawless state of our southern 
border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well-
being of all Americans. We have a moral duty to create an 
immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our 
citizens. This includes our obligation to the millions of 
immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and 
respected our laws. Legal immigrants enrich our Nation and 
strengthen our society in countless ways. I want people to come 
into our country, but they have to come in legally.
    Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous 
southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens 
and to our country.
    No issue better illustrates the divide between America's 
working class and America's political class than illegal 
immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open 
borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and 
guards.
    Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the 
price for mass illegal migration--reduced jobs, lower wages, 
overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a 
depleted social safety net.
    Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate--it 
is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long 
journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to 
exploit our laws and gain access to our country.
    Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the 
wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands 
of young girls and women into the United States and to sell 
them into prostitution and modern-day slavery.
    Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by 
lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities--
including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.
    The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in 20 different 
American States, and they almost all come through our southern 
border. Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into 
custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York 
City. We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but 
until we secure our border they're going to keep streaming back 
in.
    Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by 
criminal illegal aliens.
    I've gotten to know many wonderful Angel Moms, Dads, and 
families--no one should ever have to suffer the horrible 
heartache they have endured.
    Here tonight is Debra Bissell. Just three weeks ago, 
Debra's parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot 
to death in their Reno, Nevada, home by an illegal alien.
    They were in their eighties and are survived by four 
children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. Also 
here tonight are Gerald and Sharon's granddaughter, Heather, 
and great-granddaughter, Madison.
    To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand: few can 
understand your pain. But I will never forget, and I will fight 
for the memory of Gerald and Sharon, that it should never 
happen again.
    Not one more American life should be lost because our 
Nation failed to control its very dangerous border.
    In the last 2 years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 
arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or 
convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 
4,000 killings.
    We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement 
heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin Hernandez. When Elvin was a 
boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States 
from the Dominican Republic. At the age of eight, Elvin told 
his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent. Today, he leads 
investigations into the scourge of international sex 
trafficking. Elvin says: ``If I can make sure these young girls 
get their justice, I've done my job.'' Thanks to his work and 
that of his colleagues, more than 300 women and girls have been 
rescued from horror and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers 
have been put behind bars in the last year.
    Special Agent Hernandez, please stand: We will always 
support the brave men and women of Law Enforcement--and I 
pledge to you tonight that we will never abolish our heroes 
from ICE.
    My Administration has sent to the Congress a commonsense 
proposal to end the crisis on our southern border.
    It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, 
drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable 
child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, 
to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. In the 
past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall--but the 
proper wall never got built. I'll get it built.
    This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier--not 
just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas 
identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as 
these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal 
crossings go way down.
    San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in 
the country. In response, and at the request of San Diego 
residents and political leaders, a strong security wall was put 
in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal 
crossings.
    The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely 
high rates of violent crime--one of the highest in the country, 
and considered one of our Nation's most dangerous cities. Now, 
with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest 
cities.
    Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work 
together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make 
America safe.
    As we work to defend our people's safety, we must also 
ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace.
    No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than 
women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in 
the last year. All Americans can be proud that we have more 
women in the workforce than ever before--and exactly one 
century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment 
giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving 
in the Congress than ever before.
    As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for 
women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever 
Government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for 
women in developing countries.
    To build on our incredible economic success, one priority 
is paramount--reversing decades of calamitous trade policies.
    We are now making it clear to China that after years of 
targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual 
property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an 
end.
    Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of 
Chinese goods--and now our Treasury is receiving billions of 
dollars a month from a country that never gave us a dime. But I 
don't blame China for taking advantage of us--I blame our 
leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to 
happen. I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now 
working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include 
real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce 
our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs.
    Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as 
NAFTA.
    I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other States 
whose dreams were shattered by NAFTA. For years, politicians 
promised them they would negotiate for a better deal. But no 
one ever tried--until now.
    Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement--or USMCA--will 
replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back 
our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, 
protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars 
are proudly stamped with four beautiful words: made in the USA.
    Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States 
Reciprocal Trade Act, so that if another country places an 
unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the 
exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us.
    Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding 
of America's crumbling infrastructure.
    I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure 
bill--and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver 
new and important infrastructure investment, including 
investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This 
is not an option. This is a necessity.
    The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should 
be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs--and 
to protect patients with pre-existing conditions.
    Already, as a result of my Administration's efforts, in 
2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 
years.
    But we must do more. It is unacceptable that Americans pay 
vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same 
drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, 
unfair, and together we can stop it.
    I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally 
takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers 
fairness and price transparency for American patients. We 
should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and 
hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and 
bring costs down.
    No force in history has done more to advance the human 
condition than American freedom. In recent years we have made 
remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. 
Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream 
within reach. My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to 
make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the 
United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in 
America.
    Tonight, I am also asking you to join me in another fight 
that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood 
cancer.
    Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 
10-year-old girl, Grace Eline. Every birthday since she was 4, 
Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Children's 
Research Hospital. She did not know that one day she might be a 
patient herself. Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain 
cancer. Immediately, she began radiation treatment. At the same 
time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 
for the fight against cancer. When Grace completed treatment 
last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered with tears in their 
eyes as she hung up a poster that read: ``Last Day of Chemo.'' 
Grace--you are an inspiration to us all.
    Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in 
decades. My budget will ask the Congress for $500 million over 
the next 10 years to fund this critical life-saving research.
    To help support working parents, the time has come to pass 
school choice for America's children. I am also proud to be the 
first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide 
paid family leave--so that every new parent has the chance to 
bond with their newborn child.
    There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image 
of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays 
our Nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered 
with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a 
baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth. 
These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get 
the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And 
then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he 
basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.
    To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the 
Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion 
of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb.
    Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes 
innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all 
children--born and unborn--are made in the holy image of God.
    The final part of my agenda is to protect America's 
National Security.
    Over the last 2 years, we have begun to fully rebuild the 
United States Military--with $700 billion last year and $716 
billion this year. We are also getting other nations to pay 
their fair share. For years, the United States was being 
treated very unfairly by NATO--but now we have secured a $100 
billion increase in defense spending from NATO allies.
    As part of our military build-up, the United States is 
developing a state-of-the-art Missile Defense System.
    Under my Administration, we will never apologize for 
advancing America's interests.
    For example, decades ago the United States entered into a 
treaty with Russia in which we agreed to limit and reduce our 
missile capabilities. While we followed the agreement to the 
letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms. That is why I 
announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from 
the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty.
    Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding 
China and others, or perhaps we can't--in which case, we will 
outspend and out-innovate all others by far.
    As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic 
push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come 
home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a 
missile launch in 15 months. If I had not been elected 
President of the United States, we would right now, in my 
opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially 
millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my 
relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim 
and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.
    Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the 
legitimate government of Venezuela, and its new interim 
President, Juan Guaido.
    We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest 
for freedom--and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, 
whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the 
wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and 
despair.
    Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to 
adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty 
and independence--not government coercion, domination, and 
control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we 
renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist 
country.
    One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the 
Middle East.
    Our approach is based on principled realism--not 
discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield 
progress. For this reason, my Administration recognized the 
true capital of Israel--and proudly opened the American Embassy 
in Jerusalem.
    Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East 
for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 
American heroes have given their lives. More than 52,000 
Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 
trillion in the Middle East.
    As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. 
Great nations do not fight endless wars.
    When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square 
miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all 
of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers.
    Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of 
ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm 
welcome home.
    I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a 
political settlement in Afghanistan. Our troops have fought 
with unmatched valor--and thanks to their bravery, we are now 
able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody 
conflict.
    In Afghanistan, my Administration is holding constructive 
talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As 
we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to 
reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. We do 
not know whether we will achieve an agreement--but we do know 
that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least 
try for peace.
    Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this 
Nation's power and will to defend our people. Eighteen years 
ago, terrorists attacked the USS Cole--and last month American 
forces killed one of the leaders of the attack.
    We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose 
son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, was one of the 17 sailors we 
tragically lost. Tom: we vow to always remember the heroes of 
the USS Cole.
    My Administration has acted decisively to confront the 
world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in 
Iran.
    To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear 
weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran 
nuclear deal. And last fall, we put in place the toughest 
sanctions ever imposed on a country.
    We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants death 
to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people. We 
must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those 
who spread its venomous creed. With one voice, we must confront 
this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs.
    Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously 
murdered in an anti-semitic attack on the Tree of Life 
Synagogue in Pittsburgh. SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into 
the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down the killer.
    Timothy has just had his 12th surgery--but he made the trip 
to be here with us tonight. Officer Matson: we are forever 
grateful for your courage in the face of evil.
    Tonight, we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor Judah 
Samet. He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began. But 
not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall--more than 
seven decades ago, he narrowly survived the Nazi concentration 
camps. Today is Judah's 81st birthday. Judah says he can still 
remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months 
in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a 
train, and told they were going to another camp. Suddenly the 
train screeched to a halt. A soldier appeared. Judah's family 
braced for the worst. Then, his father cried out with joy: 
``It's the Americans.''
    A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua 
Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau Concentration Camp. He 
remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car 
as American soldiers rolled in with tanks. ``To me,'' Joshua 
recalls, ``the American soldiers were proof that God exists, 
and they came down from the sky.''
    I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought 
on D-Day in the Second World War. One of them was Herman 
Zeitchik. But there is more to Herman's story. A year after he 
stormed the beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of those 
American soldiers who helped liberate Dachau. He was one of the 
Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on earth. 
Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in 
the gallery tonight--seated side-by-side, here in the home of 
American freedom. Herman and Joshua: your presence this evening 
honors and uplifts our entire Nation.
    When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over 
the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they 
were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing 
craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war.
    They did not know if they would survive the hour. They did 
not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had 
to prevail. Their cause was this Nation, and generations yet 
unborn.
    Why did they do it? They did it for America--they did it 
for us.
    Everything that has come since--our triumph over communism, 
our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled 
progress toward equality and justice--all of it is possible 
thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the 
Americans who came before.
    Think of this Capitol--think of this very chamber, where 
lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the 
railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure civil 
rights, to face down an evil empire.
    Here tonight, we have legislators from across this 
magnificent republic. You have come from the rocky shores of 
Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of 
Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms 
of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California. Together, we 
represent the most extraordinary Nation in all of history.
    What will we do with this moment? How will we be 
remembered?
    I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the 
opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are 
still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our 
biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to 
dream.
    We must choose whether we are defined by our differences--
or whether we dare to transcend them.
    We must choose whether we will squander our inheritance--or 
whether we will proudly declare that we are Americans. We do 
the incredible. We defy the impossible. We conquer the unknown.
    This is the time to re-ignite the American imagination. 
This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our 
sights on the brightest star. This is the time to rekindle the 
bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as 
citizens, as neighbors, as patriots.
    This is our future--our fate--and our choice to make. I am 
asking you to choose greatness.
    No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to 
come, we must go forward together.
    We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep 
freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in 
America's destiny--that one Nation, under God, must be the hope 
and the promise and the light and the glory among all the 
nations of the world!
    Thank you. God Bless You, God Bless America, and good 
night!

                                                   Donald J. Trump.
    The White House, February 5, 2019.

                                  [all]