[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 132 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5451-S5454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS CONCERNING PROPOSALS TO CREATE JOBS AND IMPROVE THE 
ECONOMY DELIVERED TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2011--
                                 PM 18

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with accompanying 
papers; which was ordered to lie on the table:

To the Congress of the United States:
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and fellow 
Americans:
  Tonight we meet at an urgent time for our country. We continue to 
face an economic crisis that has left millions of our neighbors 
jobless, and a political crisis that has made things worse.
  This past week, reporters have been asking ``What will this speech 
mean for the President? What will it mean for Congress? How will it 
affect their polls, and the next election?''
  But the millions of Americans who are watching right now: they don't 
care about politics. They have real life concerns. Many have spent 
months looking for work. Others are doing their best just to scrape 
by--giving up nights out with the family to save on gas or make the 
mortgage; postponing retirement to send a kid to college.
  These men and women grew up with faith in an America where hard work 
and responsibility paid off. They believed in a country where everyone 
gets a fair shake and does their fair share--where if you stepped up, 
did your job, and were loyal to your company, that loyalty would be 
rewarded with a decent salary and good benefits; maybe a raise once in 
awhile. If you did the right thing, you could make it in America.
  But for decades now, Americans have watched that compact erode. They 
have seen the deck too often stacked against them. And they know that 
Washington hasn't always put their interests first.
  The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. 
The question tonight is whether we'll meet ours. The question is 
whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the 
political circus and actually do something to help the economy; whether 
we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this 
nation since our beginning.
  Those of us here tonight can't solve all of our nation's woes. 
Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our 
businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. 
There are steps we can take right now to improve people's lives.
  I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right away. 
It's called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing 
controversial about this piece of legislation.
  Everything in here is the kind of proposal that's been supported by 
both Democrats and Republicans--including many who sit here tonight. 
And everything in this bill will be paid for. Everything.
  The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people 
back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It 
will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, 
more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the long-term unemployed. It 
will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it 
will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every 
small business. It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, 
and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will 
be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs 
plan right away.
  Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs 
begin. And you know that while corporate profits have come roaring 
back, smaller companies haven't. So for everyone who speaks so 
passionately about making life easier for ``job creators,'' this plan 
is for you.
  Pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get 
a tax cut if they hire new workers or raise workers' wages. Pass this 
jobs bill, and all small business owners will also see their payroll 
taxes cut in half next year. If you have 50 employees making an average 
salary, that's an $80,000 tax

[[Page S5452]]

cut. And all businesses will be able to continue writing off the 
investments they make in 2012.

  It's not just Democrats who have supported this kind of proposal. 
Fifty House Republicans have proposed the same payroll tax cut that's 
in this plan. You should pass it right away.
  Pass this jobs bill, and we can put people to work rebuilding 
America. Everyone here knows that we have badly decaying roads and 
bridges all over this country. Our highways are clogged with traffic. 
Our skies are the most congested in the world.
  This is inexcusable. Building a world-class transportation system is 
part of what made us an economic superpower. And now we're going to sit 
back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads? At a 
time when millions of unemployed construction workers could build them 
right here in America?
  There are private construction companies all across America just 
waiting to get to work. There's a bridge that needs repair between Ohio 
and Kentucky that's on one of the busiest trucking routes in North 
America. A public transit project in Houston that will help clear up 
one of the worst areas of traffic in the country. And there are schools 
throughout this country that desperately need renovating. How can we 
expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling 
apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school--and we can 
give it to them, if we act now.
  The American Jobs Act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 
schools. It will put people to work right now fixing roofs and windows; 
installing science labs and high-speed internet in classrooms all 
across this country. It will rehabilitate homes and businesses in 
communities hit hardest by foreclosures. It will jumpstart thousands of 
transportation projects across the country. And to make sure the money 
is properly spent and for good purposes, we're building on reforms 
we've already put in place. No more earmarks. No more boondoggles. No 
more bridges to nowhere. We're cutting the red tape that prevents some 
of these projects from getting started as quickly as possible. And 
we'll set up an independent fund to attract private dollars and issue 
loans based on two criteria: how badly a construction project is needed 
and how much good it would do for the economy.
  This idea came from a bill written by a Texas Republican and a 
Massachusetts Democrat. The idea for a big boost in construction is 
supported by America's largest business organization and America's 
largest labor organization. It's the kind of proposal that's been 
supported in the past by Democrats and Republicans alike. You should 
pass it right away.
  Pass this jobs bill, and thousands of teachers in every state will go 
back to work. These are the men and women charged with preparing our 
children for a world where the competition has never been tougher. But 
while they're adding teachers in places like South Korea, we're laying 
them off in droves. It's unfair to our kids. It undermines their future 
and ours. And it has to stop. Pass this jobs bill, and put our teachers 
back in the classroom where they belong.
  Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get extra tax credits if they 
hire America's veterans. We ask these men and women to leave their 
careers, leave their families, and risk their lives to fight for our 
country. The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when 
they come home.
  Pass this bill, and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young 
people will have the hope and dignity of a summer job next year. And 
their parents, low-income Americans who desperately want to work, will 
have more ladders out of poverty.
  Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if 
they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job. 
We have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for 
work. This jobs plan builds on a program in Georgia that several 
Republican leaders have highlighted, where people who collect 
unemployment insurance participate in temporary work as a way to build 
their skills while they look for a permanent job. The plan also extends 
unemployment insurance for another year. If the millions of unemployed 
Americans stopped getting this insurance, and stopped using that money 
for basic necessities, it would be a devastating blow to this economy. 
Democrats and Republicans in this Chamber have supported unemployment 
insurance plenty of times in the past. At this time of prolonged 
hardship, you should pass it again--right away.
  Pass this jobs bill, and the typical working family will get a 
fifteen hundred dollar tax cut next year. Fifteen hundred dollars that 
would have been taken out of your paycheck will go right into your 
pocket. This expands on the tax cut that Democrats and Republicans 
already passed for this year. If we allow that tax cut to expire--if we 
refuse to act--middle-class families will get hit with a tax increase 
at the worst possible time. We cannot let that happen. I know some of 
you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on anyone for as long as 
you live. Now is not the time to carve out an exception and raise 
middle-class taxes, which is why you should pass this bill right away.
  This is the American Jobs Act. It will lead to new jobs for 
construction workers, teachers, veterans, first responders, young 
people and the long-term unemployed. It will provide tax credits to 
companies that hire new workers, tax relief for small business owners, 
and tax cuts for the middle-class. And here's the other thing I want 
the American people to know: the American Jobs Act will not add to the 
deficit. It will be paid for. And here's how:
  The agreement we passed in July will cut government spending by about 
$1 trillion over the next ten years. It also charges this Congress to 
come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in savings by Christmas. 
Tonight, I'm asking you to increase that amount so that it covers the 
full cost of the American Jobs Act. And a week from Monday, I'll be 
releasing a more ambitious deficit plan--a plan that will not only 
allow us to boost jobs and growth in the short-term, but stabilize our 
debt in the long run.
  This approach is basically the one I've been advocating for months. 
In addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts I've already 
signed into law, it's a balanced plan that would reduce the deficit by 
making additional spending cuts; by making modest adjustments to health 
care programs like Medicare and Medicaid; and by reforming our tax code 
in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to 
pay their fair share. What's more, the spending cuts wouldn't happen so 
abruptly that they'd be a drag on our economy, or prevent us from 
helping small business and middle-class families get back on their feet 
right away.
  Now, I realize there are some in my party who don't think we should 
make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid, and I understand 
their concerns. But here's the truth. Millions of Americans rely on 
Medicare in their retirement. And millions more will do so in the 
future. They pay for this benefit during their working years. They earn 
it. But with an aging population and rising health care costs, we are 
spending too fast to sustain the program. And if we don't gradually 
reform the system while protecting current beneficiaries, it won't be 
there when future retirees need it. We have to reform Medicare to 
strengthen it.

  I'm also well aware that there are many Republicans who don't believe 
we should raise taxes on those who are most fortunate and can best 
afford it. But here is what every American knows. While most people in 
this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of the most affluent 
citizens and corporations enjoy tax breaks and loopholes that nobody 
else gets. Right now, Warren Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his 
secretary--an outrage he has asked us to fix. We need a tax code where 
everyone gets a fair shake, and everybody pays their fair share. And I 
believe the vast majority of wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to 
do just that, if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in 
order.
  I'll also offer ideas to reform a corporate tax code that stands as a 
monument to special interest influence in Washington. By eliminating 
pages of loopholes and deductions, we can lower one of the highest 
corporate tax rates in the world. Our tax code shouldn't give an 
advantage to companies that can afford the best-connected lobbyists. It 
should give an advantage to

[[Page S5453]]

companies that invest and create jobs here in America.
  So we can reduce this deficit, pay down our debt, and pay for this 
jobs plan in the process. But in order to do this, we have to decide 
what our priorities are. We have to ask ourselves, ``What's the best 
way to grow the economy and create jobs?''
  Should we keep tax loopholes for oil companies? Or should we use that 
money to give small business owners a tax credit when they hire new 
workers? Because we can't afford to do both. Should we keep tax breaks 
for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we put teachers back to 
work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs? Right 
now, we can't afford to do both.
  This isn't political grandstanding. This isn't class warfare. This is 
simple math. These are real choices that we have to make. And I'm 
pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose. It's not even 
close. And it's time for us to do what's right for our future.
  The American Jobs Act answers the urgent need to create jobs right 
away. But we can't stop there. As I've argued since I ran for this 
office, we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and start building 
an economy that lasts into the future--an economy that creates good, 
middle-class jobs that pay well and offer security. We now live in a 
world where technology has made it possible for companies to take their 
business anywhere. If we want them to start here and stay here and hire 
here, we have to be able to out-build, out-educate, and out-innovate 
every other country on Earth.
  This task, of making America more competitive for the long haul, is a 
job for all of us. For government and for private companies. For states 
and for local communities--and for every American citizen. All of us 
will have to up our game. All of us will have to change the way we do 
business.
  My administration can and will take some steps to improve our 
competitiveness on our own. For example, if you're a small business 
owner who has a contract with the federal government, we're going to 
make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do now. We're also 
planning to cut away the red tape that prevents too many rapidly-
growing start-up companies from raising capital and going public. And 
to help responsible homeowners, we're going to work with Federal 
housing agencies to help more people refinance their mortgages at 
interest rates that are now near 4%--a step that can put more than 
$2,000 a year in a family's pocket, and give a lift to an economy still 
burdened by the drop in housing prices.

  Other steps will require Congressional action. Today you passed 
reform that will speed up the outdated patent process, so that 
entrepreneurs can turn a new idea into a new business as quickly as 
possible. That's the kind of action we need. Now it's time to clear the 
way for a series of trade agreements that would make it easier for 
American companies to sell their products in Panama, Colombia, and 
South Korea--while also helping the workers whose jobs have been 
affected by global competition. If Americans can buy Kias and Hyundais, 
I want to see folks in South Korea driving Fords and Chevys and 
Chryslers. I want to see more products sold around the world stamped 
with three proud words: ``Made in America.''
  And on all of our efforts to strengthen competitiveness, we need to 
look for ways to work side-by-side with America's businesses. That's 
why I've brought together a Jobs Council of leaders from different 
industries who are developing a wide range of new ideas to help 
companies grow and create jobs.
  Already, we've mobilized business leaders to train 10,000 American 
engineers a year, by providing company internships and training. Other 
businesses are covering tuition for workers who learn new skills at 
community colleges. And we're going to make sure the next generation of 
manufacturing takes root not in China or Europe, but right here, in the 
United States of America. If we provide the right incentives and 
support--and if we make sure our trading partners play by the rules--we 
can be the ones to build everything from fuel-efficient cars to 
advanced biofuels to semiconductors that are sold all over the world. 
That's how America can be number one again. That's how America will be 
number one again.
  Now, I realize that some of you have a different theory on how to 
grow the economy. Some of you sincerely believe that the only solution 
to our economic challenges is to simply cut most government spending 
and eliminate most government regulations.
  Well, I agree that we can't afford wasteful spending, and I will 
continue to work with Congress to get rid of it. And I agree that there 
are some rules and regulations that put an unnecessary burden on 
businesses at a time when they can least afford it. That's why I 
ordered a review of all government regulations. So far, we've 
identified over 500 reforms, which will save billions of dollars over 
the next few years. We should have no more regulation than the health, 
safety, and security of the American people require. Every rule should 
meet that common sense test.
  But what we can't do--what I won't do--is let this economic crisis be 
used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that Americans have 
counted on for decades. I reject the idea that we need to ask people to 
choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that 
says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban 
hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from 
being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance 
industry from shortchanging patients. I reject the idea that we have to 
strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy. 
We shouldn't be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the 
cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should be in 
a race to the top. And I believe that's a race we can win.
  In fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore 
prosperity is just dismantle government, refund everyone's money, let 
everyone write their own rules, and tell everyone they're on their 
own--that's not who we are. That's not the story of America.
  Yes, we are rugged individualists. Yes, we are strong and self-
reliant. And it has been the drive and initiative of our workers and 
entrepreneurs that has made this economy the engine and envy of the 
world.
  But there has always been another thread running throughout our 
history--a belief that we are all connected; and that there are some 
things we can only do together, as a nation.
  We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our Union. 
But in the middle of a Civil War, he was also a leader who looked to 
the future--a Republican president who mobilized government to build 
the transcontinental railroad; launch the National Academy of Sciences; 
and set up the first land grant colleges. And leaders of both parties 
have followed the example he set.
  Ask yourselves--where would we be right now if the people who sat 
here before us decided not to build our highways and our bridges; our 
dams and our airports? What would this country be like if we had chosen 
not to spend money on public high schools, or research universities, or 
community colleges? Millions of returning heroes, including my 
grandfather, had the opportunity to go to school because of the GI 
Bill. Where would we be if they hadn't had that chance?
  How many jobs would it have cost us if past Congresses decided not to 
support the basic research that led to the Internet and the computer 
chip? What kind of country would this be if this Chamber had voted down 
Social Security or Medicare just because it violated some rigid idea 
about what government could or could not do? How many Americans would 
have suffered as a result?
  No single individual built America on their own. We built it 
together. We have been, and always will be, one nation, under God, 
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; a nation with 
responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another. 
Members of Congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities.
  Every proposal I've laid out tonight is the kind that's been 
supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Every proposal I've 
laid out tonight will be paid for. And every proposal is designed to 
meet the urgent

[[Page S5454]]

needs of our people and our communities.
  I know there's been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics of 
the moment will allow us to pass this jobs plan--or any jobs plan. 
Already, we're seeing the same old press releases and tweets flying 
back and forth. Already, the media has proclaimed that it's impossible 
to bridge our differences. And maybe some of you have decided that 
those differences are so great that we can only resolve them at the 
ballot box.
  But know this: the next election is fourteen months away. And the 
people who sent us here--the people who hired us to work for them--they 
don't have the luxury of waiting fourteen months. Some of them are 
living week to week; paycheck to paycheck; even day to day. They need 
help, and they need it now.
  I don't pretend that this plan will solve all our problems. It 
shouldn't be, nor will it be, the last plan of action we propose. 
What's guided us from the start of this crisis hasn't been the search 
for a silver bullet. It's been a commitment to stay at it--to be 
persistent--to keep trying every new idea that works, and listen to 
every good proposal, no matter which party comes up with it.
  Regardless of the arguments we've had in the past, regardless of the 
arguments we'll have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do 
right now. You should pass it. And I intend to take that message to 
every corner of this country. I also ask every American who agrees to 
lift your voice and tell the people who are gathered here tonight that 
you want action now. Tell Washington that doing nothing is not an 
option. Remind us that if we act as one nation, and one people, we have 
it within our power to meet this challenge.
  President Kennedy once said, ``Our problems are man-made--therefore 
they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants.''
  These are difficult years for our country. But we are Americans. We 
are tougher than the times that we live in, and we are bigger than our 
politics have been. So let's meet the moment. Let's get to work, and 
show the world once again why the United States of America remains the 
greatest nation on Earth. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless 
the United States of America.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, September 8, 2011.

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