Barack Obama 2015-01-01 1 Remarks at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee January 9, 2015 Hello, everybody! Hey! Thank you! Everybody, please have a seat. Please have a seat. Well, it is good to be back in Tennessee. I hope you guys aren't getting tired of me. I've been coming around a lot lately, because there's a lot of good stuff happening here. I want to begin by thanking Joe and Jill Biden. They're not just good friends and good partners, but they really believe in the power of education, and they really believe in creating those kinds of ladders to opportunity that gave all three of us and Michelle the chances, the incredible opportunities that we've had today. And they understand the promise of America's community colleges. Well, Jill really understands it, and Joe--[laughter]--he doesn't really have a choice. But--[laughter]. Before I get into the reason that I'm here today, I want to begin by saying just a few words about the tragic events that we've watched unfold in France over the last several hours and days. And because events have been fast moving this morning, I wanted to make sure to comment on them. I just spoke to my counterterrorism adviser. We have been in close touch with the French Government throughout this tragedy. The moment that the outrageous attack took place, we directed all of our law enforcement and counterintelligence operations to provide whatever support that our ally needs in confronting this challenge. We're hopeful that the immediate threat is now resolved, thanks to the courage and professionalism of the French personnel on the ground. But the French Government continues to face the threat of terrorism and has to remain vigilant. The situation is fluid. President Hollande has made it clear that they're going to do whatever is necessary to protect their people. And I think it's important for us to understand: France is our oldest ally. I want the people of France to know that the United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have been directly impacted. We grieve with you. We fight alongside you to uphold our values, the values that we share, universal values that bind us together as friends and as allies. And in the streets of Paris, the world has seen once again what terrorists stand for. They have nothing to offer but hatred and human suffering. And we stand for freedom and hope and the dignity of all human beings. And that's what the city of Paris represents to the world, and that spirit will endure forever, long after the scourge of terrorism is banished from this world. So--[applause]--that's important. Anyway. Now, I'm in Knoxville not only because I just like Knoxville, but I'm here today because one of my resolutions is to make sure that folks across this great country feel like they are coming back. And there is no doubt: Thanks to the steps we took early on to rescue our economy and to rebuild it on a new foundation, America is coming back. Now, I'm not running for office anymore, so let me just present the facts. I promised that 2014 would be a breakthrough year for America. This morning we got more evidence to back that up. In December, our businesses created 240,000 new jobs. Our unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent, which is the lowest in 6 ½ years. What that means is, 2014 was the strongest year for job growth since the 1990s. Unemployment fell in 2014 faster than any year since 1984. Now, think about that. It's been 30 years since unemployment fell as fast as it did last year. And most importantly, we're seeing faster job growth in industries that provide good-paying jobs, traditionally middle class jobs, than anything else. Since 2010, the United States of America has created more jobs than Europe, Japan, and every other advanced economy combined. American manufacturing is in its best stretch of job growth since the 1990s. We're actually seeing companies insourcing instead of outsourcing. They're realizing, we want to be here with American workers making American products. America is now the world's number-one producer in oil, gas. We've doubled the production of clean energy. And by the way, you're saving about a buck-10 a gallon at the pump over this time last year. Although, I keep on reminding folks, gas prices, they go up and they come down and then they go up. [Laughter] So I just want everybody to know that you should enjoy this. Take the money you're saving, pay off the credit card or go get a new appliance or buy a fuel-efficient car--[laughter]--so that when prices go back up, you're still well positioned. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, about 10 million Americans have gained health insurance over the past year. And by the way, we've done this while cutting our deficits by about two-thirds. Everybody thinks that--[applause]. They did a survey; in every survey, they ask, is the deficit going up or going down? And 70 percent of Americans say that the deficit is going up. The deficit has come down by two-thirds since I took office. So--[applause]. Meanwhile, thanks to the hard work of students and educators, dropout rates are down, graduation rates are up. And after 13 long years, our war in Afghanistan has come to a responsible end, and we've got more troops that were home this holiday season. So I say all this because these 6 years have demanded a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice on everybody's part. And as a country, we've got every right to be proud of what we've got to show for it. America's resurgence is real. And now that we've seen calmer waters economically, if we all do our part, if we all pitch in, then we can start making sure that all boats are actually lifted again and wages and incomes start rising again. And we can make sure that the middle class is the engine that powers America's prosperity just as it always has. So that's going to be the focus of my State of the Union Address in a couple weeks. I wanted to give you a little preview. Don't tell anybody I said this--[laughter]--but I'm giving you the inside scoop. That's the--that's going to be the essence of my message: How do we build on the progress that we've made? And I figured, why wait for the State of the Union? [Laughter] Why stand on formalities? Let's get the ball rolling right now. Two days ago, I visited Michigan, where workers have brought the auto industry roaring back. And we talked about what else we can do around advanced manufacturing. Yesterday I was in Arizona, where I announced new actions to make the dream of homeownership a reality for more middle class families. Later today Joe and I are going to head to a company in Clinton to take action that will develop high-tech industry even further here in Tennessee. And right here, right now, at Pellissippi State, I'm going to announce one of my most important State of the Union proposals, and that's helping every American afford a higher education. Now, part of the reason I wanted to come here was because Tennessee is at the forefront of doing some really smart stuff. And we've got some proud Tennesseans who can take some credit for the great work that's been done. First, your Governor, Bill Haslam, who's here. Your two very fine Senators: You've got Bob Corker and your senior Senator, Lamar Alexander, who's a former Secretary of Education himself, so he knows a little bit about this. You've got Congressman John Duncan. Your mayor, Madeline Rogero. And we've got Pellissippi's president, Anthony Wise. [Applause] Hey! And we've got all of you. [Laughter] Now, Joe already--and Jill both already touched on these themes, but let me just amplify them a little bit. Here in America, we don't guarantee equal outcomes. Some folks work harder; some folks don't. Some folks take advantage of opportunities; some folks don't. Some people have good luck; some people have bad luck, and things don't always work out where everything is perfectly equal. But we do expect that everybody gets an equal shot. We do expect everybody can go as far as their dreams and hard work will take them. We don't expect anybody to be bound by the circumstances of their birth. If they were, I wouldn't be here, and neither would Joe. Jill, she's so accomplished she would have succeeded no matter what. [Laughter] But we expect everybody to get a fair shot. And in exchange, we do our fair share. That's the basic bargain at the heart of this country: If you work hard, you can get ahead. It shouldn't matter what your last name is or what we look like or what family we were born into or how we worship. What matters is effort and merit. That's the promise of America. And the way we deliver on that is making sure that our education system works on behalf of every person who lives here. America thrived in the 20th century in large part because we made high school the norm, and then, we sent a generation to college on the GI bill, including my grandfather. Then, we dedicated ourselves to cultivating the most educated workforce in the world, and we invested in what's one of the crown jewels of this country, and that's our higher education system. And then, dating back to Abraham Lincoln, we invested in land-grant colleges. We understood that this was a hallmark of America, this investment in education. But eventually, the world caught on and the world caught up. And that's why we have to lead the world in education again. That's why my administration is working to make high-quality early childhood education available to all of our kids. We know if we invest in them early, it pays dividends on the backend. That's why we're working to bring high-speed broadband to 99 percent of America's students within the next 4 years. We want to make sure every child is plugged in. That's why we're recruiting more highly trained math and science teachers. That's why we're working to raise standards and invest more in our elementary and middle and high schools so that every young person is prepared for a competitive world. And this work is not easy. Sometimes, it's controversial. It's not going to be the same in every State. But in places like Tennessee, we're seeing incredible strides as a consequence of these efforts. Over the past few years, Tennessee's students have improved their reading scores and math scores more than any other State in the country. That's a credit to their hard work, their teachers' hard work, Governor Haslam's hard work, leaders from both parties. It's about--it's been a bipartisan effort. Every Tennessean should be proud of that. And today, in a 21st-century economy, where your most valuable asset is your knowledge, the single most important way to get ahead is not just to get a high school education, you've got to get some higher education. And that's why all of you are here. Now, the value of an education is not purely instrumental. Education helps us be better people. It helps us be better citizens. You came to college to learn about the world and to engage with new ideas and to discover the things you're passionate about--and maybe have a little fun. [Laughter] And to expand your horizons. That's terrific. That's a huge part of what college has to offer. But you're also here, now more than ever, because a college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class. It is the key to getting a good job that pays a good income and to provide you the security where even if you don't have the same job for 30 years, you're so adaptable and you have a skill set and the capacity to learn new skills, it ensures you're always employable. And that is the key not just for individual Americans, that's the key for this whole country's ability to compete in the global economy. In the new economy, jobs and businesses will go wherever the most skilled, best educated workforce resides. Because businesses are mobile now. Technology means they can locate anywhere. And where they have the most educated, most adaptable, most nimble workforce, that's where they're going to locate. And I want them to look no further than the United States of America. I want them coming right here. I want those businesses here, and I want the American people to be able to get those businesses--or get those jobs that those businesses create. So that's why we've increased grants and took on a student loan system that was funneling billions of taxpayer dollars through big banks and said, let's cut out the middleman, let's give them directly to students instead. We can help more students. We've increased scholarships. We've cut taxes for people paying tuition. We've let students cap their Federal student loan payments at 10 percent of income so that they can borrow with confidence, particularly if you're going into a job like nursing or teaching that may not pay a huge salary, but that's where your passions are. We're creating a new college ratings system that will give parents and students the kind of clear, concise information you need to shop around for a school with the best value for you and gives us the capacity to recognize schools that offer a great education at a reasonable price. On the flight over here, Lamar and I were talking about how we can do more to simplify the application process for Federal student loans, which is still too complicated. So we've done a lot of good work over the last 6 years; we're going to keep at it. But today I want to focus on a centerpiece of my education agenda, and that's the community colleges, like this one. For millions of Americans, community colleges are essential pathways to the middle class because they're local, they're flexible. They work for people who work full time. They work for parents who have to raise kids full time. They work for folks who have gone as far as their skills will take them and want to earn new ones, but don't have the capacity to just suddenly go study for four years and not work. Community colleges work for veterans transitioning back into civilian life. Whether you're the first in your family to go to college or coming back to school after many years away, community colleges find a place for you. And you can get a great education. Now, Jill has been teaching English at community colleges for 20 years. She started when she was, like, 15. [Laughter] And she's still full time today. And she sees--I talk to her, and she talks about her students, and she can see the excitement and the promise and sometimes the fear of being a 32-year-old mom who's going back to school and never finished the degree that she had started, and life got in the way, and now she's coming back and suddenly getting a whole new skill set and seeing a whole range of career options opening up to her. It's exciting. And that's what community colleges are all about: the idea that no one with drive and discipline should be left out, should be locked out of opportunity, and certainly, that nobody with that drive and discipline should be denied a college education just because they don't have the money. Every American, whether they're young or just young at heart, should be able to earn the skills and education necessary to compete and win in the 21st-century economy. So today I'm announcing an ambitious new plan to bring down the cost of community college tuition in America. I want to bring it down to zero. We're going to--[applause]. I want to make it free. I want to make it free. Community colleges should be free for those willing to work for it, because in America, a quality education cannot be a privilege that is reserved for a few. I think it's a right for everybody who's willing to work for it. Now, the good news is, you already do something like this in Tennessee. You call it Tennessee Promise. So you call it Tennessee Promise, and we thought, why not just build on what works? So we're going to call it America's College Promise. And the concept is simple: America's College Promise will make 2 years of community college free to responsible students who are willing to work for it. Now, I want to underscore that last clause: everybody who's working hard for it. There are no free rides in America. You would have to earn it. Students would have to do their part by keeping their grades up. Colleges would have to do their part by offering high-quality academics and helping students actually graduate. States would have to do their part too. This isn't a blank check. It's not a free lunch. But for those willing to do the work, and for States and local communities that want to be a part of this, it can be a game changer. Think about it: Students who started at community colleges during those 2 years and then go on to a 4-year institution, they essentially get the first half of their bachelor's degree for free. People who enroll for skills training will graduate ready--already ready to work, and they won't have a pile of student debt. Two years of college will become as free and universal as high school is today. Now, we're also taking another page out of Tennessee's playbook and making investments to expand technical training programs at community colleges, much like you do through your 27 colleges of applied technology. Joe did a terrific job running a Task Force that we put together just to look at the job training and technical training systems all around the country. And at a time when jobs are changing and higher wages call for higher skills, we've got to make sure workers have a chance to get those skills. We want young people to graduate with real-world training that leads directly to good jobs, and we want older workers to get retrained so they can compete. And we want more women and minorities to get jobs in fields that traditionally they've been left out of, like science and technology and engineering and math. And we want to connect community colleges with employers, because when that's done right, these partnerships pay off for everybody: Students learn on the job, employers get access to talent, colleges get help designing courses that actually prepare people for the workplace, all of which creates better pathways to today's middle class. So we're going to find the programs that work, and we're going to help them grow. Now, in a few weeks, I'm going to send to Congress my plan for free community college. I hope that Congress will come together to support it, because opening the doors of higher education shouldn't be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, this is an American issue. Governor Haslam is a Republican. And thanks to his leadership, last year Democrats and Republicans came together and made Tennessee the first State in decades to offer free community college to its students. Meanwhile, up in my hometown of Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is a Democrat, is now offering free community college, and they're pairing students with growing sectors of the economy so they graduate with good jobs. So if a State with Republican leadership is doing this and a city with Democratic leadership is doing this, then how about we all do it? Let's do it for our future. And as I said before, there are a bunch of good bipartisan ideas out there. A few days ago, Senator Alexander joined forces with a Democratic Senator, Michael Bennet, to introduce the legislation that would make financial aid forms simpler. I noticed a lot of people applauded, because it's been a while since I filled it out--[laughter]--but I understand there's more than a hundred questions on it. It just shouldn't be that hard to apply for aid for college. And so I've committed to working with Senator Alexander. Let's shrink it down. Let's make life a little easier for millions of families. The point is, we're not going to agree on everything. But simplifying that form, that's something we should be able to agree on. Let's get that done this year. Because in the end, nothing is more important to our country than you, our people. That's our asset. I mean, we've got very nice real estate here. We've got this incredible bounty, this--the God-given resources that we enjoy in this country. But our greatest resource is our people. And I want to say to the students here and the staff and faculty how proud I am of what you guys are doing. A lot of students here, I know you had to overcome some obstacles to get here. Many of you are the first in your families to go to college. Some of you are working full time while you're going to school. But you're making this investment in you, and by doing that, you're making an investment in this country's future. And I just want to use one person's story as an example, Caitlin McLawhorn. Where's Caitlin? Where is she? Is she here? I thought she was here a second ago. She--but I'm going to tell her story anyway. [Laughter] She was raised by a single mom. She helped make ends meet, getting her first job almost the minute she could, 2 days after her 16th birthday. When it came time for college, the money wasn't there. But Caitlin lives in Tennessee, so she knew she had a great, free option. She completed 2 years at this institution. Now she's a senior at Maryville College. She's working full time, just like she has since her first day of college. And Caitlin says: "A lot of people like me got discouraged. I get discouraged. But I can look back and say, you've made it so far. I've learned that things aren't always what you want, but you can make them what you want." That's a--that's wisdom. "Things aren't always what you want, but you can make them what you want." That's what America is about. We can make of our lives what we will. And there are going to be bumps, and there are going to be challenges. And we've come through some very hard times. Things aren't always what we wanted, but we have overcome discouragement, and we have overcome division and sometimes some discord. And we don't give up. We get up, we fight back, we come back stronger than before. Thanks to the hard work of the American people, the United States of America is coming back. And I've never been as confident as we--in my entire life that we're going to make of our future what we want of it thanks to you. Appreciate it, Tennessee. God bless you. God bless America. Note: The President spoke at 2:05 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa O. Monaco. Remarks at the Techmer PM, LLC, Manufacturing Facility in Clinton, Tennessee January 9, 2015 The President. Good afternoon, everybody. There's no need to stand up. Thank you so much. First of all, it's wonderful being here in Clinton. And I want to thank Mayor Scott Burton and very much appreciate the hospitality. And I want to thank John Manuck and the whole Techmer team for having me and the Vice President, as well as your own Senator, Bob Corker. I understand I am the first President--sitting President--to visit Clinton. You'd think Bill would have come down here. [Laughter] I don't know---- Vice President Joe Biden. Missed opportunity. The President. Missed opportunity. Let me tell you, if there's an Obama, Tennessee--[laughter]--I'm going there. [Laughter] But the reason we're here is because wherever Americans are doing big things that can help build our middle class and grow our economy and extend opportunity to everybody, I want to be here to lift it up and figure out how we can promote more of it. Last year, our economy created jobs faster than at any time since the 1990s. The key now is to make sure that that growing prosperity and resurgence is reaching everybody, not just some. And that means that that we've got to create more good jobs and we've got to train people for those jobs that are being created. The--and this is going to be the focus of my State of the Union Address, but we decided to get started a little early. This morning I was over in Pellissippi State, where I announced my plan to make 2 years of community college free for students who are willing to work hard, keep their grades up, and do the right thing. And we're here in Clinton because I'm taking actions, building on what we've been doing over the last 4 or 5 years, to attract more high-quality manufacturing jobs for workers to fill in the new economy. For decades, manufacturing was the essential ingredient in building our middle class. You punched in, you made something you were proud of--made in America, shipped everywhere around the world--and as a consequence, you were able to take home a good paycheck, could support your family, had good benefits. And it was a bargain that involved more than just building things, it reflected the values that this country stood for. Over time, technology made some jobs obsolete. Globalization and additional foreign competition meant that some jobs went overseas. American manufacturing lost about one-third of its jobs in the last decade, and the middle class paid the price. So when I took office, I believed--and I know Joe believed--that if the last decade was characterized by outsourcing, I wanted to define this decade for insourcing, making sure that the United States was competitive and that businesses wanted to locate here and that we had a dynamic manufacturing sector and research and development sector to support that manufacturing so that we could reverse some of those trends. So we invested in clean energy, saved the auto industry, and today, factories are opening their doors at the fastest pace in almost two decades. Manufacturing is actually in its best stretch of job creation since the 1990s. It's added about 786,000 jobs over the past 58 months. Manufacturing is actually growing faster than the rest of the economy. Right here in Tennessee, manufacturing jobs have jumped by about 11 percent. And the question is, how do we keep that progress going? How do we build on it? And that's why we're working to grow the jobs of tomorrow through a national network of manufacturing hubs. We're launching these hubs around the country, and the concept is simple: We bring businesses, research universities, community colleges, State, local, and Federal governments together, and we figure out, where are some key opportunities for manufacturing in the future, how do we get out in front of the curve, how do we make sure everybody is working together? And as a consequence, we're potentially able to get cutting-edge research and design to market faster, and businesses are intimately involved in the process of figuring out how these things can be applied in ways that are really going to boost the economy and, in some cases, create entirely new industries. So these hubs are working on everything from 3-D printing--the idea that you can have some software and put in some materials and something pops out that actually works--to flexible computer chips that can be woven into the fabric of your shirt. And today we're proud to announce our latest manufacturing hub, and it is right here in Tennessee. Led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the hub will be home to 122 public and private partners who are teaming up to develop materials that are lighter and stronger than steel. So these are materials that would be ideal for fuel-efficient cars or longer wind turbine blades that produce more energy or materials that might go into our aviation sector. And of course, these advanced polymer composites are a sophisticated combination of materials like carbon fiber and tough plastics. That's--we saw some samples during our tour here. Everybody knows that. That means they're expensive to produce. So the idea here is for the partners to come together to see if we can not only come up with improved design, but also start driving down cost and look at new applications. So Joe and I just watched how these folks develop the composites here at Techmer. That was cool. We lost Joe's attention when we laid eyes on that 3-D-printed sports car--[laughter]--the carbon filler Cobra. Biden started pulling out his aviator glasses--[laughter]--and we had to explain to him, you don't get to drive on this trip. [Laughter] But besides being a cool car, it's a great example of how the hub like this operates. So Oak Ridge National Labs creates--created the design and manufacturing processes. Techmer produced the composite materials. Another company called Tru-Design developed the surface finishing techniques. Undergrads from UT worked on the project, gaining skills that can help them get hired in the future. And a number of others partners chipped in as well. So these hubs just make sense. They work. They get people working together. They create an ecosystem for a particular type of manufacturing and a specialization that allows, then, where the hub is located, to be a magnet for others who want to participate in this particular industry. And this is why--this is an area where Congress and I are working together. Bob Corker, myself, Governor Haslam, we're all interested in making sure that advanced manufacturing is taking place here in the United States. Last month, I was glad to see Members of Congress from both parties pass legislation that supports the progress we've made by creating a real national network of hubs. Senators Brown and Blunt and Representatives Kennedy and Reed deserve credit for working together to get this legislation over the finish line. I'm working to work with Congress this year to fully fund the network. Because places like this are who we are. We create. We innovate. We build. We do it together. When I was taking the tour and we had a chance to hear from John about how he got this company started: started off as an engineer, worked for another big company, and then decided he could it better and struck out on his own. And that story of entrepreneurship and taking a chance, that's what built this country. But at every step of the way throughout our history, there have been instances where government can be a partner in that progress: whether it's creating infrastructure, whether it's financing the basic research that generates new products. That's a role we can play. We've got the most dynamic economy in the world, and we've got the best businesspeople in the world and the best universities in the world. Let's put them all together and make sure they're working to create more good jobs and more opportunity for the American people. So congratulations to the new hub. Let's get to work. And I look forward to hearing about all the great things that are coming out of Clinton and across Tennessee and across America. Appreciate you. All right. Note: The President spoke at 4 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to John R. Manuck, chairman and chief executive officer, Techmer PM, LLC; and former President William J. Clinton. He also referred to H.R. 2996. Statement on the Presidential Election in Sri Lanka January 9, 2015 On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Sri Lanka on the successful and peaceful conclusion of Sri Lanka's Presidential election and incoming President Maithripala Sirisena on his victory. I also commend the outgoing administration of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for facilitating a swift and orderly transition of power. Beyond the significance of this election to Sri Lanka, it is also a symbol of hope for those who support democracy all around the world. International and domestic monitors and observers were permitted to do their jobs. Sri Lankans from all segments of society cast their ballots peacefully, and the voice of the people was respected. At this moment of hope, the United States looks forward to deepening its partnership with the people and Government of Sri Lanka and to working with President Sirisena to advance peace, democracy, and prosperity for all Sri Lankans. Statement on the Death of Andraé E. Crouch January 9, 2015 Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of music legend Pastor Andraé Crouch. Pastor Crouch grew up the son of a minister in California and discovered at a young age that he was blessed with extraordinary musical talent, which would lead to an iconic career that spanned over 50 years. As a leading pioneer of contemporary gospel music, the soulful classics that Pastor Crouch created over the years have uplifted the hearts and minds of several generations, and his timeless influence continues to be felt in not only gospel, but a variety of music genres. We are grateful that his music and spirit will continue to live on for years to come, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fans during this time. Memorandum on the Twelfth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation January 9, 2015 Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense Subject: Twelfth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation Under section 1008(b) of title 37, United States Code, every 4 years the President is required to complete a review of the compensation system for the uniformed service members of the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, and the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health Service. You typically serve as my Executive Agent for this review, consulting me as required. The Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 112-239) established the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (Commission) and chartered it to conduct a review of the military compensation and retirement systems and make recommendations to modernize these systems. This Commission has been tasked to submit a report, containing a comprehensive study and recommendations, to me by February 1, 2015. The report will contain detailed findings and conclusions of the Commission, together with its recommendations for such legislation and administrative actions it may consider appropriate. I have determined the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission also satisfies the requirements of section 1008(b) of title 37 and that a separate Twelfth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation is not required. Barack Obama The President's Weekly Address January 10, 2015 Hi, everybody. About a year ago, I promised that 2014 would be a breakthrough year for America. And this week, we got more evidence to back that up. In December, our businesses created 240,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent. That means that 2014 was the strongest year for job growth since the 1990s. In 2014, unemployment fell faster than it has in three decades. Over a 58-month streak, our businesses have created 11.2 million new jobs. After a decade of decline, American manufacturing is in its best stretch of job growth since the nineties. America is now the world's number-one producer of oil and gas, helping to save drivers about a buck-10 a gallon at the pump over this time last year. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, about 10 million Americans have gained health insurance in the past year alone. We've cut our deficits by about two-thirds. And after 13 long years, our war in Afghanistan has come to a responsible end, and more of our brave troops have come home. It's been 6 years since the crisis. Those years have demanded hard work and sacrifice on everybody's part. So as a country, we have every right to be proud of what we've got to show for it. America's resurgence is real. And now that we've got some calmer waters, if we all do our part, if we all pitch in, we can make sure that tide starts lifting all boats again. We can make sure that the middle class is the engine that powers America's prosperity for decades to come. That'll be the focus of my State of the Union Address in a couple weeks: building on the progress we've made. But I figured, why wait? Let's get started right now. On Wednesday, I visited a Ford plant outside of Detroit, because the American auto industry and its home State are redefining the word "comeback." On Thursday, I traveled to Arizona, a State that was hit among the hardest by the housing crisis, to announce a new plan that will put hundreds of dollars in new homeowners' pockets and help more new families buy their first home. And I'm speaking with you today from Pellissippi State Community College in Tennessee, a State making big strides in education, to unveil my new plan to make 2 years of community college free for every responsible student. I'm also here to establish a new hub that will attract more good-paying, high-tech manufacturing jobs to our shores. Making homeownership easier, bringing a higher education within reach, creating more good jobs that pay good wages--these are just some of the ways we can help every American get ahead in the new economy. And there's more to come. Because America is coming back. And I want to go full speed ahead. Thanks, everybody, and have a great weekend. Note: The address was recorded at approximately 12:30 p.m. on January 9 in Room 150 of the Alexander Building at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, TN, for broadcast on January 10. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on January 9, but was embargoed for release until 6 a.m. on January 10. Remarks at the Federal Trade Commission Constitution Center January 12, 2015 Thank you so much. Thank you. Everybody, have a seat. Thank you. Well, thank you, Edith, for your introduction. As was mentioned, Edith and I go a long way back. In law school we served on the Law Review together. I will not say who edited who. [Laughter] I will say she looks exactly the same. [Laughter] And I do not. [Laughter] And it's upsetting. [Laughter] But, Edith, in your career, you've stood up for citizens and communities. I was proud to nominate you, first as a Commissioner, and then as Chairwoman of the FTC. You are doing an outstanding job, as are your fellow Commissioners, and we very much appreciate your outstanding efforts. In Edith's story, from the daughter of Mexican immigrants to the head of the FTC, we see a central part of the American story. And that's worth remembering at a time when those are issues that we're debating all the time. It's a reminder that what makes this country special is the incredible talent that we draw from all around the world and somehow it all merges into something unique: America. To Edith, to the fellow Commissioners, to all of you who work at the FTC, thanks for welcoming me. I'm told I may be the first President to come to the FTC in nearly 80 years, since FDR in 19--[applause]--first time apparently since FDR in 1937, which is a little surprising. I mean, you'd think, like, one of the Presidents would just come here by accident. [Laughter] You know, they ended up in the wrong building. [Laughter] "Where are we?" "We're at the FTC." [Laughter] Anyway, I figured it was time to correct that. Plus, I know sometimes your name confuses folks. They don't always understand what your mission is. One person who does understand is David Letterman. [Laughter] A few months ago he thanked you for standing up to the companies that were trying to pitch a new weight-loss product, "caffeine-laced undergarments." [Laughter] I'm actually not making this up. [Laughter] You ruled that these products were "not substantiated by scientific evidence." [Laughter] So thank you for saving America from caffeine-laced undergarments. [Laughter] These companies owed consumers a refund. [Laughter] And that was just the latest example, because, as Edith said, you recently celebrated your 100th anniversary. And I want to thank you for a hundred proud years of protecting American consumers. I also want to thank some of the Members of Congress who are here today and many of our partners from not just government, but the private sector and consumer and privacy and advocacy groups. Next week, just up the street, I will deliver the State of the Union Address. And it will be a chance to talk about America's resurgence, including something we can all be proud of, which is the longest stretch of private sector job growth in American history: 58 straight months and more than 11 million new jobs. In the speech, I'm going to focus on how we can build on that progress and help more Americans feel that resurgence in their own lives, through higher wages and rising incomes and a growing middle class. But since I've only got 2 years left in this job, I tend to be impatient, and I didn't want to wait for the State of the Union to start sharing my plans. So I've been traveling across the country rolling out some of the ideas that we'll be talking about, a little bit of a sneak preview. And in the 21st century--in this dizzying age of technology and innovation--so much of the prosperity that we seek, so many of the jobs that we create, so much of the opportunity that's available for the next generation depends on our digital economy. It depends on our ability to search and connect and shop and do business and create and discover and learn online, in cyberspace. And as we've all been reminded over the past year, including the hack of Sony, this extraordinary interconnection creates enormous opportunities, but also creates enormous vulnerabilities for us as a nation and for our economy and for individual families. So this week, I'm laying out some new proposals on how we can keep seizing the possibilities of an Information Age, while protecting the security and prosperity and values that we all cherish. Today I'm focusing on how we can better protect American consumers from identity theft and ensure our privacy, including for our children at school. And then tomorrow, at the Department of Homeland Security, I'll focus on how we can work with the private sector to better defend ourselves against cyber attacks. And finally, on Wednesday, in Iowa, I'll talk about how we can give families and communities faster, cheaper access to broadband so they can succeed in the digital economy. But I wanted to start here, at the FTC, because every day you take the lead in making sure that Americans, their hard-earned money and their privacy are protected, especially when they go online. And these days, that's pretty much for everything: managing our bank accounts, paying our bills, handling everything from medical records to movie tickets, controlling our homes--smart houses--from smartphones. Secret Service does not let me do that. [Laughter] But I know other people do. And with these benefits come risks: Major companies get hacked; America's personal information, including financial information, gets stolen. And the problem is growing, and it costs us billions of dollars. In one survey, 9 out of 10 Americans say they feel like they've lost control of their personal information. In recent breaches, more than a hundred million Americans have had their personal data compromised, like credit card information. When these cyber criminals start racking up charges on your card, it can destroy your credit rating. It can turn your life upside down. It may take you months to get your finances back in order. So this is a direct threat to the economic security of American families, and we've got to stop it. If we're going to be connected, then we need to be protected. As Americans, we shouldn't have to base--have to forfeit our basic privacy when we go online to do our business. And that's why, since I took office, we've been working with the private sector to strengthen our cyber defenses. A few months ago, we launched our BuySecure initiative. The Federal Government and companies across the country are moving to stronger chip-and-PIN technology for credit cards. Here at the FTC, you're working with credit bureaus so that victims can recover their stolen identities faster, and every day, you're helping consumers with identitytheft.gov. So today I'm announcing new steps to protect the identities and privacy of the American people. Let me list them for you. First, we're introducing new legislation to create a single, strong national standard so Americans know when their information has been stolen or misused. Right now almost every State has a different law on this, and it's confusing for consumers, and it's confusing for companies. And it's costly, too, to have to comply to this patchwork of laws. Sometimes, folks don't even find out their credit card information has been stolen until they see charges on their bill, and then it's too late. So under the new standard that we're proposing, companies would have to notify consumers of a breach within 30 days. In addition, we're proposing to close loopholes in the law so we can go after more criminals who steal and sell the identities of Americans, even when they do it overseas. Second, I'm pleased that more banks, credit card issuers, and lenders are stepping up and equipping Americans with another weapon against identity theft, and that's access to their credit scores, free of charge. This includes JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, USAA, State Employees' Credit Union, Ally Financial. Some of them are here today. I want to thank them for their participation. This means that a majority of American adults will have free access to their credit score, which is like an early warning system telling you that you've been hit by fraud so you can deal with it fast. And we're encouraging more companies to join this effort every day. Third, we're going to be introducing new legislation: a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. Working with many of you, from the private sector and advocacy groups, we've identified some basic principles to both protect personal privacy and ensure that industry can keep innovating. For example, we believe that consumers have the right to decide what personal data companies collect from them and how companies use that data, that information; the right to know that your personal information collected for one purpose can't then be misused by a company for a different purpose; the right to have your information stored securely by companies that are accountable for its use. We believe that there ought to be some basic baseline protections across industries. So we're going to be introducing this legislation by the end of next month, and I hope Congress joins us to make the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights the law of the land. And finally, we're taking a series of actions to protect the personal information and privacy of our children. Those of us with kids know how hard this can be. Whether they are texting or tweeting or on Facebook or Instagram or Vine, our children are meeting up--and they are growing up--in cyberspace. It is all-pervasive. And here at the FTC, you've pushed back on companies and apps that collect information on our kids without permission. And Michelle and I are like parents everywhere: We want to make sure that our children are being smart and safe online. That's a responsibility of ours as parents. But we need partners. And we need a structure that ensures that information is not being gathered without us as parents or the kids knowing it. We want our kids' privacy protected, whether--wherever they sign on or log on, including at school. Now, we've--the good news is, we've got new educational technologies that are transforming how our children learn. You've got innovative websites and apps and tablets, digital textbooks and tutors. Students are getting lessons tailored to their unique learning needs. We want to encourage that information. And it also facilitates teachers and parents tracking student progress and grades in real time. And all this is part of what our ConnectED initiative is about: connecting 99 percent of American students to high-speed Internet so that we're empowering students, teachers, and parents and giving them access to worlds they may never have had access to before. But we've already seen some instances where some companies use educational technologies to collect student data for commercial purposes, like targeted advertising. And parents have a legitimate concern about those kinds of practices. So today we're proposing the Student Digital Privacy Act. And it's pretty straightforward. We're saying that data collected on students in the classroom should only be used for educational purposes: to teach our children, not to market to our children. We want to prevent companies from selling student data to third parties for purposes other than education. We want to prevent any kind of profiling that outs certain students at a disadvantage as they go through school. And we believe that this won't just give parents more peace of mind, we're confident that it will make sure the tools we use in the classroom will actually support the breakthrough research and innovations that we need to keep unlocking new educational technologies. Now, we didn't have to completely reinvent the wheel on this proposal. Many States have proposed similar legislation. California just passed a landmark law. And I hope Congress joins us in this national movement to protect the privacy of our children. We won't wait for legislation though. The Department of Education is going to offer new tools to help schools and teachers work with tech companies to protect the privacy of students. As of today, 75 companies across the country have signed on to a Student Privacy Pledge. And among other things, they're committing not to sell student information or use educational technologies to engage in targeted advertising to students. Some of those companies are here today. We want to thank you for your leadership. I want to encourage every company that provides these technologies to our schools to join this effort. It's the right thing to do. And if you don't join this effort, then we intend to make sure that those schools and those parents know you haven't joined this effort. So this mission, protecting our information and privacy in the Information Age, this should not be a partisan issue. This should be something that unites all of us as Americans. It's one of those new challenges in our modern society that crosses the old divides, transcends politics, transcends ideology. Liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican--everybody is online, and everybody understands the risks and vulnerabilities as well as opportunities that are presented by this new world. Business leaders want their privacy and their children's privacy protected, just like everybody else does. Consumer and privacy advocates also want to make sure that America keeps leading the world in technology and innovation and apps. So there are some basic, commonsense, pragmatic steps that we ought to all be able to support. And rather than being at odds, I think that much of this work actually reinforces each other. The more we do to protect consumer information and privacy, the harder it is for hackers to damage our businesses and hurt our economy. Meanwhile, the more companies strengthen their cybersecurity, the harder it is for hackers to steal consumer information and hurt American families. So we've got to all be working together in the same direction, and I'm confident if we do, we'll be making progress. We are the company--we are the country that invented the Internet. And we're also the pioneers of this Information Age: the creators, the designers, the innovators. Our children are leaving us in the dust, I--if you haven't noticed. [Laughter] They're connecting and they're collaborating like never before and imagining a future we can only dream of. When we Americans put our minds together and our shoulder to the wheel, there's nothing we can do. So I'm confident, if we keep at this, we can deliver the prosperity and security and privacy that all Americans deserve. We pioneered the Internet, but we also pioneered the Bill of Rights and a sense that each of us as individuals have a sphere of privacy around us that should not be breached, whether by our government, but also by commercial interests. And since we're pioneers in both these areas, I'm confident that we can be pioneers in crafting the kind of architecture that will allow us to both grow, innovate, and preserve those values that are so precious to us as Americans. Thank you very much. And thanks to the FTC for all the great work you do to protect the American people. Thank you. Note: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to David Letterman, host, CBS's "Late Show With David Letterman."