[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 5 (Monday, February 7, 2005)]
[Pages 126-133]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union
February 2, 2005
Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, fellow
citizens:
As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of
Government share a great privilege: We've been placed in office by the
votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share
with newly elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories,
Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq.
Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the
commitment of our Nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This
evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and
around the world.
Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going
back to work, with our Nation an active force for good in the world, the
state of our Union is confident and strong.
Our generation has been blessed by the expansion of opportunity, by
advances in medicine, by the security purchased by our parents'
sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror--or a lot of
gray--[laughter]--and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we
ask the question: What will be the state of their Union? Members of
Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over
the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans
have always done and build a better world for our children and our
grandchildren.
First, we must be good stewards of this economy and renew the great
institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely. America's
economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. In
the past 4 years, we've provided tax relief to every person who pays
income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad,
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prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to its highest
level in history. And in the last year alone, the United States has
added 2.3 million new jobs. When action was needed, the Congress
delivered, and the Nation is grateful.
Now we must add to these achievements. By making our economy more
flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America
the economic leader of the world.
America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of
the Federal Government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending
discipline. I will send you a budget that holds the growth of
discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and
stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. My budget
substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 Government programs
that are not getting results or duplicate current efforts or do not
fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: Taxpayer
dollars must be spent wisely or not at all.
To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a
rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No
Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the
rise, and we're closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now
we must demand better results from our high schools, so every high
school diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional
200,000 workers to get training for a better career by reforming our job
training system and strengthening America's community colleges. And
we'll make it easier for Americans to afford a college education by
increasing the size of Pell grants.
To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must
reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small
business is the path of advancement, especially for women and
minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation
and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted
and our economy is held back by irresponsible class actions and
frivolous asbestos claims, and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms
this year.
To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must make
health care more affordable and give families greater access to good
coverage and more control over their health decisions. I ask Congress to
move forward on a comprehensive health care agenda with tax credits to
help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in
every poor county, improved information technology to prevent medical
error and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses
and their employees, expanded health savings accounts, and medical
liability reform that will reduce health care costs and make sure
patients have the doctors and care they need.
To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of
affordable, environmentally responsible energy. Nearly 4 years ago, I
submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation,
alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production
here at home, including safe, clean nuclear energy. My Clear Skies
legislation will cut powerplant pollution and improve the health of our
citizens. And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge
technology, from hydrogen-fueled cars to clean coal to renewable sources
such as ethanol. Four years of debate is enough. I urge Congress to pass
legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign
energy.
All these proposals are essential to expand this economy and add new
jobs, but they are just the beginning of our duty. To build the
prosperity of future generations, we must update institutions that were
created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year, Americans
are burdened by an archaic, incoherent Federal Tax Code. I've appointed
a bipartisan panel to examine the Tax Code from top to bottom. And when
their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to
give this Nation a Tax Code that is progrowth, easy to understand, and
fair to all.
America's immigration system is also outdated, unsuited to the needs
of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be
content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to
provide for their families and deny businesses willing
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workers and invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration
policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will
not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and
leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and
terrorists.
One of America's most important institutions, a symbol of the trust
between generations, is also in need of wise and effective reform.
Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th century, and we
must honor its great purposes in this new century. The system, however,
on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join
together to strengthen and save Social Security.
Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social Security
benefits, and millions more are nearing retirement. And for them the
system is sound and fiscally strong. I have a message for every American
who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you; for you, the Social
Security system will not change in any way.
For younger workers, the Social Security system has serious problems
that will grow worse with time. Social Security was created decades ago
for a very different era. In those days, people did not live as long.
Benefits were much lower than they are today. And a half century ago,
about 16 workers paid into the system for each person drawing benefits.
Our society has changed in ways the founders of Social Security
could not have foreseen. In today's world, people are living longer and,
therefore, drawing benefits longer. And those benefits are scheduled to
rise dramatically over the next few decades. And instead of 16 workers
paying in for every beneficiary, right now it's only about 3 workers.
And over the next few decades, that number will fall to just 2 workers
per beneficiary. With each passing year, fewer workers are paying ever-
higher benefits to an ever-larger number of retirees.
So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social
Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year
afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For
example, in the year 2027, the Government will somehow have to come up
with an extra $200 billion to keep the system afloat, and by 2033, the
annual shortfall would be more than $300 billion. By the year 2042, the
entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to
avert that outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically higher
taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social
Security benefits or other Government programs.
I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem a long way off. But those
dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you have a 5-
year-old, you're already concerned about how you'll pay for college
tuition 13 years down the road. If you've got children in their
twenties, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing
before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should not
be a small matter to the United States Congress. You and I share a
responsibility. We must pass reforms that solve the financial problems
of Social Security once and for all.
Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid
review of the options. Some have suggested limiting benefits for wealthy
retirees. Former Congressman Tim Penny has raised the possibility of
indexing benefits to prices rather than wages. During the 1990s, my
predecessor, President Clinton, spoke of increasing the retirement age.
Former Senator John Breaux suggested discouraging early collection of
Social Security benefits. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
recommended changing the way benefits are calculated. All these ideas
are on the table.
I know that none of these reforms would be easy. But we have to move
ahead with courage and honesty, because our children's retirement
security is more important than partisan politics. I will work with
Members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I
will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer. We must, however, be
guided by some basic principles. We must make Social Security
permanently sound, not leave that task for another day. We must not
jeopardize our economic strength by increasing payroll taxes. We must
ensure that lower income Americans get the help they need to have
dignity and peace of mind in their retirement. We must guarantee
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there is no change for those now retired or nearing retirement. And we
must take care that any changes in the system are gradual, so younger
workers have years to prepare and plan for their future.
As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make
the system a better deal for younger workers. And the best way to reach
that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. Here is how
the idea works. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken
out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today's
retirees. If you're a younger worker, I believe you should be able to
set aside part of that money in your own retirement account, so you can
build a nest egg for your own future.
Here's why the personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will
grow over time at a greater rate than anything the current system can
deliver, and your account will provide money for retirement over and
above the check you will receive from Social Security. In addition,
you'll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in your personal
account, if you wish, to your children and--or grandchildren. And best
of all, the money in the account is yours, and the Government can never
take it away.
The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set
careful guidelines for personal accounts. We'll make sure the money can
only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We'll make
sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street fees.
We'll make sure there are good options to protect your investments from
sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. We'll make sure a
personal account cannot be emptied out all at once but rather paid out
over time as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits. And
we'll make sure this plan is fiscally responsible by starting personal
retirement accounts gradually and raising the yearly limits on
contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside
4 percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts.
Personal retirement accounts should be familiar to Federal
employees, because you already have something similar called the Thrift
Savings Plan, which lets workers deposit a portion of their paychecks
into any of five different broadly based investment funds. It's time to
extend the same security and choice and ownership to young Americans.
Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is
to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So
many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family
and faith and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children.
Government is not the source of these values, but Government should
never undermine them.
Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of
society, it should not be redefined by activist judges. For the good of
families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to
protect the institution of marriage.
Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and
vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical research
can help us reach that goal by developing treatments and cures that save
lives and help people overcome disabilities, and I thank the Congress
for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health.
To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific
advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives
for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree on some clear
standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are
not created for experimentation or grown for body parts and that human
life is never bought or sold as a commodity. America will continue to
lead the world in medical research that is ambitious, aggressive, and
always ethical.
Because courts must always deliver impartial justice, judges have a
duty to faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. As
President, I have a constitutional responsibility to nominate men and
women who understand the role of courts in our democracy and are well-
qualified to serve on the bench, and I have done so. The Constitution
also gives the Senate a responsibility: Every judicial nominee deserves
an up-or-down vote.
Because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we
must never turn
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away from any citizen who feels isolated from the opportunities of
America. Our Government will continue to support faith-based and
community groups that bring hope to harsh places. Now we need to focus
on giving young people, especially young men in our cities, better
options than apathy or gangs or jail. Tonight I propose a 3-year
initiative to help organizations keep young people out of gangs and show
young men an ideal of manhood that respects women and rejects violence.
Taking on gang life will be one part of a broader outreach to at-risk
youth, which involves parents and pastors, coaches and community leaders
in programs ranging from literacy to sports. And I am proud that the
leader of this nationwide effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush.
Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask
you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention and
provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease. And as we
update this important law, we must focus our efforts on fellow citizens
with the highest rates of new cases, African American men and women.
Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief
in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and
backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice. In
America, we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a
crime he or she did not commit, so we are dramatically expanding the use
of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. Soon I will send to
Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in
capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have
competent lawyers by their side.
Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave them an
America that is safe from danger and protected by peace. We will pass
along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy, and chief among them is
freedom from fear.
In the 3\1/2\ years since September the 11th, 2001, we have taken
unprecedented actions to protect Americans. We've created a new
Department of Government to defend our homeland, focused the FBI on
preventing terrorism, begun to reform our intelligence agencies, broken
up terror cells across the country, expanded research on defenses
against biological and chemical attack, improved border security, and
trained more than a half million first-responders. Police and
firefighters, air marshals, researchers, and so many others are working
every day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them all.
Our Nation, working with allies and friends, has also confronted the
enemy abroad with measures that are determined, successful, and
continuing. The Al Qaida terror network that attacked our country still
has leaders, but many of its top commanders have been removed. There are
still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists, but their number
has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass
destruction but no longer without attention and without consequence. Our
country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill many and
intimidate us all, and we will stay on the offensive against them until
the fight is won.
Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the war on terror, and
I thank the Congress for providing our service men and women with the
resources they have needed. During this time of war, we must continue to
support our military and give them the tools for victory.
Other nations around the globe have stood with us. In Afghanistan,
an international force is helping provide security. In Iraq, 28
countries have troops on the ground, the United Nations and the European
Union provided technical assistance for the elections, and NATO is
leading a mission to help train Iraqi officers. We're cooperating with
60 governments in the Proliferation Security Initiative to detect and
stop the transit of dangerous materials. We're working closely with the
governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear
ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other countries have
captured or detained Al Qaida terrorists. In the next 4 years, my
administration will continue to build the coalitions that will defeat
the dangers of our time.
In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by
eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of
murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in
hatred, they will be
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the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America
and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to
stop the rise of tyranny and terror and replace hatred with hope is the
force of human freedom. Our enemies know this, and that is why the
terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he called the ``evil
principle'' of democracy. And we've declared our own intention: America
will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in
the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in
our world.
The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to
impose our form of government on anyone else. That is one of the main
differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and expand
an empire of oppression in which a tiny group of brutal, self-appointed
rulers control every aspect of every life. Our aim is to build and
preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments
that answer to their citizens and reflect their own cultures. And
because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the
advance of freedom will lead to peace.
That advance has great momentum in our time, shown by women voting
in Afghanistan and Palestinians choosing a new direction and the people
of Ukraine asserting their democratic rights and electing a President.
We are witnessing landmark events in the history of liberty, and in the
coming years, we will add to that story.
The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian
territories are now showing the power of freedom to break old patterns
of violence and failure. Tomorrow morning Secretary of State Rice
departs on a trip that will take her to Israel and the West Bank for
meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas. She will
discuss with them how we and our friends can help the Palestinian people
end terror and build the institutions of a peaceful, independent,
democratic state. To promote this democracy, I will ask Congress for
$350 million to support Palestinian political, economic, and security
reforms. The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living
side by side in peace is within reach, and America will help them
achieve that goal.
To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East, the
United States will work with our friends in the region to fight the
common threat of terror, while we encourage a higher standard of
freedom. Hopeful reform is already taking hold in an arc from Morocco to
Jordan to Bahrain. The Government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its
leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in
determining their future. And the great and proud nation of Egypt, which
showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way
toward democracy in the Middle East.
To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must confront
regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass
murder. Syria still allows its territory and parts of Lebanon to be used
by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of peace in the region.
You have passed and we are applying the Syrian Accountability Act, and
we expect the Syrian Government to end all support for terror and open
the door to freedom. Today, Iran remains the world's primary state
sponsor of terror, pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people
of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working with European
allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its
uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing and end its
support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you
stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in
the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq. That country
is a vital front in the war on terror, which is why the terrorists have
chosen to make a stand there. Our men and women in uniform are fighting
terrorists in Iraq so we do not have to face them here at home. And the
victory of freedom in Iraq will strengthen a new ally in the war on
terror, inspire democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran, bring more
hope and progress to a troubled region, and thereby lift a terrible
threat from the lives of our children and grandchildren.
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We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty, as
they showed the world last Sunday. Across Iraq, often at great risk,
millions of citizens went to the polls and elected 275 men and women to
represent them in a new Transitional National Assembly. A young woman in
Baghdad told of waking to the sound of mortar fire on election day and
wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She said, ``Hearing
those explosions, it occurred to me: The insurgents are weak; they are
afraid of democracy; they are losing. So I got my husband and I got my
parents, and we all came out and voted together.''
Americans recognize that spirit of liberty, because we share it. In
any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility. For
millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they
have earned the respect of us all.
One of Iraq's leading democracy and human rights advocates is Safia
Taleb al-Suhail. She says of her country, ``We were occupied for 35
years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real occupation. Thank you to the
American people who paid the cost but, most of all, to the soldiers.''
Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's
intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able
to vote for the leaders of her country, and we are honored that she is
with us tonight.
The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to democracy and
will continue to attack it. Yet, the terrorists' most powerful myth is
being destroyed. The whole world is seeing that the car bombers and
assassins are not only fighting coalition forces; they are trying to
destroy the hopes of Iraqis, expressed in free elections. And the whole
world now knows that a small group of extremists will not overturn the
will of the Iraqi people.
We will succeed in Iraq because Iraqis are determined to fight for
their own freedom and to write their own history. As Prime Minister
Allawi said in his speech to Congress last September, ``Ordinary Iraqis
are anxious to shoulder all the security burdens of our country as
quickly as possible.'' That is the natural desire of an independent
nation, and it is also the stated mission of our coalition in Iraq. The
new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that
country.
At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground and in
consultation with the Iraqi Government, we will increasingly focus our
efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces, forces
with skilled officers and an effective command structure. As those
forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security
responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly
be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their
own country, and we will help that proud new nation secure its liberty.
Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, ``Tell America not
to abandon us.'' He and all Iraqis can be certain: While our military
strategy is adapting to circumstances, our commitment remains firm and
unchanging. We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and
freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come. We will
not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would
embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We
are in Iraq to achieve a result, a country that is democratic,
representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able
to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women
serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned.
Right now, Americans in uniform are serving at posts across the
world, often taking great risks on my orders. We have given them
training and equipment, and they have given us an example of idealism
and character that makes every American proud. The volunteers of our
military are unrelenting in battle, unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in
honor and decency, and every day they're making our Nation more secure.
Some of our service men and women have survived terrible injuries, and
this grateful country will do everything we can to help them recover.
And we have said farewell to some very good men and women who died for
our freedom and whose memory this Nation will honor forever.
One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of
Pflugerville, Texas,
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who was killed during the assault on Fallujah. His mom, Janet, sent me a
letter and told me how much Byron loved being a marine and how proud he
was to be on the frontline against terror. She wrote, ``When Byron was
home the last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since
he was born. He just hugged me and said, `You've done your job, Mom. Now
it is my turn to protect you.' '' Ladies and gentlemen, with grateful
hearts we honor freedom's defenders and our military families,
represented here this evening by Sergeant Norwood's mom and dad, Janet
and Bill Norwood.
[At this point, in the First Lady's box, guest Safia Taleb al-Suhail
embraced guest Janet Norwood.]
In these 4 years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large events.
We have known times of sorrow and hours of uncertainty and days of
victory. In all this history, even when we have disagreed, we have seen
threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has
reaffirmed our confidence in freedom's power to change the world. We are
all part of a great venture: To extend the promise of freedom in our
country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and to spread the
peace that freedom brings.
As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, ``Each age is a dream
that is dying, or one that is coming to birth.'' And we live in the
country where the biggest dreams are born. The abolition of slavery was
only a dream until it was fulfilled. The liberation of Europe from
fascism was only a dream until it was achieved. The fall of imperial
communism was only a dream until, one day, it was accomplished. Our
generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with
confidence. The road of providence is uneven and unpredictable, yet we
know where it leads: It leads to freedom.
Thank you, and may God bless America.
Note: The President spoke at 9:10 p.m. in the House Chamber of the
Capitol. In his remarks, he referred to senior Al Qaida associate Abu
Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; President
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority; former President
Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi
Interim Government. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
Spanish language transcript of this address.