奥巴马首次在国会演讲的演讲稿

Tuesday，February24th，2009]kCRemarksofPresidentBarackObama——AddresstoJointSessionofCongressMadameSpeaker，Mr.VicePresident，MembersofCongress，andtheFirstLadyoftheUnitedStates：I‘vecomeheretonightnotonlytoaddressthedistinguishedmenandwomeninthisgreatchamber，buttospeakfranklyanddirectlytothemenandwomenwhosentushere.IknowthatformanyAmericanswatchingrightnow，thestateofoureconomyisaconcernthatrisesaboveallothers.Andrightlyso.Ifyouhaven’tbeenpersonallyaffectedbythisrecession，youprobablyknowsomeonewhohas–-afriend；aneighbor；amemberofyourfamily.Youdon‘tneedtohearanotherlistofstatisticstoknowthatoureconomyisincrisis，becauseyouliveiteveryday.It’stheworryyouwakeupwithandthesourceofsleeplessnights.It‘sthejobyouthoughtyou’dretirefrombutnowhavelost；thebusinessyoubuiltyourdreamsuponthat‘snowhangingbyathread；thecollegeacceptanceletteryourchildhadtoputbackintheenvelope.Theimpactofthisrecessionisreal，anditiseverywhere.Butwhileoureconomymaybeweakenedandourconfidenceshaken；thoughwearelivingthroughdifficultanduncertaintimes，tonightIwanteveryAmericantoknowthis：Wewillrebuild，wewillrecover，andtheUnitedStatesofAmericawillemergestrongerthanbefore.Theweightofthiscrisiswillnotdeterminethedestinyofthisnation.Theanswerstoourproblemsdon‘tliebeyondourreach.Theyexistinourlaboratoriesanduniversities；inourfieldsandourfactories；intheimaginationsofourentrepreneursandtheprideofthehardest-workingpeopleonEarth.ThosequalitiesthathavemadeAmericathegreatestforceofprogressandprosperityinhumanhistorywestillpossessinamplemeasure.Whatisrequirednowisforthiscountrytopulltogether，confrontboldlythechallengesweface，andtakeresponsibilityforourfutureoncemore.Now，ifwe‘rehonestwithourselves，we’lladmitthatfortoolong，wehavenotalwaysmettheseresponsibilities-–asagovernmentorasapeople.Isaythisnotto…………layblameorlookbackwards，butbecauseitisonlybyunderstandinghowwearrivedatthismomentthatwe‘llbeabletoliftourselvesoutofthispredicament.Thefactis，oureconomydidnotfallintodeclineovernight.Nordidallofourproblemsbeginwhenthehousingmarketcollapsedorthestockmarketsank.Wehaveknownfordecadesthatoursurvivaldependsonfindingnewsourcesofenergy.Yetweimportmoreoiltodaythaneverbefore.Thecostofhealthcareeatsupmoreandmoreofoursavingseachyear，yetwekeepdelayingreform.Ourchildrenwillcompeteforjobsinaglobaleconomythattoomanyofourschoolsdonotpreparethemfor.Andthoughallthesechallengeswentunsolved，westillmanagedtospendmoremoneyandpileupmoredebt，bothasindividualsandthroughourgovernment，thaneverbefore.Inotherwords，wehavelivedthroughanerawheretoooften，short-termgainswereprizedoverlong-termprosperity；wherewefailedtolookbeyondthenextpayment，thenextquarter，orthenextelection.Asurplusbecameanexcusetotransferwealthtothewealthyinsteadofanopportunitytoinvestinourfuture.Regulationswereguttedforthesakeofaquickprofitattheexpenseofahealthymarket.Peopleboughthomestheyknewtheycouldn‘taffordfrombanksandlenderswhopushedthosebadloansanyway.Andallthewhile，criticaldebatesanddifficultdecisionswereputoffforsomeothertimeonsomeotherday.Wellthatdayofreckoninghasarrived，andthetimetotakechargeofourfutureishere.Nowisthetimetoactboldlyandwisely–tonotonlyrevivethiseconomy，buttobuildanewfoundationforlastingprosperity.Nowisthetimetojumpstartjobcreation，re-startlending，andinvestinareaslikeenergy，healthcare，andeducationthatwillgrowoureconomy，evenaswemakehardchoicestobringourdeficitdown.Thatiswhatmyeconomicagendaisdesignedtodo，andthat‘swhatI’dliketotalktoyouabouttonight.It‘sanagendathatbeginswithjobs.AssoonasItookoffice，IaskedthisCongresstosendmearecoveryplanbyPresident‘sDaythatwouldputpeoplebacktoworkandputmoneyintheirpockets.NotbecauseIbelieveinbiggergovernment–Idon’t.NotbecauseI‘mnotmindfulofthemassivedebtwe’veinherited-–Iam.Icalledforactionbecausethefailuretodosowouldhavecostmorejobsandcausedmorehardships.Infact，afailuretoactwouldhaveworsenedourlong-termdeficitbyassuringweakeconomicgrowthforyears.That‘swhyIpushedforquickaction.Andtonight，IamgratefulthatthisCongressdelivered，andpleasedtosaythattheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActisnowlaw.Overthenexttwoyears，thisplanwillsaveorcreate3.5millionjobs.Morethan90%ofthesejobswillbeintheprivatesector–jobsrebuildingourroadsandbridges；constructingwindturbinesandsolarpanels；layingbroadbandandexpandingmasstransit.Becauseofthisplan，thereareteacherswhocannowkeeptheirjobsandeducateourkids.Healthcareprofessionalscancontinuecaringforoursick.Thereare57policeofficerswhoarestillonthestreetsofMinneapolistonightbecausethisplanpreventedthelayoffstheirdepartmentwasabouttomake.Becauseofthisplan，95%oftheworkinghouseholdsinAmericawillreceiveataxcut–-ataxcutthatyouwillseeinyourpaychecksbeginningonApril1st.Becauseofthisplan，familieswhoarestrugglingtopaytuitioncostswillreceivea$2，500taxcreditforallfouryearsofcollege.AndAmericanswhohavelosttheirjobsinthisrecessionwillbeabletoreceiveextendedunemploymentbenefitsandcontinuedhealthcarecoveragetohelpthemweatherthisstorm.Iknowtherearesomeinthischamberandwatchingathomewhoareskepticalofwhetherthisplanwillwork.Iunderstandthatskepticism.HereinWashington，we‘veallseenhowquicklygoodintentionscanturnintobrokenpromisesandwastefulspending.Andwithaplanofthisscalecomesenormousresponsibilitytogetitright.ThatiswhyIhaveaskedVicePresidentBidentoleadatough，unprecedentedoversighteffort–becausenobodymesseswithJoe.IhavetoldeachmemberofmyCabinetaswellasmayorsandgovernorsacrossthecountrythattheywillbeheldaccountablebymeandtheAmericanpeopleforeverydollartheyspend.IhaveappointedaprovenandaggressiveInspectorGeneraltoferretoutanyandallcasesofwasteandfraud.AndwehavecreatedanewwebsitecalledsothateveryAmericancanfindouthowandwheretheirmoneyisbeingspent.Sotherecoveryplanwepassedisthefirststepingettingoureconomybackontrack.Butitisjustthefirststep.Becauseevenifwemanagethisplanflawlessly，therewillbenorealrecoveryunlesswecleanupthecreditcrisisthathasseverelyweakenedourfinancialsystem.Iwanttospeakplainlyandcandidlyaboutthisissuetonight，becauseeveryAmericanshouldknowthatitdirectlyaffectsyouandyourfamily‘swell-being.Youshouldalsoknowthatthemoneyyou’vedepositedinbanksacrossthecountryissafe；yourinsuranceissecure；andyoucanrelyonthecontinuedoperationofourfinancialsystem.Thatisnotthesourceofconcern.Theconcernisthatifwedonotre-startlendinginthiscountry，ourrecoverywillbechokedoffbeforeitevenbegins.Yousee，theflowofcreditisthelifebloodofoureconomy.Theabilitytogetaloanishowyoufinancethepurchaseofeverythingfromahometoacartoacollegeeducation；howstoresstocktheirshelves，farmsbuyequipment，andbusinessesmakepayroll.Butcredithasstoppedflowingthewayitshould.Toomanybadloansfromthehousingcrisishavemadetheirwayontothebooksoftoomanybanks.Withsomuchdebtandsolittleconfidence，thesebanksarenowfearfuloflendingoutanymoremoneytohouseholds，tobusinesses，ortoeachother.Whenthereisnolending，familiescan‘taffordtobuyhomesorcars.Sobusinessesareforcedtomakelayoffs.Oureconomysuffersevenmore，andcreditdriesupevenfurther.Thatiswhythisadministrationismovingswiftlyandaggressivelytobreakthisdestructivecycle，restoreconfidence，andre-startlending.Wewilldosoinseveralways.First，wearecreatinganewlendingfundthatrepresentsthelargesteffortevertohelpprovideautoloans，collegeloans，andsmallbusinessloanstotheconsumersandentrepreneurswhokeepthiseconomyrunning.Second，wehavelaunchedahousingplanthatwillhelpresponsiblefamiliesfacingthethreatofforeclosurelowertheirmonthlypaymentsandre-financetheirmortgages.It‘saplanthatwon’thelpspeculatorsorthatneighbordownthestreetwhoboughtahousehecouldneverhopetoafford，butitwillhelpmillionsofAmericanswhoarestrugglingwithdeclininghomevalues-–Americanswhowillnowbeabletotakeadvantageofthelowerinterestratesthatthisplanhasalreadyhelpedbringabout.Infact，theaveragefamilywhore-financestodaycansavenearly$2000peryearontheirmortgage.Third，wewillactwiththefullforceofthefederalgovernmenttoensurethatthemajorbanksthatAmericansdependonhaveenoughconfidenceandenoughmoneytolendeveninmoredifficulttimes.Andwhenwelearnthatamajorbankhasseriousproblems，wewillholdaccountablethoseresponsible，forcethenecessaryadjustments，providethesupporttocleanuptheirbalancesheets，andassurethecontinuityofastrong，viableinstitutionthatcanserveourpeopleandoureconomy.Iunderstandthatonanygivenday，WallStreetmaybemorecomfortedbyanapproachthatgivesbanksbailoutswithnostringsattached，andthatholdsnobodyaccountablefortheirrecklessdecisions.Butsuchanapproachwon‘tsolvetheproblem.Andourgoalistoquickenthedaywhenwere-startlendingtotheAmericanpeopleandAmericanbusinessandendthiscrisisonceandforall.Iintendtoholdthesebanksfullyaccountablefortheassistancetheyreceive，andthistime，theywillhavetoclearlydemonstratehowtaxpayerdollarsresultinmorelendingfortheAmericantaxpayer.Thistime，CEOswon‘tbeabletousetaxpayermoneytopadtheirpaychecksorbuyfancydrapesordisappearonaprivatejet.Thosedaysareover.Still，thisplanwillrequiresignificantresourcesfromthefederalgovernment——andyes，probablymorethanwe＊vealreadysetaside.Butwhilethecostofactionwillbegreat，Icanassureyouthatthecostofinactionwillbefargreater，foritcouldresultinaneconomythatsputtersalongfornotmonthsoryears，butperhapsadecade.Thatwouldbeworseforourdeficit，worseforbusiness，worseforyou，andworseforthenextgeneration.AndIrefusetoletthathappen.IunderstandthatwhenthelastadministrationaskedthisCongresstoprovideassistanceforstrugglingbanks，DemocratsandRepublicansalikewereinfuriatedbythemismanagementandresultsthatfollowed.SoweretheAmericantaxpayers.SowasI.SoIknowhowunpopularitistobeseenashelpingbanksrightnow，especiallywheneveryoneissufferinginpartfromtheirbaddecisions.Ipromiseyou——Igetit.ButIalsoknowthatinatimeofcrisis，wecannotaffordtogovernoutofanger，oryieldtothepoliticsofthemoment.Myjob——ourjob——istosolvetheproblem.Ourjobistogovernwithasenseofresponsibility.IwillnotspendasinglepennyforthepurposeofrewardingasingleWallStreetexecutive，butIwilldowhateverittakestohelpthesmallbusinessthatcan＊tpayitsworkersorthefamilythathassavedandstillcan＊tgetamortgage.That'swhatthisisabout.It'snotabouthelpingbanks--it＊sabouthelpingpeople.Becausewhencreditisavailableagain，thatyoungfamilycanfinallybuyanewhome.Andthensomecompanywillhireworkerstobuildit.Andthenthoseworkerswillhavemoneytospend，andiftheycangetaloantoo，maybethey'llfinallybuythatcar，oropentheirownbusiness.Investorswillreturntothemarket，andAmericanfamilieswillseetheirretirementsecuredoncemore.Slowly，butsurely，confidencewillreturn，andoureconomywillrecover.SoIaskthisCongresstojoinmeindoingwhateverprovesnecessary.Becausewecannotconsignournationtoanopen-endedrecession.Andtoensurethatacrisisofthismagnitudeneverhappensagain，IaskCongresstomovequicklyonlegislationthatwillfinallyreformouroutdatedregulatorysystem.Itistimetoputinplacetough，newcommon-senserulesoftheroadsothatourfinancialmarketrewardsdriveandinnovation，andpunishesshort-cutsandabuse.Therecoveryplanandthefinancialstabilityplanaretheimmediatestepswe‘retakingtoreviveoureconomyintheshort-term.ButtheonlywaytofullyrestoreAmerica’seconomicstrengthistomakethelong-terminvestmentsthatwillleadtonewjobs，newindustries，andarenewedabilitytocompetewiththerestoftheworld.TheonlywaythiscenturywillbeanotherAmericancenturyisifweconfrontatlastthepriceofourdependenceonoilandthehighcostofhealthcare；theschoolsthataren‘tpreparingourchildrenandthemountainofdebttheystandtoinherit.Thatisourresponsibility.Inthenextfewdays，IwillsubmitabudgettoCongress.Sooften，wehavecometoviewthesedocumentsassimplynumbersonapageorlaundrylistsofprograms.Iseethisdocumentdifferently.IseeitasavisionforAmericaasablueprintforourfuture.Mybudgetdoesnotattempttosolveeveryproblemoraddresseveryissue.Itreflectsthestarkrealityofwhatwe‘veinherited–atrilliondollardeficit，afinancialcrisis，andacostlyrecession.Giventheserealities，everyoneinthischamber–-DemocratsandRepublicans–willhavetosacrificesomeworthyprioritiesforwhichtherearenodollars.Andthatincludesme.Butthatdoesnotmeanwecanaffordtoignoreourlong-termchallenges.Irejecttheviewthatsaysourproblemswillsimplytakecareofthemselves；thatsaysgovernmenthasnoroleinlayingthefoundationforourcommonprosperity.Forhistorytellsadifferentstory.Historyremindsusthatateverymomentofeconomicupheavalandtransformation，thisnationhasrespondedwithboldactionandbigideas.Inthemidstofcivilwar，welaidrailroadtracksfromonecoasttoanotherthatspurredcommerceandindustry.FromtheturmoiloftheIndustrialRevolutioncameasystemofpublichighschoolsthatpreparedourcitizensforanewage.Inthewakeofwaranddepression，theGIBillsentagenerationtocollegeandcreatedthelargestmiddle-classinhistory.Andatwilightstruggleforfreedomledtoanationofhighways，anAmericanonthemoon，andanexplosionoftechnologythatstillshapesourworld.Ineachcase，governmentdidn‘tsupplantprivateenterprise；itcatalyzedprivateenterprise.Itcreatedtheconditionsforthousandsofentrepreneursandnewbusinessestoadaptandtothrive.Weareanationthathasseenpromiseamidperil，andclaimedopportunityfromordeal.Nowwemustbethatnationagain.Thatiswhy，evenasitcutsbackontheprogramswedon‘tneed，thebudgetIsubmitwillinvestinthethreeareasthatareabsolutelycriticaltooureconomicfuture：energy，healthcare，andeducation.Itbeginswithenergy.Weknowthecountrythatharnessesthepowerofclean，renewableenergywillleadthe21stcentury.Andyet，itisChinathathaslaunchedthelargesteffortinhistorytomaketheireconomyenergyefficient.Weinventedsolartechnology，butwe‘vefallenbehindcountrieslikeGermanyandJapaninproducingit.Newplug-inhybridsrolloffourassemblylines，buttheywillrunonbatteriesmadeinKorea.WellIdonotacceptafuturewherethejobsandindustriesoftomorrowtakerootbeyondourborders–andIknowyoudon‘teither.ItistimeforAmericatoleadagain.Thankstoourrecoveryplan，wewilldoublethisnation‘ssupplyofrenewableenergyinthenextthreeyears.WehavealsomadethelargestinvestmentinbasicresearchfundinginAmericanhistory-–aninvestmentthatwillspurnotonlynewdiscoveriesinenergy，butbreakthroughsinmedicine，science，andtechnology.Wewillsoonlaydownthousandsofmilesofpowerlinesthatcancarrynewenergytocitiesandtownsacrossthiscountry.AndwewillputAmericanstoworkmakingourhomesandbuildingsmoreefficientsothatwecansavebillionsofdollarsonourenergybills.Buttotrulytransformoureconomy，protectoursecurity，andsaveourplanetfromtheravagesofclimatechange，weneedtoultimatelymakeclean，renewableenergytheprofitablekindofenergy.SoIaskthisCongresstosendmelegislationthatplacesamarket-basedcaponcarbonpollutionanddrivestheproductionofmorerenewableenergyinAmerica.Andtosupportthatinnovation，wewillinvestfifteenbilliondollarsayeartodeveloptechnologieslikewindpowerandsolarpower；advancedbiofuels，cleancoal，andmorefuel-efficientcarsandtrucksbuiltrighthereinAmerica.Asforourautoindustry，everyonerecognizesthatyearsofbaddecision-makingandaglobalrecessionhavepushedourautomakerstothebrink.Weshouldnot，andwillnot，protectthemfromtheirownbadpractices.Butwearecommittedtothegoalofare-tooled，re-imaginedautoindustrythatcancompeteandwin.Millionsofjobsdependonit.Scoresofcommunitiesdependonit.AndIbelievethenationthatinventedtheautomobilecannotwalkawayfromit.Noneofthiswillcomewithoutcost，norwillitbeeasy.ButthisisAmerica.Wedon‘tdowhat’seasy.Wedowhatisnecessarytomovethiscountryforward.Forthatsamereason，wemustalsoaddressthecrushingcostofhealthcare.ThisisacostthatnowcausesabankruptcyinAmericaeverythirtyseconds.Bytheendoftheyear，itcouldcause1.5millionAmericanstolosetheirhomes.Inthelasteightyears，premiumshavegrownfourtimesfasterthanwages.Andineachoftheseyears，onemillionmoreAmericanshavelosttheirhealthinsurance.Itisoneofthemajorreasonswhysmallbusinessesclosetheirdoorsandcorporationsshipjobsoverseas.Andit‘soneofthelargestandfastest-growingpartsofourbudget.Giventhesefacts，wecannolongeraffordtoputhealthcarereformonhold.Already，wehavedonemoretoadvancethecauseofhealthcarereforminthelastthirtydaysthanwehaveinthelastdecade.Whenitwasdaysold，thisCongresspassedalawtoprovideandprotecthealthinsuranceforelevenmillionAmericanchildrenwhoseparentsworkfull-time.Ourrecoveryplanwillinvestinelectronichealthrecordsandnewtechnologythatwillreduceerrors，bringdowncosts，ensureprivacy，andsavelives.ItwilllaunchanewefforttoconqueradiseasethathastouchedthelifeofnearlyeveryAmericanbyseekingacureforcancerinourtime.Anditmakesthelargestinvestmenteverinpreventivecare，becausethatisoneofthebestwaystokeepourpeoplehealthyandourcostsundercontrol.Thisbudgetbuildsonthesereforms.Itincludesanhistoriccommitmenttocomprehensivehealthcarereform–-adown-paymentontheprinciplethatwemusthavequality，affordablehealthcareforeveryAmerican.It‘sacommitmentthat’spaidforinpartbyefficienciesinoursystemthatarelongoverdue.Andit‘sastepwemusttakeifwehopetobringdownourdeficitintheyearstocome.Now，therewillbemanydifferentopinionsandideasabouthowtoachievereform，andthatiswhyI‘mbringingtogetherbusinessesandworkers，doctorsandhealthcareproviders，DemocratsandRepublicanstobeginworkonthisissuenextweek.Isuffernoillusionsthatthiswillbeaneasyprocess.Itwillbehard.ButIalsoknowthatnearlyacenturyafterTeddyRooseveltfirstcalledforreform，thecostofourhealthcarehasweigheddownoureconomyandtheconscienceofournationlongenough.Solettherebenodoubt：healthcarereformcannotwait，itmustnotwait，anditwillnotwaitanotheryear.ThethirdchallengewemustaddressistheurgentneedtoexpandthepromiseofeducationinAmerica.Inaglobaleconomywherethemostvaluableskillyoucansellisyourknowledge，agoodeducationisnolongerjustapathwaytoopportunity–-itisapre-requisite.Rightnow，three-quartersofthefastest-growingoccupationsrequiremorethanahighschooldiploma.Andyet，justoverhalfofourcitizenshavethatlevelofeducation.Wehaveoneofthehighesthighschooldropoutratesofanyindustrializednation.Andhalfofthestudentswhobegincollegeneverfinish.Thisisaprescriptionforeconomicdecline，becauseweknowthecountriesthatout-teachustodaywillout-competeustomorrow.Thatiswhyitwillbethegoalofthisadministrationtoensurethateverychildhasaccesstoacompleteandcompetitiveeducation–fromthedaytheyareborntothedaytheybeginacareer.Already，wehavemadeanhistoricinvestmentineducationthroughtheeconomicrecoveryplan.Wehavedramaticallyexpandedearlychildhoodeducationandwillcontinuetoimproveitsquality，becauseweknowthatthemostformativelearningcomesinthosefirstyearsoflife.Wehavemadecollegeaffordablefornearlysevenmillionmorestudents.Andwehaveprovidedtheresourcesnecessarytopreventpainfulcutsandteacherlayoffsthatwouldsetbackourchildren‘sprogress.Butweknowthatourschoolsdon‘tjustneedmoreresources.Theyneedmorereform.Thatiswhythisbudgetcreatesnewincentivesforteacherperformance；pathwaysforadvancement，andrewardsforsuccess.We’llinvestininnovativeprogramsthatarealreadyhelpingschoolsmeethighstandardsandcloseachievementgaps.Andwewillexpandourcommitmenttocharterschools.Itisourresponsibilityaslawmakersandeducatorstomakethissystemwork.Butitistheresponsibilityofeverycitizentoparticipateinit.Andsotonight，IaskeveryAmericantocommittoatleastoneyearormoreofhighereducationorcareertraining.Thiscanbecommunitycollegeorafour-yearschool；vocationaltrainingoranapprenticeship.Butwhateverthetrainingmaybe，everyAmericanwillneedtogetmorethanahighschooldiploma.Anddroppingoutofhighschoolisnolongeranoption.It‘snotjustquittingonyourself，it’squittingonyourcountry–-andthiscountryneedsandvaluesthetalentsofeveryAmerican.Thatiswhywewillprovidethesupportnecessaryforyoutocompletecollegeandmeetanewgoal：by2020，Americawillonceagainhavethehighestproportionofcollegegraduatesintheworld.Iknowthatthepriceoftuitionishigherthanever，whichiswhyifyouarewillingtovolunteerinyourneighborhoodorgivebacktoyourcommunityorserveyourcountry，wewillmakesurethatyoucanaffordahighereducation.Andtoencouragearenewedspiritofnationalserviceforthisandfuturegenerations，IaskthisCongresstosendmethebipartisanlegislationthatbearsthenameofSenatorOrrinHatchaswellasanAmericanwhohasneverstoppedaskingwhathecandoforhiscountry–SenatorEdwardKennedy.Theseeducationpolicieswillopenthedoorsofopportunityforourchildren.Butitisuptoustoensuretheywalkthroughthem.Intheend，thereisnoprogramorpolicythatcansubstituteforamotherorfatherwhowillattendthoseparent/teacherconferences，orhelpwithhomeworkafterdinner，orturnofftheTV，putawaythevideogames，andreadtotheirchild.IspeaktoyounotjustasaPresident，butasafatherwhenIsaythatresponsibilityforourchildren'seducationmustbeginathome.Thereis，ofcourse，anotherresponsibilitywehavetoourchildren.Andthatistheresponsibilitytoensurethatwedonotpassontothemadebttheycannotpay.Withthedeficitweinherited，thecostofthecrisisweface，andthelong-termchallengeswemustmeet，ithasneverbeenmoreimportanttoensurethatasoureconomyrecovers，wedowhatittakestobringthisdeficitdown.I‘mproudthatwepassedtherecoveryplanfreeofearmarks，andIwanttopassabudgetnextyearthatensuresthateachdollarwespendreflectsonlyourmostimportantnationalpriorities.Yesterday，IheldafiscalsummitwhereIpledgedtocutthedeficitinhalfbytheendofmyfirstterminoffice.Myadministrationhasalsobeguntogolinebylinethroughthefederalbudgetinordertoeliminatewastefulandineffectiveprograms.Asyoucanimagine，thisisaprocessthatwilltakesometime.Butwe‘restartingwiththebiggestlines.Wehavealreadyidentifiedtwotrilliondollarsinsavingsoverthenextdecade.Inthisbudget，wewillendeducationprogramsthatdon‘tworkandenddirectpaymentstolargeagribusinessesthatdon’tneedthem.We‘lleliminatetheno-bidcontractsthathavewastedbillionsinIraq，andreformourdefensebudgetsothatwe’renotpayingforColdWar-eraweaponssystemswedon‘tuse.Wewillrootoutthewaste，fraud，andabuseinourMedicareprogramthatdoesn’tmakeourseniorsanyhealthier，andwewillrestoreasenseoffairnessandbalancetoourtaxcodebyfinallyendingthetaxbreaksforcorporationsthatshipourjobsoverseas.Inordertosaveourchildrenfromafutureofdebt，wewillalsoendthetaxbreaksforthewealthiest2%ofAmericans.Butletmeperfectlyclear，becauseIknowyou‘llhearthesameoldclaimsthatrollingbackthesetaxbreaksmeansamassivetaxincreaseontheAmericanpeople：ifyourfamilyearnslessthan$250，000ayear，youwillnotseeyourtaxesincreasedasingledime.Irepeat：notonesingledime.Infact，therecoveryplanprovidesataxcut–that’sright，ataxcut–for95%ofworkingfamilies.Andthesechecksareontheway.Topreserveourlong-termfiscalhealth，wemustalsoaddressthegrowingcostsinMedicareandSocialSecurity.ComprehensivehealthcarereformisthebestwaytostrengthenMedicareforyearstocome.AndwemustalsobeginaconversationonhowtodothesameforSocialSecurity，whilecreatingtax-freeuniversalsavingsaccountsforallAmericans.Finally，becausewe‘realsosufferingfromadeficitoftrust，Iamcommittedtorestoringasenseofhonestyandaccountabilitytoourbudget.Thatiswhythisbudgetlooksaheadtenyearsandaccountsforspendingthatwasleftoutundertheoldrules–andforthefirsttime，thatincludesthefullcostoffightinginIraqandAfghanistan.Forsevenyears，wehavebeenanationatwar.Nolongerwillwehideitsprice.Wearenowcarefullyreviewingourpoliciesinbothwars，andIwillsoonannounceawayforwardinIraqthatleavesIraqt