State of the Union Addresses of Barack Obama, 2009-2016Obama, Barack
General
State of the Union Addresses of Barack Obama, 2009-2016
Obama, Barack
Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
And we have to make college affordable for every American. No hard-
working student should be stuck in the red. We've already reduced
student loan payments by--to 10 percent of a borrower's income. And
that's good. But now we've actually got to cut the cost of college.
Providing 2 years of community college at no cost for every responsible
student is one of the best ways to do that, and I'm going to keep
fighting to get that started this year. It's the right thing to do.
But a great education isn't all we need in this new economy. We also
need benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security.
It's not too much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in
America who are going to work the same job, in the same place, with a
health and retirement package for 30 years are sitting in this Chamber.
[Laughter] For everyone else, especially folks in their forties and
fifties, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has
gotten a lot tougher. Americans understand that at some point in their
careers, in this new economy, they may have to retool, they may have to
retrain. But they shouldn't lose what they've already worked so hard to
build in the process.
That's why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever.
We shouldn't weaken them, we should strengthen them. And for Americans
short of retirement, basic benefits should be just as mobile as
everything else is today. That, by the way, is what the Affordable Care
Act is all about. It's about filling the gaps in employer-based care so
that when you lose a job or you go back to school or you strike out and
launch that new business, you'll still have coverage. Nearly 18 million
people have gained coverage so far. And in the process, health care
inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single
month since it became law.
Now, I'm guessing we won't agree on health care anytime soon, but--
[laughter]--a little applause back there. [Laughter] Just a guess. But
there should be other ways parties can work together to improve
economic security. Say a hard-working American loses his job. We
shouldn't just make sure that he can get unemployment insurance, we
should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business
that's ready to hire him. If that new job doesn't pay as much, there
should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay
his bills. And even if he's going from job to job, he should still be
able to save for retirement and take his savings with him. That's the
way we make the new economy work better for everybody.
I also know Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling
poverty. America is about giving everybody willing to work a chance, a
hand up. And I'd welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can
all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers who don't
have children.
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