On January 20, President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.
The president began his remarks by focusing on the economy. He highlighted the need for child care, saying, “During World War II, when men like my grandfather went off to war, having women like my grandmother in the workforce was a national security priority – so this country provided universal child care.” He continued, “In today’s economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, we need affordable, high-quality child care more than ever. It’s not a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have. It’s time we stop treating child care as a side issue, or a women’s issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us. And that’s why my plan will make quality child care more available, and more affordable, for every middle-class and low-income family with young children in America – by creating more slots and a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, per year.”
President Obama also expressed strong support for paid sick and family leave, saying, “Today, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave…[t]hat forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home. So, I’ll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. And since paid sick leave won where it was on the ballot last November, let’s put it to a vote right here in Washington.”
The president noted, “Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That’s why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work…We still need to make sure employees get the overtime they’ve earned. And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest working people in America a raise.”
In closing, President Obama called for “a better politics,” where “we appeal to each other’s basic decency instead of our basest fears…If we’re going to have arguments, let’s have arguments – but let’s make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country.” He added, “We still may not agree on a woman’s right to choose, but surely we can agree it’s a good thing that teen pregnancies and abortion are nearing all-time lows, and that every woman should have access to the health care she needs.”
To access the full transcript of the president’s State of the Union address, click here.
