OBAMA SPEECH TO JOIN HOUSE

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President Obama: Thank you very much.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress,
and the first lady of the United States, who's around here
somewhere.

I have come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to
speak frankly and directly to the men and women Who sent us here. I know that for many Americans watching right now, the
state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others, and rightly so. If you haven't been
personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has: a friend, a neighbor, a member of your
family.You don't need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every
day. It's the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It's the job you thought
you'd retire from but now have lost, the business you built your dreams upon that's now hanging by a
thread, the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope.

The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere.

But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence
shaken, though we are living through difficult and
uncertain times, tonight I want every American to

know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the
United States of America will emerge stronger than before.

The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny
of this nation. The answers to our problems don't lie
beyond our reach. They exist in our

laboratories and our universities, in our fields and our
factories, in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and
the pride of the hardest-working people on

Earth.

Those qualities that have made America the greatest force
of progress and prosperity in human history we still
possess in ample measure. What is required now

is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the
challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future
once more.

Now, if we're honest with ourselves, we'll admit that for
too long we have not always met these responsibilities, as
a government or as a people. I say this

not to lay blame or to look backwards, but because it is
only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that
we'll be able to lift ourselves out of this

predicament.

The fact is, our economy did not fall into decline
overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the
housing market collapsed or the stock market sank.

We have known for decades that our survival depends on
finding new sources of energy, yet we import more oil
today than ever before.

The cost of health care eats up more and more of our
savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform.

Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy
that too many of our schools do not prepare them for.

And though all of these challenges went unsolved, we still
managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as
individuals and through our government,

than ever before.

In other words, we have lived through an era where too
often short-term gains were prized over long-term
prosperity, where we failed to look beyond the next

payment, the next quarter, or the next election.

A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the
wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future.
Regulations...

Regulations -- regulations were gutted for the sake of a
quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People
bought homes they knew they couldn't afford

from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway.
And all the while, critical debates and difficult
decisions were put off for some other time on

some other day.

Well, that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to
take charge of our future is here.

Now is the time to act boldly and wisely, to not only
revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for
lasting prosperity.

Now is the time to jump-start job creation, re-start
lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and
education that will grow our economy, even as

we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is
what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that is
what I'd like to talk to you about tonight.

It's an agenda that begins with jobs. As soon...

As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me
a recovery plan by Presidents Day that would put people
back to work and put money in their

pockets, not because I believe in bigger government -- I
don't -- not because I'm not mindful of the massive debt
we've inherited -- I am.

I called for action because the failure to do so would
have cost more jobs and caused more hardships. In fact, a
failure to act would have worsened our long

-term deficit by assuring weak economic growth for years.
And that's why I pushed for quick action.

And tonight I am grateful that this Congress delivered and
pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act is now law.

Over -- over the next two years, this plan will save or
create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90 percent of these
jobs will be in the private sector, jobs

rebuilding our roads and bridges, constructing wind
turbines and solar panels, laying broadband and expanding
mass transit.

Because of this plan, there are teachers who can now keep
their jobs and educate our kids. Health care professionals
can continue caring for our sick. There

are 57 police officers who are still on the streets of
Minneapolis, [Minnesota] tonight because this plan
prevented the layoffs their department was about to

make.

Because of this plan, 95 percent of working households in
America will receive a tax cut, a tax cut that you will
see in your paychecks beginning on April 1.

Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay
tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all
four years of college.

And Americans -- and Americans who have lost their jobs in
this recession will be able to receive extended
unemployment benefits and continued health care

coverage to help them weather this storm. Now I know there
are some in this chamber and watching at home who are
skeptical of whether this plan will work,

and I understand that skepticism.

Here in Washington, we've all seen how quickly good
intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful
spending. And with a plan of this scale comes

enormous responsibility to get it right.

And that's why I've asked Vice President Biden to lead a
tough, unprecedented oversight effort, because nobody
messes with Joe.

I have told each of my Cabinet, as well as mayors and
governors across the country, that they will be held
accountable by me and the American people for

every dollar they spend.

I've appointed a proven and aggressive inspector general
to ferret out any and all cases of waste and fraud.

And we have created a new Web site called recovery.gov so
that every American can find out how and where their money
is being spent.

So, the recovery plan we passed is the first step in
getting our economy back on track, but it is just the
first step, because even if we manage this plan

flawlessly, there will be no real recovery unless we clean
up the credit crisis that has severely weakened our
financial system.

I want to speak plainly and candidly about this issue
tonight, because every American should know that it
directly affects you and your family's well-being.

You should also know that the money you've deposited in
banks across the country is safe, your insurance is
secure. You can rely on the continued operation

of our financial system; that's not the source of concern.

The concern is that, if we do not re-start lending in this
country, our recovery will be choked off before it even
begins. You see, the flow of credit is the

lifeblood of our economy. The ability to get a loan is how
you finance the purchase of everything from a home to a
car to a college education, how stores

stock their shelves, farms buy equipment, and businesses
make payroll.

But credit has stopped flowing the way it should. Too many
bad loans from the housing crisis have made their way onto
the books of too many banks. And with

so much debt and so little confidence, these banks are now
fearful of lending out any more money to households, to
businesses, or even to each other.

When there's no lending, families can't afford to buy
homes or cars, so businesses are forced to make layoffs.
Our economy suffers even more, and credit

dries up even further.

That is why this administration is moving swiftly and
aggressively to break this destructive cycle, to restore
confidence, and restart lending.

And we will do so in several ways. First, we are creating
a new lending fund that represents the largest effort ever
to help provide auto loans, college

loans, and small-business loans to the consumers and
entrepreneurs who keep this economy running.

Second -- second, we have launched a housing plan that
will help responsible families facing the threat of
foreclosure lower their monthly payments and

refinance their mortgages.

It's a plan that won't help speculators or that neighbor
down the street who bought a house he could never hope to
afford, but it will help millions of

Americans who are struggling with declining home values,
Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the
lower interest rates that this plan has

already helped to bring about. In fact, the average family
who refinances today can save nearly $2,000 per year on
their mortgage.

Third, we will act with the full force of the federal
government to ensure that the major banks that Americans
depend on have enough confidence and enough

money to lend even in more difficult times. And when we
learn that a major bank has serious problems, we will hold
accountable those responsible, force the

necessary adjustments, provide the support to clean up
their balance sheets, and assure the continuity of a
strong, viable institution that can serve our

people and our economy.

Now, I understand that, on any given day, Wall Street may
be more comforted by an approach that gives bank bailouts
with no strings attached and that holds

nobody accountable for their reckless decisions, but such
an approach won't solve the problem.

And our goal is to quicken the day when we restart lending
to the American people and American business and end this
crisis once and for all. And I intend to

hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they
receive, and this time they will have to clearly
demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more

lending for the American taxpayer.

This time -- this time, CEOs won't be able to use taxpayer
money to pad their paychecks, or buy fancy drapes, or
disappear on a private jet. Those days are

over.

Still, this plan will require significant resources from
the federal government and, yes, probably more than we've
already set aside. But while the cost of

action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of
inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an
economy that sputters along for not months or

years, but perhaps a decade.

That would be worse for our deficit, worse for business,
worse for you, and worse for the next generation. And I
refuse to let that happen.

Now, I understand that when the last administration asked
this Congress to provide assistance for struggling banks,
Democrats and Republicans alike were

infuriated by the mismanagement and the results that
followed. So were the American taxpayers; so was I.

So I know how unpopular it is to be seen as helping banks
right now, especially when everyone is suffering in part
from their bad decisions. I promise you: I

get it.

But I also know that, in a time of crisis, we cannot
afford to govern out of anger or yield to the politics of
the moment.

My job -- our job -- is to solve the problem. Our job is
to govern with a sense of responsibility.

I will not send -- I will not spend a single penny for the
purpose of rewarding a single Wall Street executive, but I
will do whatever it takes to help the

small business that can't pay its workers or the family
that has saved and still can't get a mortgage.

That's what this is about. It's not about helping banks;
it's about helping people.

It's not about helping banks; it's about helping people.
Because when credit is available again, that young family
can finally buy a new home. And then some

company will hire workers to build it. And then those
workers will have money to spend. And if they can get a
loan, too, maybe they'll finally buy that car

or open their own business.

Investors will return to the market, and American families
will see their retirement secured once more. Slowly, but
surely, confidence will return, and our

economy will recover.

So -- so I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever
proves necessary, because we cannot consign our nation to
an open-ended recession. And to ensure

that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again, I ask
Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally
reform our outdated regulatory system.

It is time. It is time.

It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules
of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and
innovation and punishes shortcuts and

abuse.

The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the
immediate steps we're taking to revive our economy in the
short term, but the only way to fully

restore America's economic strength is to make the long-
term investments that will lead to new jobs, new
industries, and a renewed ability to compete with

the rest of the world.

The only way this century will be another American century
is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on
oil and the high cost of health care, the

schools that aren't preparing our children and the
mountain of debt they stand to inherit. That is our
responsibility.

In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress.
So often, we've come to view these documents as simply
numbers on a page or a laundry list of

programs.

I see this document differently. I see it as a vision for
America, as a blueprint for our future.

My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or
address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what
we've inherited: a trillion-dollar deficit, a

financial crisis, and a costly recession.

Given these realities, everyone in this chamber --
Democrats and Republicans -- will have to sacrifice some
worthy priorities for which there are no dollars,

and that includes me.

But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-
term challenges.

I reject the view that says our problems will simply take
care of themselves, that says government has no role in
laying the foundation for our common

prosperity, for history tells a different story.

History reminds us that, at every moment of economic
upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded
with bold action and big ideas.

In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from
one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry.

From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a
system of public high schools that prepared our citizens
for a new age.

In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a
generation to college and created the largest middle-class
in history.

And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of
highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of
technology that still shapes our world.

In each case, government didn't supplant private
enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created
the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and

new businesses to adapt and to thrive.

We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril and
claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that
nation again.

That is why, even as it cuts back on programs we don't
need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas
that are absolutely critical to our economic

future: energy, health care, and education.

It begins with energy.

We know the country that harnesses the power of clean,
renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet it is
China that has launched the largest effort

in history to make their economy energy efficient. We
invented solar technology, but we've fallen behind
countries like Germany and Japan in producing it.

New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they
will run on batteries made in Korea.

Well, I do not accept a future where the jobs and
industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders, and I
know you don't, either. It is time for America

to lead again.

Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation's
supply of renewable energy in the next three years. We've
also made the largest investment in basic

research funding in American history, an investment that
will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but
breakthroughs in medicine, in science and

technology.

We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines
that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this
country. And we will put Americans to work

making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we
can save billions of dollars on our energy bills.

But to truly transform our economy, to protect our
security and save our planet from the ravages of climate
change, we need to ultimately make clean,

renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.

So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places
a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the
production of more renewable energy in

America. That's what we need.

And to support -- to support that innovation, we will
invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like
wind power and solar power, advanced biofuels,

clean coal, and more efficient cars and trucks built right
here in America.

Speaking of our auto industry, everyone recognizes that
years of bad decision-making and a global recession have
pushed our automakers to the brink. We

should not and will not protect them from their own bad
practices.

But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-
imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions
of jobs depend on it; scores of communities

depend on it; and I believe the nation that invented the
automobile cannot walk away from it.

Now, none of this will come without cost, nor will it be
easy. But this is America. We don't do what's easy. We do
what's necessary to move this country

forward.

And for that same reason, we must also address the
crushing cost of health care.

This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America
every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause
1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. In

the last eight years, premiums have grown four times
faster than wages. And in each of these years, 1 million
more Americans have lost their health

insurance.

It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close
their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas. And it is
one of the largest and fastest-growing

parts of our budget.

Given these facts, we can no longer afford to put health
care reform on hold. We can't afford to do it.

It's time.

Already, we've done more to advance the cause of health
care reform in the last 30 days than we've done in the
last decade. When it was days old, this

Congress passed a law to provide and protect health
insurance for 11 million American children whose parents
work full-time.

Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records
and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down
costs, ensure privacy, and save lives.

It will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has
touched the life of nearly every American, including me,
by seeking a cure for cancer in our time.

And -- and it makes the largest investment ever in
preventive care, because that's one of the best ways to
keep our people healthy and our costs under

control.

This budget builds on these reforms. It includes a
historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform, a
down payment on the principle that we must have

quality, affordable health care for every American. It's a
commitment

It's a commitment that's paid for in part by efficiencies
in our system that are long overdue, and it's a step we
must take if we hope to bring down our

deficit in the years to come.

Now, there will be many different opinions and ideas about
how to achieve reform. That's why I'm bringing together
businesses and workers, doctors and health

care providers, Democrats and Republicans to begin work on
this issue next week.

I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process.
Once again, it will be hard. But I also know that nearly a
century after Teddy Roosevelt first

called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed
down our economy and our conscience long enough.

So let there be no doubt: Health care reform cannot wait,
it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.

The third challenge we must address is the urgent need to
expand the promise of education in America.

In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can
sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just
a pathway to opportunity. It is a

prerequisite.

Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing
occupations require more than a high school diploma, and
yet just over half of our citizens have that level

of education. We have one of the highest high school
dropout rates of any industrialized nation, and half of
the students who begin college never finish.

This is a prescription for economic decline, because we
know the countries that out-teach us today will out-
compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the

goal of this administration to ensure that every child has
access to a complete and competitive education, from the
day they are born to the day they begin a

career. That is a promise we have to make to the children
of America.

Already, we've made a historic investment in education
through the economic recovery plan. We've dramatically
expanded early childhood education and will

continue to improve its quality, because we know that the
most formative learning comes in those first years of life.

We've made college affordable for nearly 7 million more
students, 7 million. And we have provided the resources
necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher

layoffs that would set back our children's progress.

But we know that our schools don't just need more
resources; they need more reform. And that is why...

That is why this budget creates new teachers -- new
incentives for teacher performance, pathways for
advancement, and rewards for success. We'll invest --

we'll invest in innovative programs that are already
helping schools meet high standards and close achievement
gaps. And we will expand our commitment to

charter schools.

It is...It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as
educators to make this system work, but it is the
responsibility of every citizen to participate in it.

So tonight I ask every American to commit to at least one
year or more of higher education or career training. This
can be a community college or a four-year

school, vocational training or an apprenticeship. But
whatever the training may be, every American will need to
get more than a high school diploma.

And dropping out of high school is no longer an option.
It's not just quitting on yourself; it's quitting on your
country. And this country needs and values

the talents of every American.

That's why -- that's why we will support -- we will
provide the support necessary for all young Americans to
complete college and meet a new goal: By 2020,

America will once again have the highest proportion of
college graduates in the world. That is a goal we can meet.

That's a goal we can meet.

Now -- now, I know that the price of tuition is higher
than ever, which is why, if you are willing to volunteer
in your neighborhood or give back to your

community or serve your country, we will make sure that
you can afford a higher education.

And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for
this and future generations, I ask Congress to send me the
bipartisan legislation that bears the

name of Sen. Orrin Hatch, as well as an American who has
never stopped asking what he can do for his country, Sen.
Edward Kennedy.

These education policies will open the doors of
opportunity for our children, but it is up to us to ensure
they walk through them.

In the end, there is no program or policy that can
substitute for a parent, for a mother or father who will
attend those parent-teacher conferences, or help

with homework, or turn off the TV, put away the video
games, read to their child.

I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father,
when I say that responsibility for our children's
education must begin at home. That is not a

Democratic issue or a Republican issue. That's an American
issue.

And there is, of course, another responsibility we have to
our children, and that's the responsibility to ensure that
we do not pass on to them a debt they

cannot pay. That is critical.

I agree, absolutely.

See, I know we can get some consensus in here.

With the deficit we inherited, the cost of the crisis we
face, and the long-term challenges we must meet, it has
never been more important to ensure that, as

our economy recovers, we do what it takes to bring this
deficit down. That is critical.

Now, I'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of
earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that
ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only

our most important national priorities.

And yesterday, I -- I held a fiscal summit where I pledged
to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in
office. My administration has also begun

to go line by line through the federal budget in order to
eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs.

As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some
time, but we have already identified $2 trillion in
savings over the next decade.

In this budget, we will end education programs that don't
work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that
don't need them.

We'll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted
billions in Iraq and -- and reform our defense budget so
that we're not paying for Cold War-era weapons

systems we don't use.

We will root out -- we will root out the waste and fraud
and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn't make our
seniors any healthier. We will restore a

sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally
ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs
overseas.

In order to save our children from a future of debt, we
will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent
of Americans.

Now, let me be clear. Let me be absolutely clear, because
I know you'll end up hearing some of the same claims that
rolling back these tax breaks means a

massive tax increase on the American people. If your
family earns less than $250,000 a year, a quarter-million
dollars a year, you will not see your taxes

increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime.

In fact -- not a dime.

In fact -- in fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut --
that's right, a tax cut -- for 95 percent of working
families. And, by the way, these checks are

on the way.

Now, to preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also
address the growing cost in Medicare and Social Security.
Comprehensive health care reform is the

best way to strengthen Medicare for years to come, and we
must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for
Social Security, while creating tax-free

universal savings accounts for all Americans.

Finally, because we're also suffering from a deficit of
trust, I am committed to restoring a sense of honesty and
accountability to our budget. That is why

this budget looks ahead 10 years and accounts for spending
that was left out under the old rules and, for the first
time, that includes the full cost of

fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For seven years, we've been a nation at war. No longer
will we hide its price.

Along with our outstanding national security team, I am
now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I
will soon announce a way forward in Iraq

that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this
war.

And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and
comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to
defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism, because

I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American
people from safe havens halfway around the world. We will
not allow it.

As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform
stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To
each and every one of them, and to the families

who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are
united in sending one message: We honor your service; we
are inspired by your sacrifice; and you

have our unyielding support.

To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases
the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our
sacred trust with those who serve, we will

raise their pay and give our veterans the expanded health
care and benefits that they have earned.

To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in
upholding the values our troops defend, because there is
no force in the world more powerful than the

example of America. And that is why I have ordered the
closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and will
seek swift and certain justice for captured

terrorists, because living our values doesn't make us
weaker. It makes us safer, and it makes us stronger.

And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without
exception or equivocation that the United States of
America does not torture. We can make that

commitment here tonight.

In words and deeds, we are showing the world that a new
era of engagement has begun, for we know that America
cannot meet the threats of this century alone,

but the world cannot meet them without America.

We cannot shun the negotiating table nor ignore the foes
or forces that could do us harm. We are instead called to
move forward with the sense of confidence

and candor that serious times demand.

To seek progress towards a secure and lasting peace
between Israel and her neighbors, we have appointed an
envoy to sustain our effort. To meet the

challenges of the 21st century -- from terrorism to
nuclear proliferation, from pandemic disease to cyber
threats to crushing poverty -- we will strengthen

old alliances, forge new ones, and use all elements of our
national power.

And to respond to an economic crisis that is global in
scope, we are working with the nations of the G-20 to
restore confidence in our financial system,

avoid the possibility of escalating protectionism, and
spur demand for American goods in markets across the
globe, for the world depends on us having a

strong economy, just as our economy depends on the
strength of the world's.

As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all
people in all nations are once again upon us, watching to
see what we do with this moment, waiting

for us to lead.

Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to
govern in extraordinary times. It is a tremendous burden,
but also a great privilege, one that has been

entrusted to few generations of Americans, for in our
hands lies the ability to shape our world, for good or for
ill.

I know that it's easy to lose sight of this truth, to
become cynical and doubtful, consumed with the petty and
the trivial.

But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in
unlikely places, that inspiration often comes not from
those with the most power or celebrity, but

from the dreams and aspirations of ordinary Americans who
are anything but ordinary.

I think of Leonard Abess, a bank president from Miami who
reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million
bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people

who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for
him. He didn't tell anyone, but when the local newspaper
found out, he simply said, "I knew some of

these people since I was 7 years old. I didn't feel right
getting the money myself."

I think about -- I think about Greensburg -- Greensburg,
Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado,
but is being rebuilt by its residents as

a global example of how clean energy can power an entire
community, how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place
where piles of bricks and rubble once

lay.

"The tragedy was terrible," said one of the men who helped
them rebuild. "But the folks here know that it also
provided an incredible opportunity."

I think about Ty'Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that
school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina, a place where
the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the

walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day
because the train barrels by their classroom.

She had been told that her school is hopeless. But the
other day after class, she went to the public library and
typed up a letter to the people sitting in

this chamber. She even asked her principal for the money
to buy a stamp.

The letter asks us for help and says, "We are just
students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen
like yourself, and one day president, so we can

make a change to not just the state of South Carolina, but
also the world. We are not quitters."

That's what she said: "We are not quitters."

These words and these stories tell us something about the
spirit of the people who sent us here. They tell us that,
even in the most trying times, amid the

most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a
resilience, a decency, and a determination that
perseveres, a willingness to take responsibility for

our future and for posterity.

Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must
be our cause. And we must show them and all our people
that we are equal to the task before us.

I know that we haven't agreed on every issue thus far.

There are surely times in the future where we will part
ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting
here tonight loves this country and wants it

to succeed.

I know that.

That must be the starting point for every debate we have
in the coming months and where we return after those
debates are done. That is the foundation on

which the American people expect us to build common ground.

And if we do, if we come together and lift this nation
from the depths of this crisis, if we put our people back
to work and restart the engine of our

prosperity, if we confront without fear the challenges of
our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America
that does not quit, then some day, years

from now, our children can tell their children that this
was the time when we performed, in the words that are
carved into this very chamber, "something

worthy to be remembered."

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United
States of America. Thank you