Remarks by the President on the Economy -- McLean, VA

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
McLean, Virginia

11:50 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Everybody have a seat, have a seat, have a seat.  Good afternoon.  Thank you, Secretary Foxx, for that introduction. 

I just got a tour of a lab where automakers and government researchers team up to create new technologies that help cars communicate with the world around them and with each other.  They can tell you if an oncoming vehicle is about to run a red light, or if a car is coming around a blind corner, or if a detour would help you save time and gas.  And I got to test all this in a simulator.  It was sort of like Knight Rider.  (Laughter.)  I have to say, though, it was a little disorienting -- I haven't driven in about six years.  And I'm going down the highway and I think I had a little bit of a lead foot -- I was starting to hit 90.  (Laughter.)  And then like right next to me, the press pool is standing there, and they’re kind of traveling with me at 90 miles an hour, and it got me a little queasy.  (Laughter.)  But I've recovered.

Now, as the father of a daughter who just turned 16, any new technology that makes driving safer is important to me.  And new technology that makes driving smarter is good for the economy.  One study shows that Americans spend 5.5 billion hours stuck in traffic each year, which costs us $120 billion in wasted time and gas -- that's 800 bucks per commuter.  Then you’ve got outdated roads and bridges that mean businesses pay an extra $27 billion in freight costs, which are then passed on to consumers.  So, all told, transportation eats up more of the typical family’s household budget than anything except the rent or a mortgage -- which means that the cutting-edge research that all of you are doing here helps save lives and save money, and leads to new jobs and new technologies and new industries.  And that’s why America has to invest more in the kind of job-creating research and development that you’re doing right here at the Highway Research Center.  (Applause.)  

I’m also here today to talk about why America has got to invest more in rebuilding the infrastructure that these cars will drive on -- because it will create better jobs and better position America for the future.

We know that in a 21st century economy businesses will set up shop wherever they find the best roads and bridges, and the fastest rail and Internet, the smartest airports, the smartest power grids.  First-class infrastructure attracts first-class jobs.  And right now, our investments in transportation are lagging the rest of the world. 

If Washington were working the way it’s supposed to, Congress would be fixing that.  We’d be investing in the things that help America bring more good jobs to our shores.  Instead, here’s what’s going on in Washington.  There’s something called the Highway Trust Fund -- I suspect this crew is familiar with it.  It helps states support transportation projects.  If Congress fails to fund it, it runs out of money.  That could put nearly 700,000 jobs at risk, including more than 17,000 right here in Virginia.  More than 100,000 active projects across the country -- projects where workers as we speak are paving roads and rebuilding bridges and modernizing our transit systems -- those projects would be slowed or stopped.  And some states have already had to put some projects on hold because they don’t trust Congress to get its act together.  So remember that the next time you see a job site sitting idle. 

Now, the good news is there are bipartisan bills in both the House and the Senate that would help with a short-term fix.  And I support that.  At the very least, Congress should be keeping people on the job who are already there right now.  But all this does is set us up for the same crisis a few months from now. 

So Congress shouldn’t pat itself on the back for averting disaster for a few months, kicking the can down the road for a few months, careening from crisis to crisis when it comes to something as basic as our infrastructure.  Instead of barely paying our bills in the present, we should be investing in the future.  We should have a plan for how we’re going to make sure that our roads, our bridges, our airports, our power grid, our water systems -- how all those things are going to be funded, and do it in a responsible way so that people can start planning.  That also means we can save more money -- because we’re not doing it in stopgap measures.

So that’s why earlier this year I put forward a plan to rebuild our transportation infrastructure in a more responsible way.  It would support millions of jobs.  It would give cities and states, and private investors the certainty they need to plan ahead and hire more workers.  It would help small businesses ship their goods faster.  It would help parents get home to their kids faster.  It would mean less wear and tear on your car.  It would mean less money on gas.  It would save people money.  It would support cutting-edge research like the work that you’re doing here, which could end up cutting back on the number of traffic fatalities. 

And my plan would not add to what is already a rapidly shrinking deficit.  We’ve cut our deficit, by the way, by more than half since I came into office.  (Applause.)  And we wouldn’t be adding to the deficit, because we’d pay for this transportation project in part by closing tax loopholes for companies that ship jobs overseas and avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

So far, House Republicans have refused to act on this idea  -- and they haven’t presented their own idea.  And I think that’s wrong.  We shouldn’t be protecting tax loopholes for a few companies that shift massive profits overseas; we should be creating jobs rebuilding the roads and bridges that help every business right here in the United States.  That is a question of priorities.  And what I keep hearing from folks all across the country is that if Congress would just shift its priorities a little closer to working Americans’ priorities, we could help a lot of families right now. 

This is not an abstract issue.  And it shouldn’t be even a partisan issue.  Republicans, Democrats, independents -- everybody uses our roads.  After this last winter, you got potholes everywhere wrecking your car.  I mean, how many people here have had the experience of you’re driving along and suddenly your car is wrecked?  And you pay for that out of pocket.  When you are in traffic congestion -- because of poor planning and bad infrastructure -- when you could be at home reading to your kid or catching their ballgame, that's a cost to you.  Everybody cares about that.  It doesn't matter what your political persuasion is.

After the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, our businesses have created nearly 10 million new jobs over the past 52 months.  The unemployment rate is at its lowest point since September of 2008.  We’ve made huge strides in energy independence.  For the first time in more than a decade, business leaders around the world are saying the best place to invest isn’t China, the best place to invest is the United States of America.  But you’ve still got a lot of middle-class families all across the country who are working harder than ever just to get ahead.  They need a break.  They need some help.  And having better roads and less delays -- that helps.

And meanwhile, Republicans in Congress keep blocking or voting down some of the ideas that would have the biggest impact on middle-class and working families.  Not just creating more new construction jobs -- they’ve said no to raising the minimum wage, to equal pay, to fixing our broken immigration system.

Now, I want to work with everybody -- Republicans and Democrats -- to move this country forward.  But I can't just stand by while politics threatens all the hard work of millions of Americans because we’ve just got gridlock in Washington.  So what I’ve tried to do is take a range of actions this year to help working Americans with my own legal authorities -- from speeding up big infrastructure projects to raising wages.  I’m waiting for Congress to act, but in the meantime I’ve got to go ahead and do what I can do.

And in response, their plan so far has not been to join me and say, all right, Mr. President, you’re right, we do need to rebuild our roads; we do need to spruce up our airports.  Instead their big idea has been to sue me.  That’s what they’re spending time on -- a political stunt that wastes America’s time and taxpayer dollars. 

Keep in mind it’s your money that they're going to be spending on these ridiculous pursuits instead of just getting some work done.  And I’m not interested in playing political games.  I’m interested in making sure the economy grows and we’re creating more jobs, and we’re helping more middle-class families get ahead.

We need to invest in America’s infrastructure.  You guys are helping to show us how to do it in a really smart way.  We need to invest in American innovation and research and development.  We need to invest in American manufacturing.  We should be training more of our workers for new and better jobs.  We should be preparing every child for a world-class education.  We should be making sure that hard work pays off with higher wages, and greater workplace flexibility, and health care and child care.  All these things would make a difference in people’s day-to-today lives.

And the point is we could do so much more if we just rallied around a sense of economic patriotism that says, you know what, the parties compete, but every once in a while, we got to actually do some work, instead of worrying about elections, or trying to score points on cable TV.  And we can start by investing in our country.

Because historically -- it was Eisenhower who built the Interstate Highway System, working with Democrats and Republicans.  This isn’t a partisan issue.  And when we treat some basic investments as something that we do as Americans, when we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, things work and nobody can beat us.  And that’s the spirit that all of you show here.  That’s what I’m going to keep on fighting for every single day. 

So I’m proud of you.  I want you to keep on doing what you’re doing.  We’re going to try to make sure Congress actually does as good of a job at what they’re supposed to be doing as you guys are doing on yours.  If we do, then you’re going to have some parents who are getting home a little earlier.  You’re going to have folks who aren’t going to have to go to the body shop quite as often.  You’re going to be seeing millions of people across the country saving money at the pump.  We’re going to see airline delays reduced, so when you plan that Thanksgiving trip, you’re not spending the whole time in the airport.  All that can make a huge difference.

But the American people have to demand that folks in Washington do their job.  Do something:  That’s my big motto for Congress right now.  Just do something.  And if they don’t like the transportation plan that I put forward, at least come up with your own plan.  And then we can compromise.  But don’t just sit there and do nothing.  We don’t have time.  America is on the move. 

And part of it’s on the move, thanks to all of you.  I really appreciate it.  God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)

END
12:04 P.M. EDT

Weekly Address: Expanding Opportunity – It’s Time for Congressional Republicans to Do Their Part

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President recapped his visits with folks who have written him letters about their own American stories -- their successes and struggles. While Congressional Republicans are blocking meaningful measures that would strengthen the middle class, the President continues looking for ways to grow the economy and expand opportunity for more hardworking Americans. The President again urged Congress to join him, as they were elected to do, in working on behalf of everyday Americans – including those the President spent time with this week – by investing in our infrastructure to support American jobs, and ensuring that the Highway Trust Fund does not expire.   

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, July 12, 2014.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
July 12, 2014

Hi, everybody.  This week, I spent some time in Colorado and Texas, talking with people about what’s going on in their lives. 

One of them was Elizabeth Cooper, who’ll be a college junior this fall.  She wrote to tell me something I hear often: how hard it is for middle-class families like hers to afford college.  And she shared something I know many of you feel when you wonder what’s going on in Washington.  She said she feels “not significant enough to be addressed, not poor enough for people to worry [about], and not rich enough to be cared about.”

I ran for President to fight for Americans just like Elizabeth – people who work hard, do everything right, and just want a chance to build a decent life for themselves and their families.

And after the worst economic crisis in generations, our businesses have now created nearly 10 million new jobs over the past 52 months.  The unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest point since 2008.  By almost every measure, our economy is better off than it was five years ago.

But while we’ve created more jobs at this point of the year than any year since 1999, too many families barely earn what they did in 1999.  It’s harder to pay for college, save, or retire, because people’s wages and incomes have not gone up.  Nearly all the gains of the recovery are going to the very top – and aren’t making a difference in your lives. 

And I believe America does better when the middle class does better.  And I’ve laid out an opportunity agenda to create jobs, train workers, educate our kids, and make sure hard work actually pays off.

These are the things we should be doing to grow the middle class and help folks work their way into the middle class.  And it’s pretty uncontroversial stuff. I hope we can work together on it.  And I’m always willing to compromise if folks have other ideas or if it advances generally the interests of working Americans.

But so far this year, Republicans in Congress have blocked every serious idea to strengthen the middle class.  Lifting the minimum wage, fair pay, student loan reform – they’ve said no to all of it.  And that’s when I’ve acted this year to help working Americans on my own– when Congress won’t act. 

I’ve taken actions to attract new jobs, lift workers’ wages, help students pay off their loans, and more.  And the Republican plan right now is not to do some of this work with me – instead, it’s to sue me.  That’s actually what they’re spending their time on.  It’s a political stunt that’s going to waste months of America’s time.  And by the way, they’re going to pay for it using your hard-earned tax dollars.

I have a better idea: do something, Congress.  Do anything to help working Americans.  Join the rest of the country. Join me, I'm looking forward to working with you.

You know, on Tuesday, I met with Carolyn Reed and her husband David, who own six Silver Mine Sub shops in Colorado.  Two days later, they announced they’re giving their hourly employees a raise to ten dollars and ten cents an hour. 

They’re not waiting for Congress.  Carolyn said, “We are happy to be a part of what I hope will be a growing voluntary trend in increased wages.”

Carolyn and Americans like her all across the country are happy to do their part.  Congress now needs to step up and do its part.  And next week, I’ll travel to a couple of job sites to talk about how Democrats and Republicans can work together to grow the economy and protect nearly 700,000 jobs by passing a highway bill by the end of the summer.

I’m here because hardworking Americans like Elizabeth and Carolyn.  That’s something I’ll never forget – it's something I’ll never stop fighting for.  Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Remarks by the President on the Economy -- Austin, TX

Paramount Theatre
Austin, Texas

12:48 P.M. CDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Austin!  (Applause.)  Hey!  Hello, Austin!  (Applause.)  All right, everybody have a seat, have a seat. 
 
It’s good to be in Austin, Texas.  (Applause.)  Can everybody please give Kinsey a big round of applause for the great introduction?  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  That's because I love you.  (Applause.)  Everybody knows I love Austin, Texas.  (Applause.)  Every time I come here I tell you how much I love you.  I love Austin.  I love the people.  I love the barbecue -- which I will get right after this.  (Laughter.)  I like the music.  (Applause.)  I've got good memories here, I've got good friends. 
 
I was telling somebody the last time I walked a real walk where I was kind of left alone was in Austin, Texas.  (Applause.) Right before the debate here during the primary in 2007?  2008?  It must have been 2008.  And I was walking along the river and nobody noticed me, and I felt great.  (Laughter.)  And then on the way back somebody did notice me and Secret Service started coming around and -- (laughter) -- but that first walk was really good.  So let’s face it, I just love Austin.  (Applause.)  Love the people of Austin. 
 
I want to thank a proud Texan, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, for being here today.  We appreciate her.  (Applause.) 
 
It is great to play at the Paramount.  I think I finally made it.  I finally arrived.  (Applause.)  I've enjoyed the last couple of days, just getting out of Washington.  And we started in Colorado, in Denver, and then went to Dallas and then came down here.  And at each stop I've been able to just meet people and talk about people’s lives -- their hopes, their dreams.
 
I just had some coffee, as Kinsey may have mentioned, at the Magnolia Café, which is very nice.  (Applause.)  It was fun, too, because I had a chance to -- there were a bunch of folks there and some EMT folks were there on their break after the shift, and there were a group of high school kids who were getting together -- they were about to go on a two-weeklong service trip to Peru  -- which, by the way, reminds you, you should be optimistic whenever you meet young people because they’re full of energy and idealism.  And so they were going to do this service trip and they were going to go for two days, then, to Machu Picchu -- the old Inca ruins in Peru.  And I said, I always wanted to go there. And they said, well, you can come with us if you want.  (Laughter.)  And I said, I'm really tempted, but I think there are some things I've got to do.  (Laughter.) 
 
But I got them -- in exchange for a selfie with them, they promised that they would send me a picture of them when they get there.  So I'm going to hold them to it.  We got their email and if I don't get it I'll be upset.  (Laughter.) 
 
Anyway, so I was talking to Kinsey because she wrote me a letter and I wanted to reply in person.  Because, as some of you may know, every day, we get tens of thousands of letters or correspondence, emails at the White House.  And ever since the first day I was in office, what I've asked our Correspondence Office to do is to select 10 of them for me to read every night. And in these letters, people tell me their stories.  They talk about losing a job, or finding a job.  They talk about trying to finance a college education.  They talk about challenges because maybe they’re the children of immigrants and they’re worried about their status.  They talk about the hardships they’re going through, successes they’ve had, things they hope for, things that they’re afraid of when it comes to the future and their lives.  
 
Sometimes people say thank you for something I've done or a position I've taken, and some people say, “You're an idiot.”  (Laughter.)  And that’s how I know that I’m getting a good representative sampling because -- (laughter) -- half the letters are less than impressed with me.   
 
So Kinsey wrote me to tell me about her family.  Her mom was a preschool teacher, her dad was an engineer.  Together, obviously, they worked really hard, raised a family.  They were responsible, did all the right things, were able to put their kids through college.  Then they lost their jobs.  And because they lost their jobs as mid-career persons, a lot of their resumes didn’t get answered.  And their savings started to dwindle.  And Kinsey works to pay for school, but it’s not enough. 
 
And she told me that she’s always been passionate about politics and the issues of the day, but after last year’s government shutdown, all this stuff that's happened with her family, it doesn’t seem like anybody in Washington is thinking about them.  She wrote, “I became a disgruntled citizen.  I felt as if my government, my beloved government that’s supposed to look out for the needs of all Americans had failed me.  My parents have always supported my siblings and me,” she wrote, “now it’s my turn to help them.  I want to be involved.  President Obama, what can I do?”
 
So I wanted to meet with Kinsey to let her know that I had heard her, that I listened to what was happening with her family, and I was thinking about her parents and I was thinking about her and her sisters.  And I’m here today because of Kinsey.  And I’m here today because of every American who is working their tail off and does everything right and who believes in the American Dream and just wants a chance to build a decent life for themselves and their families. 
 
And you and folks like Kinsey are the reason I ran for President in the first place -- (applause) -- because your lives are the lives that I lived.  When I listen to Kinsey I think about me and Michelle trying to finance our college education.  When I think about somebody who didn't have health care, I think about my mom when she had cancer that would ultimately end her life at about the age I am now.  When I think about equal pay, I think about my grandmother working her way up at a bank with nothing but a high school education and becoming the vice president of the bank, but always being kind of passed over for the next stage by men who were less qualified than she was. 
 
So the stories that I hear in these letters, they're my story, and they're Michelle’s story, and they're the story that we had before I became senator -- worrying about child care, trying to figure out how to have a balanced life so that if Malia or Sasha got sick we could take time off, and how do you manage all that. 
 
So that's why these letters are so important to me.  And that's why whenever I’m out of Washington, part of what I want to do is just to remember and to connect with your stories so that you know that what I’m trying to do every single day is based on that experience.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you!  (Applause.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  And when you see the trajectory of Kinsey’s family, in some ways, it’s a little bit a story of what’s happened to America. 
 
The crisis in 2008 hurt us all badly -- worse financial crisis since the Great Depression.  But you think about the progress we’ve made.  Today, our businesses have added nearly 10 million new jobs over the past 52 months.  (Applause.)  Our housing is rebounding.  Our auto industry is booming.  Manufacturing is adding more jobs than any time since the 1990s. The unemployment rate is the lowest point it’s been since September of 2008.  (Applause.)  Kinsey’s dad found a new job that he loves in the field he was trained for.  (Applause.)  So a lot of this was because of the resilience and hard work of the American people.  That's what happens -- Americans bounce back.
 
But some of it had to do with decisions we made to build our economy on a new foundation.  And those decisions are paying off. We’re more energy independent.  For the first time in nearly 20 years, we produce more oil here at home than we buy from abroad. (Applause.)  The world’s largest oil and gas producer isn’t Russia; it’s not Saudi Arabia -- it’s the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
At the same time, we’ve reduced our total carbon pollution over the past eight years more than any country on Earth.  (Applause.)  We’ve tripled the amount of electricity we generate from wind.  We’ve increased the amount of solar energy we have by 10 times.  We’re creating jobs across the country in clean energy.  (Applause.) 
 
In education, our high school graduation rate is at a record high; the Latino dropout rate has been cut in half since 2000.  (Applause.)  More young people are graduating from college than ever before.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Si se puede!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Si se peude.  (Laughter.) 
 
The Affordable Care Act has given millions more families peace of mind.  They won’t go broke just because they get sick.  (Applause.)  Our deficits have been cut by more than half. 
 
We have come farther and recovered faster, thanks to you, than just about any other nation on Earth.  (Applause.)  And so we’ve got a lot to be encouraged by, just as the story of Kinsey’s family makes us feel more encouraged.  For the first time in a decade, business leaders around the world have said the number-one place to invest is not China, it’s the United States of America.  So we’re actually seeing companies bring jobs back. (Applause.)  So there’s no doubt that we are making progress.  By almost every measure, we are better off now than we were when I took office.  (Applause.) 
 
But the fact is we’ve still got a long way to go.  We’ve still got a long way to go, because while we’re creating more jobs faster these first six months of this year than any time since 1999, we know there are still a lot of folks out there who are looking for work or looking for more full-time work or looking for a better-paying job.  Corporate profits are higher than ever.  CEOs make more than ever.  But you’re working harder than ever just to get by and pay the bills. 
 
So, as a whole, the country is doing better.  But the problem is, is that so much of the improved productivity and profits have gone to the folks at the very top, and the average person, their wages and incomes haven’t really gone up at all, and in some cases, haven’t kept up with the rising cost of health care or college or all the basic necessities that people need. 
 
And so, Austin, I’m here to say that this country is not going to succeed if just a few are doing well.  This country succeeds when everybody has got a shot.  (Applause.)  The country does better when the middle class does better, and when there are more ladders of opportunity into the middle class.  (Applause.) That’s the kind of economy that works here in America.  And that’s what’s at stake right now. 
 
Now, that’s why we’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that creates more good jobs and creates more good wages -- jobs in American manufacturing, jobs in construction.  We should be rebuilding infrastructure all across America, putting people back to work rebuilding roads and bridges and schools, creating a smart grid to transmit clean energy across the country more efficiently.  (Applause.)   
 
We can create good jobs in American energy -- (sneezes) -- bless me -- and innovation.  (Laughter.)  I’m okay, just haven’t had enough sleep.  (Laughter.) 
 
We’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that trains more workers with the skills to fill the jobs that are being created. I was talking to some folks from a community college before I came out here.  We’ve learned that if we reach out to businesses and help them design the training programs in the community colleges, then when somebody finishes that training, they know they can get a job right away.  (Applause.)
 
We’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that guarantees every child a world-class education from the time that they are three until the time that they graduate from college.
 
We’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that makes sure your hard work pays off with higher wages and equal pay for equal work, and workplace flexibility, and the overtime pay you’ve earned.  (Applause.)
 
We’re fighting for opportunity for all and the idea that no matter who you are and what you look like and where you come from and who you love, if you work hard in America, if you work hard in Austin, if you work hard in Texas, you can make it here.  (Applause.)  You can make it.  (Applause.)
 
So that's what we’re working for.  And the good news is, is that the things that we need to do are well within our capabilities, our grasp.  We know we can -- we know how to build roads.  We know how to put people back to work on infrastructure. We know that if we invest in early childhood education, every dollar we put in, we get seven dollars back, and fewer dropouts and fewer teen pregnancies, and fewer folks going into the criminal justice system.  (Applause.) 
 
We know that if we do some basic things, if we make some basic changes, we’ll see more jobs, faster economic growth, lift more incomes, strengthen the middle class.  They are common-sense things.  They're not that radical.  We know it’s what we should be doing.  And what drives me nuts -- and I know drives you nuts -- is Washington isn’t doing it.  (Applause.)
 
And let me be clear about why Washington is broken, because sometimes everybody says, well, you know what, all politicians are the same, he parties -- the Democrats, Republicans, it doesn't matter.  Look, Democrats are not perfect, I promise you. I know a lot of them.  (Laughter.)  And, yes, every member of Congress, they're thinking about, I’d like to be reelected and I’d like to keep my job.  That's human nature.  We all understand that.  But let me be clear.  On the common-sense agenda that would help middle-class families, the overwhelming number of Democrats are in favor of these things. 
 
They're in favor of minimum wage.  They're in favor of equal pay.  (Applause.)  They're in favor of extending unemployment benefits.  They're in favor of infrastructure.  They're in favor of investing in research and development.  They're in favor of making college more affordable.  They’ve got specific proposals. They're willing to compromise.  They're prepared to go forward. 
 
So when folks say they're frustrated with Congress, let’s be clear about what the problem is.  (Applause.)  I’m just telling the truth now.  I don't have to run for office again, so I can just let her rip.  (Applause.)  And I want to assure you, I’m really not that partisan of a guy.  My favorite President is the first Republican President, a guy named Abraham Lincoln.  You look at our history, and we had great Republican Presidents who  -- like Teddy Roosevelt started the National Park System, and Dwight Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System, and Richard Nixon started the EPA. 
 
The statement I’m making is not a partisan statement, it is a statement of fact.  (Applause.)  So far this year, Republicans in Congress have blocked or voted down every serious idea to strengthen the middle class.  They have said no --
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Don't boo now, because what I want you to do is vote.  (Applause.)
 
They’ve said no to raising the minimum wage.  They’ve said no to fair pay.  They said no to unemployment insurance for hardworking folks like Kinsey’s parents who have paid taxes all their lives and never depended on anything and just needed a little help to get over a hump.  They said no to fixing our broken immigration system that we know would strengthen our borders and our businesses and help families.  (Applause.)
 
Instead of investing in education that helps working families, they voted to give another massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.  Instead of creating jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, our ports that help every business, they’ve decided to protect tax loopholes for companies that are shifting jobs overseas and profits overseas. 
 
The best thing you can say about this Congress -- the Republicans in Congress, and particularly the House of Representatives -- the best you can say for them this year is that so far they have not shut down the government -- (laughter) -- or threatened to have America welch on our obligations and ruin our credit rating.  That's the best you can say.  But of course, it’s only July -- (laughter) -- so who knows what they may cook up in the next few months.
 
So even as they’re blocking policies that would help middle-class families, they keep on offering these theories of the economy that have failed over and over again.  They say, well, if we give more tax breaks to folks at the top that's going to be good.  If we make fewer investments in things like education, everything will work out.  If we loosen the rules for big banks and credit card companies and polluters and insurers, somehow that's going to make the economy better.  If we shrink the safety net and cut Medicaid and cut food stamps, and make sure that folks who are vulnerable and trying to get back on their suffer more hardship, somehow that's going to improve the economy.
 
Now, they believe these things -- sincerely, I assume -- that if they -- if we do these things, if we just take care of folks at the top, or at least if we don't empower our government to be able to help anybody, that somehow jobs and prosperity will trickle down and we’ll all be better off.
 
And that may work just fine for folks at the top.  It worked fine for me.  I don't need government.  (Laughter.)  Michelle and I now are in a position where we can pretty much finance Malia and Sasha’s college education.  But I remember when Michelle’s parents couldn’t, they needed help.  And I don't know about you, but I don't believe in pulling up the ladder once I’m up.  I believe in extending it down and making sure that everybody has a chance to climb up.  (Applause.)
 
The status quo certainly works for the special interests in Washington who like things just as they are.  They’ll be fine whether Congress ever passes a bill again or not.  But it doesn’t help you.  It doesn't help your neighbors.  It doesn't help your friends.  It doesn't help your communities.
 
And what it does, is it just feeds people’s cynicism about Washington.  It just makes people think, well, nothing can happen, and people start feeling hopeless.  And we have to understand, in the face of all evidence to the contrary in Washington, we can do better than we’re doing right now.  (Applause.)  We can do better than what we’re doing right now.
 
We know from our history, our economy does not grow from the top down, it grows from the middle up.  It grows from a rising, thriving middle class.  It grows when we got ladders of opportunity for everybody, and every young person in America is feeling hopeful and has a chance to do what they can with the God-given talents that they have.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  That is what you should be fighting for.  (Applause.)
 
And I will always look -- I’ll always look for ways to get Republicans and Democrats together in this effort.  But I’m not  -- I can't stand by with partisan gridlock that's the result of cynical political games that threaten the hard work of millions of Americans.  I’m not just going to stand by and say, okay, that's -- I guess that's the way it is.  Whenever and wherever I have the power, the legal authority to help families like yours, even if Congress is not doing anything, I will take that opportunity.  I will try to make something happen.  (Applause.)
And that’s the reason -- that's the reason why my administration has taken more than 40 different actions just this year to help working Americans -- because Congress won’t.
 
Congress won’t act to make sure a woman gets equal pay for equal work.  So I made sure more women have the protections they need to fight for fair pay in the workplace -- because I think when women succeed America succeeds.   So we went ahead and did that.  (Applause.)
 
Congress won’t act to create jobs in manufacturing or construction.  Well, I went ahead and speeded up permits for big projects.  We launched a new hub to attract more high-tech manufacturing jobs to America.  I want to make sure the next revolution in manufacturing is right here in America; it’s an American revolution, not a German or a Chinese revolution.  I want it happening right here in Austin, Texas.  (Applause.)
 
Congress so far hasn’t acted to help more young people manage their student loan debt.  So I acted with my lawful authority to give nearly 5 million Americans the chance to cap their student loan payments at 10 percent of their income so they can manage it better, so that if they go into teaching, or they go into social work, or they're doing something at a non-for-profit, that they're not encumbered by mountains of debt.  I don’t want our future leaders saddled with debt before they start out in life.  (Applause.)
 
And Republicans in Congress so far have refused to raise workers’ wages with a higher minimum wage.  So I acted to require that federal contractors pay their employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour -- (applause) -- which would give hundreds of thousands of workers a raise.  I asked business owners and governors and mayors and state legislators -- anybody I could work with -- do what you can on your own, I told them. 
 
Since the first time I asked Congress to raise the minimum wage, Congress hasn’t done anything, but 13 states have gone ahead and raised theirs.  (Applause.)  And, by the way -- this is important to remember just because folks are always trying to run the okey doke on you -- (laughter) -- the states that have increased their minimum wages this year have seen higher job growth than the states that have not increased their minimum wage.  (Applause.)  And more and more business owners are choosing to lift the wages for their workers because they understand that it’s going to be good to have productive workers, loyal workers, invested workers. 
 
Just yesterday, before I came down to Texas, when I was in Denver, I met with Carolyn Reed.  She owns six Silver Mine sub shops.  She started her own business.  She was working at UPS and decided she wanted to be a business owner, got her first franchise.  Her and her husband mortgaged their house.  Eventually, they got an SBA loan.  Now, she’s got six stores.  A wonderful woman.  And today, she decided to raise her hourly employees’ wages to a minimum of $10.10 an hour.  (Applause.)  She just went ahead and did it on her own, because she realized that she’ll have less turnover and she’s going to have more productive workers. 
 
As long as Congress will not increase wages for workers, I will go and talk to every business in America if I have to.  (Applause.)  There’s no denying a simple truth:  America deserves a raise, and if you work full-time in this country, you shouldn’t live in poverty.  That’s something that we all believe. (Applause.)   
 
Now, here’s where it gets interesting.  There are a number of Republicans, including a number in the Texas delegation, who are mad at me for taking these actions.  They actually plan to sue me.  (Laughter.)  Now, I don’t know which things they find most offensive -- me helping to create jobs, or me raising wages, or me easing the student loan burdens, or me making sure women can find out whether they’re getting paid the same as men for doing the same job.  I don’t know which of these actions really bug them.  (Laughter.) 
 
The truth is, even with all the actions I’ve taken this year, I’m issuing executive orders at the lowest rate in more than 100 years.  So it’s not clear how it is that Republicans didn’t seem to mind when President Bush took more executive actions than I did.  (Applause.)  Maybe it’s just me they don’t like.  I don’t know.  Maybe there’s some principle out there that I haven’t discerned, that I haven’t figure out.  (Laughter.)  You hear some of them -- “sue him,” “impeach him.”  Really?  (Laughter.)  Really?  For what?  (Applause.)  You’re going to sue me for doing my job?  Okay.  (Applause.)   
 
I mean, think about that.  You’re going to use taxpayer money to sue me for doing my job -- (laughter) -- while you don’t do your job.  (Applause.) 
 
There’s a great movie called “The Departed” -- a little violent for kids.  But there’s a scene in the movie where Mark Wahlberg -- they’re on a stakeout and somehow the guy loses the guy that they’re tracking.   And Wahlberg is all upset and yelling at the guy.  And the guy looks up and he says, “Well, who are you?”  And Wahlberg says, “I’m the guy doing my job.  You must be the other guy.”  (Laughter and applause.)  Sometimes, I feel like saying to these guys, I’m the guy doing my job, you must be the other guy.  (Applause.) 
 
So rather than wage another political stunt that wastes time, wastes taxpayers’ money, I’ve got a better idea:  Do something.  (Applause.)  If you’re mad at me for helping people on my own, let’s team up.  Let’s pass some bills.  Let’s help America together.  (Applause.)   
 
It is lonely, me just doing stuff.  I’d love if the Republicans did stuff, too.  (Laughter.)  On immigration issues, we’ve got -- and to their credit, there are some Republicans in the Senate who actually worked with Democrats, passed a bill, would strengthen the borders, would help make the system more fair and more just.  But the House Republicans, they haven’t even called the bill.  They won’t even take a vote on the bill.  They don’t have enough energy or organization or I don’t know what to just even vote no on the bill.  (Laughter.)  And then they’re made at me for trying to do some things to make the immigration system work better.  So it doesn’t make sense.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I’m sorry, what are you yelling about now?  Sit down, guys.  I’m almost done.  Come on, sit down.  I’ll talk to you afterwards, I promise.  I’ll bring you back.  I’m wrapping things up here.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I understand.  See, everybody is going to start -- I’m on your side, man.  Sit down, guys, we’ll talk about it later, I promise.
 
So, look, here’s what we could do.  We could do so much more -- you don’t have to escort them out.  They’ll sit down.  I promise, I’ll talk to you afterwards. 
 
We could do so much more if Republicans in Congress would focus less on stacking the deck for those on the top and focus more on creating opportunity for everybody.  And I want to work with them.  I don’t expect them to agree with me on everything, but at least agree with me on the things that you used to say you were for before I was for them.  (Applause.) 
 
You used to be for building roads and infrastructure.  Nothing has changed.  Let’s go ahead and do it.  (Applause.)  Ronald Reagan passed immigration reform, and you love Ronald Reagan.  Let’s go ahead and do it.  (Applause.)   
 
I mean, what changed?  I’m just saying.  (Laughter.)  That’s what made our country great, a sense of common purpose, a sense we’re all in it together as one nation, as one people.  We can debate the issues, we can have our differences, but let’s do something.  (Applause.)  Let’s rally around an economic patriotism that says, instead of giving more tax breaks to millionaires, let’s give tax breaks to working families to help pay for child care or college. 
 
Instead of protecting tax loopholes that let corporations keep their profits overseas,  let’s put some of that money to work right here in the United States rebuilding America.  (Applause.)  We can rebuild our airports, create the next generation of good manufacturing jobs, make sure those are made in America. 
 
Let’s rally around a patriotism that says we’re stronger as a nation when we cultivate the ingenuity and talent of every American, and give every 4-year-old in America access to high-quality education -- good-quality preschool.  (Applause.)  Let’s redesign our high schools to make them more relevant to the 21st century economy.  Let’s make college more affordable.  Let’s  make sure every worker, if you lose your job, you can get a good job training that gives you an even better job.  (Applause.) 
 
Let’s embrace the patriotism that says it’s a good thing when our fellow citizens have health care.  It’s not a bad thing. (Applause.)  That’s not a bad thing.  It’s a good thing when women earn what men do for the same work.  That’s an all-American principle.  (Applause.)  Everybody has got a mom out there or a wife out there or a daughter out there.  They don’t want them to not get treated fairly.  Why would you be against that? 
 
It’s a good thing when parents can take a day off to care for a sick child without losing their job or losing pay and they can’t pay their bills at the end of the month.  It’s a good thing when nobody who works full-time is living in poverty.  That is not radical.  It’s not un-American.  It’s not socialist.  That’s how we built this country.  It’s what America is all about, us working together.  (Applause.)   
 
So let me just wrap up by saying this:  The hardest thing to change in politics is a stubborn status quo.  Our democracy is designed where folks who have power, who have clout -- they can block stuff, they can keep things as they are.  It’s hard.  It’s even harder when Washington seems focused on everything but your concerns, Kinsey’s concerns. 
 
There are plenty of people who count on you getting cynical and count on you not getting involved so that you don’t vote, so you give up.  And you can’t give into that.  America is making progress, despite what the cynics say.  (Applause.)  Despite unyielding opposition and a Congress that can’t seem to do anything, there are workers with jobs who didn’t have them before; there are families with health insurance who didn’t have them before; there are students in college who couldn’t afford it before; there are troops who served tour after tour who are home with their families today.  (Applause.)   
 
Cynicism is popular.  Cynicism is popular these days.  It’s what passes off as wisdom.  But cynics didn’t put a man on the moon.  Cynics never won a war.  Cynics didn’t cure a disease, or start a business, or feed a young mind.  Cynicism didn’t bring about the right for women to vote, or the right for African Americans to be full citizens.  Cynicism is a choice. 
 
Hope is a better choice.  Hope is what gave young soldiers the courage to storm a beach.  Hope is what gave young people the strength to march for women’s rights and civil rights and voting rights and gay rights and immigrant rights.  (Applause.) 
 
Hope is what compelled Kinsey to sit down and pick up a pen, and ask “what can I do,” and actually think maybe the President might read that story and it might make a difference.  (Applause.)  And her voice rang out here in the Paramount Theatre.  And it’s her voice and your voice that’s going to change this country.  That’s how we’re going to make sure that we remain the greatest nation on Earth -- not by asking what we can do for ourselves, but what we can do for each other and what we can do for our country. 
 
And so, as President, I’m going to keep a promise that I made when I first ran:  Every day, I will keep asking the same question, and that is, how can I help you?  And I’ll keep treating your cares and your concerns as my own.  And I will keep fighting to restore the American Dream for everybody who’s willing to work for it. 
 
And I am going to need you to be right there with me.  (Applause.)  Do not get cynical.  Hope is the better choice. 
 
Thank you, Texas.  Thank you, Austin.  God bless you.  (Applause.) 
 
END
1:28 P.M. CDT
 

Remarks by the President at DCCC Dinner

Dallas, Texas

7:40 P.M. CDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, to the whole Stanley family, because we’ve got a whole crew here, I want to say thank you.  Marc and Wendy have just been great friends for such a long time and great supporters not just to me but of good causes here in Texas and all across the country, and we couldn’t ask for better friends.  And we’re really thankful to all of them.  (Applause.)
 
And Marc is entirely right to say that my greatest accomplishments as President had to do with having a great Speaker of the House and I want her back with her hand on the gavel.  She is tough, she is smart, and she has a heart as big as Texas -- even though she’s from California.  (Laughter.)  Nancy Pelosi.  (Applause.)
 
I want to spend most of the time in conversation so I’m not going to make a long speech at the front end.  Let me offer just a simple proposition.  I’m not running for reelection.  (Laughter.)  Not just because of the Constitution but also because of my wife.  (Laughter.)  And so I think I can say this not because I’m trying to get votes but simply to state the facts. 
 
There’s almost no economic measure by which we are not better off now than we were when I took office.  (Applause.)  And let me -- just in case folks are wondering, let me just make sure everybody is clear.  When I came into office, Nancy was Speaker and we were facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression -- actually, the contraction was larger, we now know, than during the initial stages of the Great Depression. 
 
And because of the incredible resilience of the American people but because we made some smart decisions very early on, tough decisions, what we have now seen is 52 straight months of job growth, 10 million jobs created; unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since September of 2008 -- before I was elected.  This first six months of the year we’ve seen the fastest job growth since 1999.  Manufacturing job growth, highest since the ‘90s.  Deficit, been cut by more than half.  The uninsurance -- the number of uninsured has dropped because of the Affordable Care Act.  Health care inflation is the slowest it’s been in 50 years.  Energy production has gone off the charts.  We are now producing more oil than we import for the first time in a very long time.  Solar power we’ve increased by 10 times; wind power by three times.  We’ve reduced our carbon footprint faster than just about any industrialized country in the world.  Our dropout rate has gone down, Latino dropout rate has been cut by more than half.  College attendance rates are the highest they’ve ever been. 
 
So on measure after measure -- the auto industry comes surging back we passed legislation that firms up the financial system but also makes sure that if companies take excessive bets now, they’re the ones left holding the tab instead of taxpayers.  So by all outward appearances, we are indisputably better off than when I was elected -- in part because we took some really tough decisions early.
 
But what’s also true is, is that people are anxious out there.  Part of it is still feeling traumatized by the crisis and the scale of it, and people seeing their housing values plummet and the stock market taking a hit.  And even though the stock market is at record highs now and housing has recovered, people still feel things are a little more fragile.  And they had to go through a lot of deleveraging, getting rid of excess debt.
 
But a lot of it also just has to do with the fact that as things improve, a basic trend that’s been going on for quite some time continues, which is wages, incomes of ordinary folks not going up even though productivity is going up, corporate profits are going up.  The average person still feels, no matter how hard I work, I don’t feel like I’m getting ahead the way I should and I’m worried about the next generation and whether my child or grandchild is going to have the same opportunities that I have.
 
The good news is we actually know what to do about it.  We know that if we increase the minimum wage, millions of people would benefit.  We know that if we pass equal pay for equal work legislation, that that’s going to help not just women, it’s going to help families because when women succeed, America succeeds.  (Applause.)  We know that we’ve got $2 trillion worth of deferred maintenance to our infrastructure -- we could put people back to work all across the country and those jobs can’t be exported -- rebuilding our roads and our bridges and our ports, our airports.
 
If we implemented a plan that’s been sitting on the shelf for lack of funding but is technically feasible right now to redo our whole air traffic control system, we would reduce the fuel that airlines need by 30 percent which, with corresponding benefits to the environment, those savings could then be passed on to customers -- delays at airports would be drastically reduced. 
 
We know that early childhood education gives you a $7 benefit for every dollar you invest and would also help alleviate the challenges of child care.  I was in Minnesota with a young woman who had written me a letter, just a wonderful woman.  Her husband had lost a job in construction, he’s a carpenter, worked for a railway at drastically reduced pay.  She went back to school even though she had a small child, became an accountant.  Together, they dug themselves out of debt.  She’s doing pretty well now, but she says, you know, I’m paying $2,000 for my two little boys a month in child care costs -- there’s no way we can get ahead.  We could help her.  We could help all these young people. 
 
Yesterday, in Denver, a young person -- a young woman, math major, what you want to see, excelling in school but she’s worried about the kind of debt she is accruing.  There is legislation right now in the Senate and the House that would allow young people to be able to consolidate and refinance their debt, save themselves thousands of dollars.  We know things that would work. 
 
And there’s one reason they’re not happening.  And that is, is that you’ve got a Republican Party right now, particularly House Republicans, whose only agenda seems to be to say no.  They say no to minimum wage, they say no to fair pay, no to extending unemployment benefits and, so far, no to just renewing the Highway Trust Fund so people don’t get laid off of the projects that are already going on.  And, of course, no to immigration reform. 
 
So I enjoyed meeting with Governor Perry.  And, by the way, he had some suggestions that I said I actually agree with -- which is why they’re in the supplemental bill that I just sent to Congress.  (Laughter.)  Why don’t you get the Texas Republican Delegation to pass it.  Because the question is are we interested in political gamesmanship or are we actually trying to solve a problem.  And the problem we have right now is, is that there’s just a lot of political positioning but there’s a big, fat zero when it comes to action on the part of these folks to try to solve the problems that are on the minds of the American people right now.
 
Now, I always say, Democrats are not perfect.  There are times where we’ve got our own ideological blind spots.  There are times where we don’t act as boldly as we should on issues that are important but tough politically.  Everybody in Washington, they have to be reelected and sometimes it takes the public a while to get to places even when it’s the right thing to do.  And so Democrats aren’t perfect.  And, by the way, my favorite President happened to be the first Republican President -- a guy named Abraham Lincoln.  (Laughter.)
 
But right now, at this moment in our history, the reason we’re not making progress is because you’ve got a party on the other side that has become so ideologically rigid, so invested in an economic theory that says if folks at the top do well and there are no regulations on banks or insurance companies or credit card companies or polluters, that somehow everybody does well.  You’ve got a party that is so invested in obstruction than compromise and producing on behalf of the American people that truthfully this is not an issue of “a plague on both your houses.” 
 
Democrats are prepared to act on behalf of middle-class families and their concerns.  We’re prepared to do hard things on behalf of that young woman who needs help on child care and on behalf of that young woman who needs help on her college education.  And we’re willing to do some tough things on behalf of making sure that we have secure borders as well as making sure that we’ve got a smarter system of legal immigration and that we lift people out of the shadows who have lived here, oftentimes, for a very long time.
 
We’re prepared to do tough things.  And we’d love to have a partner on the other side.  But we don’t right now.  And that means that the American people are going to have to call to question, and they’re going to have to say to the other side, you know what, if you guys don’t have a single idea to help us on anything and you can’t compromise on anything, and the only thing you’ve produced during the four years that you’ve been in power is a government shutdown and us coming to the brink of defaulting for the first time in 200 years and affecting the full faith and credit of the American people -- if that’s all you’ve got to offer, well, maybe you need to reflect for a while on why it is that you’re in politics and what public service means.
 
So we’ve got one problem, and the problem is cynicism.  The problem is Democrats congenitally vote at lower rates during midterms because of gerrymandering -- you know something about that here in Texas -- and population distribution.  Even though on every issue we enjoy a majority position, the House Republicans don’t have to respond to that -- they’re responding to their primary tea party voters.  Nothing happens, that makes our folks even more cynical, we’re less likely to vote, and you get this vicious spiral where there’s a lot of cynicism and a lot of unhappiness but nothing changes.
 
And the reason I hope everybody is here today is because we actually can change that, but we can only change it if we feel some urgency about this midterm election.  I want an effective, successful Republican Party.  I want a loyal opposition.  But the only way that the message is sent that you’ve got to do some common-sense things and act based on facts and reason as opposed to politics and ideology is if they have a sense that people are paying attention and that voters vote.  And that’s where the DCCC, it’s got its work cut out for it but it can do it because we’re on the right side of this. 
 
We’ve got to work hard.  You’ve got to work not just -- we don’t have to just work as hard as we did during the presidential election; we’ve got to work harder.  And I know nobody is working harder than Nancy Pelosi.  And I’m working hard.  I need you all to work hard.  And if you do, then we can deliver on behalf of all those folks who write me letters every single day, because they’re good people and they feel hopeful.  But they need a little help and I want to give it to them, and Nancy wants to give it to them, and I know you do, too.
 
Thanks.  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
END  
7:54 P.M. CDT