United States President Barack Obama delivered his sixth State of the Union address tonight in Washington.
Here are some of the highlights:
Obama began by citing some areas of success achieved recently. The economy is growing faster than it has since 1999, he said. Unemployment is lower than it has been during his whole presidency. Our campaign in Afghanistan is over, and now fewer than 15,000 troops remain there or in Iran. But, he warned, complacency must not follow, and the first area in which vigilance should be exercised is the economy.
Economic growth
Obama opened his discussion on the economy with a story of a Minneapolis couple, one that personified the kinds of struggles faced by many middle-class families. They experienced lost jobs, the decision to return to community college to work towards another career and debts incurred from student loans. However, through hard work and sacrifice, they managed to make it through the tough times to better jobs and a more stable lifestyle for their family.
“America, Rebekah and Ben’s story is our story. They represent the millions who’ve worked hard and scrimped and sacrificed and retooled,” Obama said.
However, he went on, hiccups like government shutdowns and gridlocks over fiscal policy cannot happen again and put the security of Americans at risk. Any bill that could lead to such things, he said, would be vetoed.
In order to keep things growing, Obama invoked affordable childcare and equal pay for men and women as steps to ensure long-term economic stability, in addition to paid medical leave and higher wages. Later, he addressed issues like tax loopholes for big corporations and hiring veterans.
One avenue to providing more middle-class Americans with employment opportunities, Obama said, is by making college more accessible.
Community college
Last week, Obama announced his plan to move towards making community college tuition free for every American. Tonight, he used his economic dialogue as a segue back into that proposal. He explained that community college is an advancement opportunity for diverse sets of people, some young, some older and some returning from combat.
Obama’s plug for free community college was short but seemed to be memorable more for its impact than its length.
National security
The president’s voice never wavered as he began to speak about America’s slew of involvement in conflicts abroad. In a coalition with moderate Syrian forces, he said, the U.S. is managing to stop ISIL’s forces. However, he said, it has not been enough yet.
“Tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL,” Obama said. “We need that authority.”
He continued on to highlight the recent changes in U.S. foreign policy with Cuba and to invoke the progress made with Iran in curbing its nuclear program. Again, Obama asserted that he plans to veto any bill that threatens the diplomatic relations being developed with Iran.
Climate change
Obama made the last major point of his address center around climate change.
“No challenge, no challenge, poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,” the President said.
He made a quick dismissal of the side of the climate change debate that questions whether climate change is a viable concern by saying that the best scientists in the world are informing us of the consequences of global warming. He cited environmental and diplomatic repercussions as reasons that Congress and the U.S. government should be leaders on the front to fight climate change.
Other moments of note included Obama’s condemnation of persecution of “women, religious minorities or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender,” which is the first mention of bisexuals or transgender people in a State of the Union address. Additionally notable was the president’s off-the-cuff line in which he inserted a pointed comment about his success in elections.
“I have no more campaigns to run,” said Obama, interrupting his next sentence with, “I know, because I won both of them.”
The president closed with this statement:
“Let’s begin this new chapter together, and let’s start the work right now.”
View a transcript of the State of the Union address here.
 
Follow Kaylee Tornay on Twitter @ka_tornay