2011 State of the Union Address
Date | January 25, 2011 |
---|---|
Time | 9:00 p.m. EST |
Duration | 1 hour, 1 minute |
Venue | House Chamber, United States Capitol |
Location | Washington, D.C. |
Coordinates | 38°53′19.8″N 77°00′32.8″W / 38.888833°N 77.009111°W |
Type | State of the Union Address |
Participants | |
Previous | 2010 State of the Union Address |
Next | 2012 State of the Union Address |
The 2011 State of the Union Address was given by the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, on January 25, 2011, at 9:00 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 112th United States Congress.[1] It was Obama's second State of the Union Address and his third speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House speaker, John Boehner, accompanied by Joe Biden, the vice president, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.
It was the first address to a Republican-controlled Congress since 2006. It was also the first to be simulcast online as an "enhanced version" featuring accompanying graphics for key points of the address, a style which would be replicated throughout Obama's future State of the Union addresses.
In this joint session Obama outlined his “vision for an America that’s more determined, more competitive, better positioned for the future—an America where we out-innovate, we out-educate, we out-build the rest of the world; where we take responsibility for our deficits; where we reform our government to meet the demands of a new age.”[2][3][4]
Disposition, seating, and attendance
As always, the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives,
In light of the
After visibly reacting to President Obama's criticism during the 2010 State of the Union of the
Summary
According to a White House fact sheet published by NMD Newswire US-President Obama underscored in his 2011 State of the Union Address "the need to maintain America’s leadership in a rapidly changing world so that our economy is competitive – growing and working for all Americans."[10] In order to achieve this Obama outlined "a plan to help the United States win the future by out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building our global competition. At the same time, the President understands the need to reform the way our government does business and take responsibility for our deficit - by investing in what makes America stronger and cutting what doesn't."[10]
Revenue/savings
- A five-year freeze in domestic spending projected to save $400 billion over the next decade.
- Elimination of billions in tax breaks for oil companies. The president has previously sought to bring in more than $36 billion over the next decade through tax increases on oil and gas companies, but so far has been unable to win congressional support.
- Reductions in Joint Committee on Taxationin 2009 estimated that tort reform could reduce federal government health care costs by $41 billion over 10 years.
- Reform for Social Security. Obama did not offer specifics.
- Ending the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans once the latest extension expires in two years. Before the rate was extended, the Obama administration estimated it would cost $700 billion over the next decade.
- A proposal to "merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government." Obama said he will submit that proposal to Congress "in the coming months."
- A ban on congressional earmarks.
- A proposal to lower the corporate tax rate. Obama pitched this as part of a broader effort to simplify the tax code—he pledged the changes would not add to the deficit
Expenses
- Pledge to provide 80 percent of Americans with high-speed rail access in 25 years.
- Pledge to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
- Pledge to have 80 percent of the country's electricity come from clean-energy sources by 2035.
- New investment in biomedical research, information technology and clean-energy technology.
- A continuation of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top incentive program offering competitive federal grants to local school systems. Bruce Randolph School was mentioned as a success.
- A call to "redouble" efforts to repair America's aging roads and bridges.
- A call to make a $10,000 tuition tax credit permanent.
Other topics and goals
- A challenge to pursue innovation in "our generations' Sputnikmoment."
- Replace No Child Left Behindwith another form of education reform. A good amount of time was directed towards education during the address.
- The President announced that he will be taking a trip to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador in the spring, to sign trade deals, which will help create tens of thousands of new jobs.
- Remain committed to the War on Terror, and on pressuring regimes like Iran, which is pursuing nuclear weapons, and North Korea, which has nuclear weapons.
- Continue alliance with the United Kingdom, Israel, and Japan.
Response
Rep.
Rep.
Florida Republican Senator
Leaders of several smaller political parties also gave prepared responses to the speech. The Libertarian Party's response was delivered by Executive Director Wes Benedict.[18] Billy Wharton, co-chair of the Socialist Party USA, released a response through his party's website.[19] Sam Webb, chairman of the Communist Party USA, released a response through the party's main website.[20]
References
- ^ H.Con.Res. 10
- ^ "Remarks by the President at Families USA Health Action Conference". January 28, 2011. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Obamas Speeches: Remarks by the President at Families USA Health Action Conference". January 28, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Video: President Addresses Health Care Advocates--"I'm happy to report that granny is safe"". January 28, 2011. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Sen. Udall Urges Bipartisan Seating for State of the Union". NPR.org. January 13, 2011.
- ^ Felicia Sonmez. "Sixty lawmakers back bipartisan State of the Union seating plan". WashingtonPost.com.
- ^ Bendavid, Naftali (January 26, 2011). "Signs of Harmony, if Not Quite 'Kumbayah'". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Barnes, Robert (January 24, 2011). "Supreme Court won't be fully represented at State of the Union". Washington Post.
- ^ O'Keefe, Ed. "State of the Union: Ken Salazar to serve as 'designated survivor'". Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ a b "White House Fact Sheet "The State of the Union: President Obama's Plan to Win the Future"". MMD Newswire. January 26, 2011. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ^ "Paul Ryan delivers State of the Union response". Washington Post. January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ "Ros-Lehtinen to deliver Spanish SOTU response". The Hill. January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ Mark Murray. "Bachmann's rival SOTU response?". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2011-01-23.
- ^ Bachmann blasts president in first Tea Party rebuttal Archived 2012-10-14 at the Wayback Machine Star Tribune
- ^ +tampabay.com) Florida reacts to the State of the Union St. Petersburg Times
- ^ +tampabay.com) Scott chides Obama's 'history lesson' and promises he'll lead St. Petersburg Times
- ^ Senators React to State of the Union New York Observer
- ^ Libertarian response to State of the Union and Republicans
- ^ Wharton, Billy. "Response to State of the Union". Socialist Party USA. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Webb, John (28 January 2011). "State of the Union and openings for progress". Communist Party USA. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
External links
- Video of the address; C-Span (Official)
- 2011 State of the Union Address: Enhanced Version
- 2011 State of the Union Visualizations: Charts, Graphs & Infographics, via FastFedora.com
- FACT SHEET: The State of the Union: President Obama's Plan to Win the Future, via MMDNewsWire.com
- 2011 State of the Union Address (transcript)
- 2011 State of the Union Response (transcript)
Opposition responses
- Republican Party response - Video of Representative Paul Ryans' response
- Tea Party Movement response - Text of Michele Bachmann's response
- Libertarian Party response - Video and text of Wes Benedict's response
- Socialist Party response - Text of the Socialist Party's response