Unless we also equipped our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs. [applause] and that has to start at the earliest possible age. You know, study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today fewer than three in 10 fouryearolds are enrolled in a high quality preschool program. Most middleclass parents cannot afford a few hundred bucks a week for a private preschool. And for poor kids, who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shatter them for the rest of their lives. So tonight i propose working with states to make highquality preschool available to every single child in america. [applause] every dollar we invest in high quality childhood education can save seven dollars later on by boosting regulation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like georgia or oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own. We know this works thomas a lets do what works and make sure none of our children. Lets give that chance to our kids. [applause] [captions copyright nationalcable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed bynational captioning institute] make sure that a High School Diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. Right now countries like germany focus on graduating their High School Students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community colleges. So those german kids are ready for a job when they graduate high school. They have been trained for the jobs that are there. Now at schools like the tac in brooklyn a collaboration between new york public schools, ibm, students will graduate with a High School Diploma and associates agree in computers or engineering. We need to give every american student opportunities like this, and four years ago we started race to the top, a competition that convinced almost every state to develop a smarter curricula and higher standards. All for about one percent of what we spend on education each year. Tonight i am announcing a new challenge, to redesign americas high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high tech economy. And we will resort schools that develop new partnerships with employers and focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. The skills today employers are looking for to fill the jobs that are there right now and will be there in the future. Even with better high schools, those young people will need Higher Education. It is a simple fact. The more education you have got , the more likely you are to have a good job and work your way to the middle class. But todays skyrocketing costs price too many people out of a Higher Education or saddle them with unsustainable debt. Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we have made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the past few years. But taxpayers cannot keep on subsidizing higher and higher costs for Higher Education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it is our job to make sure that they do. [applause] so tonight i ask congress to change the Higher Education act so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow my administration will release a new College Scorecard for parents and students to use to compare schools on a simple criteria where you can get the most bang for your educational buck. To grow our middle class, our citizens have to have access to the education and training that todays jobs require. But we also have to make sure that america remains a place where everyone who is willing to work, everybody willing to work hard has a chance to get ahead. Our economy is strong when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass congregation to pass comprehensive Immigration Reform. Now is the time to get it done. Now is the time to get it done. Real reform means stronger border security, and we can build on the progress my administration has already made, putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years. Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earn citizenship, a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes, learning english, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally. [applause] an real reform means fixing the ilLegal Immigration system, to cut waiting periods, and attract entrepreneurs that will help create jobs and grow our economy. In other words, we know what needs to be done. And as we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and i applaud their efforts. So lets get this done. Send me a comprehensive Immigration Reform bill in the next few months, and i will sign it right away and america will be better for it. Lets get it done. Lets get it done. But we cannot stop there. We know our economy is stronger , but our wives, our mothers, and daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace and free from the fear of domestic violence. Today the Senate Passed the violence against women act that joe biden wrote almost 20 years ago, and i now urge the house to do the same. Good job, joe. And i ask this congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the paycheck fairness act this year. We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest days work with honest wages, but today a fulltime worker making minimum wage earns 14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we put in place, a family with two kids that earns minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That is wrong. That is why the last time the congress raise minimum wage, 19 states chose to bump there is higher. Tonight lets declare in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one her works fulltime should have to live no one who works fulltime should have to live in poverty, and raise the minimum wage to nine dollars an hour. We should be able to get that done. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank, rent or a conviction, scraping by or finally getting ahead rent or eviction, scraping by or finally getting ahead. A lot of folks out there would leadeth a lot of folks out there would need less help from government. Folks should not have to wait year after year for minimum wage to go up while ceo pay has never been higher. So heres something that govern ann romney and i agreed on last year that governor romney and i agreed on last year. Tos raise the minimum wage a level you can live on. Tonight lets also recognize there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it is virtually impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of lance packing of plants packing up, inescapable pockets of poverty, young adult still fighting for their first job. America is not a place is not a place where circumstance should decide our destiny, and that is why we need new ladders of opportunity for all who are willing to climb them in the middle class. Its offer incentives to companies who hire americans who have what it takes to fill that job opening but have been out of work so long, no one will give them a chance anymore. Its put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes and rundown neighborhoods. This year my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest hit towns in america to get these communities back on their feet. We will work with local leaders to target resources, public safety, education, and housing. We will give new tax credits to businesses who hire and in best and will work to strengthen families, do more to encourage fatherhood. What makes you a man is not the ability to conceive a child, but having the courage to raise one. We want to rick we want to encourage that. We want to help that. Stronger families, stronger communities. A stronger america. It is this past the prosperity, broad, shared, built on a thriving middle class, that has always been the source of our progress at home. The salt of the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world. Tonight we stand united in saluting the troops and civilian to sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that america will complete its mission in afghanistan and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al qaeda. Already we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring our forces will move into a support role, where Afghan Security forces take the lead. Tonight i can announce that over the next year another 34,000 american troops will come home from afghanistan, this drawdown will continue, and by the end of next year, our war in afghanistan will be over. Beyond 2014, americas commitment to a unified and sovereign afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We are negotiating an agreement with the Afghan Government that focuses on two Missions Training and equipping Afghan Forces so the country does not again slipped into chaos, and counterterrorism efforts that allows them to pursue the remnants of al qaeda and their affiliates. Today the organization that attacked on nine 11 is a shadow of its former self. It is true different al qaeda affiliates and extremist groups have it has emerged, and the threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat we do not need to send tens and thousands of our sons and dollars of our sons and daughters abroad. Instead we will help libya and somalia provide for their own security. Where necessary, to arrange capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the greatest threat to americans. Now, as we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is why my administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable, legal, and policy framework to guide counterterrorism efforts. Throughout, we have kept congress fully informed of our efforts. I recognize that in our democracy no one should just take my word for it at we are doing things the right way. So in the months ahead, i will continue to engage congress to ensure that not only targeting the prosecution of terrorists and attention of terrorists will continue with our laws of checks and balances, but that we are even more transparent. Of course, our challenges do not end with al qaeda. America will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the worlds most dangerous weapons. The regime in north korea must know they will only achieve security and prosperity by Meeting International obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only further isolate them, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our missile defense, and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats. Likewise, the leaders of iran must realize it is time for a diplomatic solution because a coalition is rising to demand that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon. At the same time, we will engage russia to our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to lead and meet our obligations. America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber attacks. Now, we know that hackers steal peoples identities and infiltrate private emails. We know Foreign Countries and companies swiped our core in swiped our secrets. Now we must protect our we cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and economy. That is why earlier today i signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy. [applause] but now Congress Must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government the greater capacity to secure our networks and to deter attacks. This is something that we should be able to get done on a bipartisan basis. Even as we protect our people, we should remember that todays world events, not just dangerous, not just threats, it prevent it presents opportunities. To boost american exports, support american jobs, and level the lakefield in the growing markets of asia, we intend the Playing Field in the growing markets of asia but tonight i announce that we are beginning talks on trade across we also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all. Not only because it creates new markets, more stable order in certain regions of the world, but also because it is the right thing to do. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades by connecting more people to the global economy, by empowering women, by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve, open communities to feed and power to feed, and power and educate themselves. By realizing the promise of an aidsfree generation, which is within our reach. You see, america must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this. Of historic change. In rangoon and burma, and american president was welcomed into a home where she had been imprisoned for years. When thousands of burmese waved american flags, including a man who said, there is justice and law in the United States. I want our country to be like that. In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances, from america to from europe to asia. In the middle east, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights and support stable transitions to democracy. We know the process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like egypt. But we can and will insist on respect of the fundamental rights of all people. We will keep pressure on a Syrian Regime that has murdered its own people and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every syrian. We will stand steadfast with israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace. [applause] these are the messages i will deliver when i travel to the middle east next month. And all this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in various places at great personal risk. Our diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United States armed forces. As long as i am commanderin chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military the world has ever known. We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and benefits for their families, gay and straight. We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters and moms because women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat. We will keep faith with our veterans, investing in world class care, including Mental Health care for our wounded warriors. Supporting our military families, giving our veterans the benefits of education and Job Opportunities that they have earned. I want to thank my wife, michelle, and dr. Jill biden for their dedication in serving our military families as well as they have served us. Thank you. Defending our freedom, though, is not just the job of our military alone. We must all do our part to make sure our godgiven rights are protected here at home. That includes one of the most fundamental rights of a democracy, the right to vote. When any american, no matter where they live or what their party are denied that right, because they cannot afford to wait for five or six or seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. So tonight i am announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the voting experience in america, and it definitely needs improvement. I am asking to longtime experts in the field who by the way recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for governor romneys campaign to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American People demand it, and so does our democracy. Of course, what i have said tonight matters little if we do not come together to protect our most russias resource our more host our most Precious Resource our children. It has been two months since newtown. I know this is not the first time our country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time it is different. Overwhelming majorities of americans, americans who believe in the Second Amendment have come together around common sense reform, like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets because these Police Chiefs are tired of seeing there guys and gals being outgunned. Each of these proposals deserves a vote in congress. Now, if you want to vote no, that is your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months since newtown, 1000 birthdays, graduations, anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun. More than 1000. One of those we lost was a young girl named idea pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loves fig newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here in washington with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. A week later, she was shot and killed in a chicago park after school. Just a mile away from my house. Her parents are in this chamber tonight, along wi