President Barack Obama highlighted economic recovery and willingness to push further reforms in his sixth State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

“The shadow of crisis has passed and the state of the union is strong,” Obama said.

Obama touched on a variety of topics, including the economy, the crisis in the Middle East, cyber security and bipartisanship in his speech, which was a just under an hour long. The address was Obama’s first in front of a completely Republican-controlled Congress, and bipartisanship was a recurring theme of the night.

During the primetime speech, the president said his “middle-class economics” approach worked, citing strong job growth and slumping unemployment rate.

“Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?” Obama said.

The unemployment rate dipped down to 5.6 percent in December 2014 with an additional 240,000 gain in private sector jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

“So the verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works,” Obama said.

Facing a Republican-controlled Congress for the first time since taking office, Obama said he would cooperate with Republicans to “make this country stronger,” and added that he will continue to push the administration’s domestic and foreign agendas, even if there is pushback from Republicans.

“If we’re going to have arguments, let’s have arguments — but let’s make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country,” he said.

Among his proposals is a new tax reform, which entails tax relief for the middle class and an increase in capital gains tax for the top 1 percent of income earners from the current 23.8 percent to 28 percent. This is estimated to create $320 billion in additional revenue over the next 10 years.

The revenue will be used to fund Obama’s new initiatives including a two-year tuition waiver for community college students with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. Obama said free community college is an issue that has bipartisan goals.

“Tennessee, a state with Republican leadership, and Chicago, a city with Democratic leadership, are showing that free community college is possible,” Obama said. “I want to spread that idea all across America, so that two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today.”

Obama added that he will be working with Congress to seek relief on student loans, such as reducing monthly payments.

Referring to incidents in Ferguson, Missouri and following tension on racial issues, Obama said Democrats, Republicans, community leaders and law enforcement all need to work together “to reform America’s criminal justice system” that “protects and serves us all.”

Concerning rising terrorist threats and the recent terrorist attack on a French satirical magazine, Obama gave reassurance that the U.S. will continue its commitment in its counterterrorism efforts.

In a response to the speech, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) urged Obama to work with Congress.

“We’re calling on (Obama) now to cooperate to pass them. You’ll see a lot of serious work in this new Congress,” Ernst said.

Obama ended his speech by returning to the theme of bipartisanship.

“Let’s begin this new chapter together, and let’s start the work right now,” Obama said.

Published on January 21, 2015 at 12:19 am

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