President Obama will pledge to wage an all-out effort to provide economic relief and incentives to middle-class Americans in his fifth State of the Union message scheduled for delivery Tuesday night in a nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress.
According to highlights of the speech released by the White House, Obama will argue that “inequality has deepened” for many Americans who have seen their wages stagnate despite four years of economic growth and soaring corporate profits and stock prices.
“Upward mobility has stalled,” he will say. “The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by – let alone get ahead. And too many still aren’t working at all.”
Declaring that “our job is to reverse these tides,” Obama will say he would offer a set of “concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class.”
Many of those proposals will require congressional approval, he said, and despite his rocky relationship with Capitol Hill he said he is eager to work with lawmakers of both parties. However, the president signaled that he will not “stand still” and intends to use his executive authority wherever he can to speed along the process.
“Opportunity is who we are,” he will say. “And the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise.”
Related: 7 Promises Obama Will Make at the State of the Union
Coming off one of his worst years in office, Obama appears primed to redirect a floundering administration and salvage his domestic and foreign policy agenda before the end of his second term. Just 46 percent of Americans approve of his performance, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, only slightly better than a low of 42 percent in November.
“In the coming months, let’s see where else we can make progress together,” he will say tonight. “Let’s make this a year of action. That’s what most Americans want – for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations. And what I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple profound belief in opportunities for all – the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.”
As the White House revamps its political operation and prepares for a critical mid-term election year, some of his advisers are urging him to emphasize an executive style of governing aimed at sidestepping a recalcitrant Congress whenever possible and achieving many of his goals through executive action. Earlier in the day, the administration announced that the president would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour for workers on new government contracts, a 40 percent boost that fulfills a top demand by liberal lawmakers and groups.
The president is likely to renew his call for raising the minimum wage for all Americans, and focusing on job creation and early childhood education initiatives.
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