WASHINGTON (AP) - Reaching for unity, President Barack Obama
implored Democrats and Republicans Tuesday night to rally behind an
economic agenda of federal spending on core areas alongside a long,
hard commitment to reining in the nation's debt. He promised to
veto any bill that contained pet projects and said that the
nation's political leadership is now a "shared responsibility."
The president called on Congress to simplify the tax system and
get rid of loopholes, announcing that he would support using the
saved money to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in
25 years without adding to the deficit.
He called for freezing discretionary government spending outside
of national security for the next five years, saying that would
save $400 billion as a step toward reducing the country's
staggering debt. The president said the budget discipline would
require "painful cuts" in cherished programs without identifying
any of them.
The White House released Obama's prepared speech about an hour
before he delivered it to a joint session of Congress in the House
chamber.
Obama said the nation needs a "bipartisan solution" to
strengthen Social Security and keep the program on firm financial
footing, but he offered no specific prescription. He did set some
limits, though, including that any reform must come "without
slashing benefits for future generations and without subjecting
Americans' guaranteed retirement income to the whims of the stock
market."
Obama's address was built around promoting concentrated spending
in areas such as education, research and transportation and
promising reductions in the nation's staggering debt and reforms of
government at a time when voters are tired of federal bailouts and
regulation.
He was delivering his speech to a television audience in the
tens of millions and, in front of him, the members of the new-look
Congress. Over his shoulder a reminder of the shift in power on
Capitol Hill: new Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
In a broad proposal to reshape the government, Obama said he
would seek authority to merge, consolidate and reorganize federal
agencies. The White House said that would be the first such
overhaul of the bureaucracy in half a century.
The pitch was part of an overarching reform theme in Obama's
address. He also was calling on Congress to become more open and
show when members are meeting with lobbyists.
The public has been clamoring for a leaner government, although
his efforts are likely to be more modest than the government
changes sought by some conservatives.
In tougher language than he's used before, Obama threatened to
veto any legislation that contains the special, targeted
congressional spending measures known as earmarks. He has been
demanding limits on pet projects since his 2008 presidential
campaign, a call he reissued following Republican victories in the
2010 midterm elections.
On health care, the president defended his landmark overhaul law
against Republican efforts to repeal it.
Obama said he knows there's opposition to the law's provision
extending insurance coverage to 30 million people. But with
patients who've benefited from the law watching from the gallery,
he said he's not willing to go back to the days when insurance
companies could deny coverage to people with pre-existing
conditions.
And in a speech with little focus on national security, Obama
appeared to close the door on keeping any significant U.S. military
presence in Iraq beyond the end of the year.
"This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with
the Iraqi people, while we finish the job of bringing our troops
out of Iraq," the president said.