Hi, everybody. Just in time for the holiday season, we now have another piece of
good news about the pace of our economic recovery.
Last month, our businesses created 314,000 new jobs. And that’s not a fluke –
it keeps up the solid pace of job creation we’ve seen all year long. November
was the tenth month in a row we’ve added more than 200,000 jobs. So far this
year, our economy has created 2.65 million new jobs. That’s the most of any
year since the 1990s – even with a full month to go. All told, our businesses
have created 10.9 million new jobs over the past 57 months. And that’s the
longest streak of private-sector job creation on record.
We also know that the upswing in job growth this year has come in industries
with higher wages. Overall wages are on the rise. And that’s some very welcome
news for millions of hardworking Americans. Because even though corporate profits
and the stock market have hit all-time highs, the typical family isn’t bringing
home more than they did 15 years ago. And that still has to change. And a vibrant
jobs market gives us the opportunity to keep up this progress, and begin to undo
that decades-long middle-class squeeze.
But first, we need the outgoing Congress to pass a budget and keep our government
open. A Christmas shutdown is not a good idea. Then, when the new Congress convenes
in January, we need to work together to invest in the things that support faster
growth in higher-paying jobs.
Building new roads and bridges creates jobs. Growing our exports creates jobs.
Reforming our outdated tax system and our broken immigration system creates jobs.
Raising the minimum wage would benefit nearly 28 million American workers, giving
them more money to spend at local businesses – and that helps those businesses
create jobs.
America, we still have a lot of work to do together. But we do have real, tangible
evidence of our progress. 10.9 million new jobs. 10 million more Americans with
health insurance. Manufacturing has grown. Our deficits have shrunk. Our dependence
on foreign oil is down. Clean energy is up. More young Americans are graduating from
high school and earning college degrees than ever before. Over the last four years,
this country has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan, and every advanced
economy combined.
The United States of America continues to outperform much of the world. And we are
going to keep it up until every American feels the gains of a growing economy where
it matters most – in your own lives.
Hi everybody. Today, I’m at Del Sol High School, in Las Vegas, to talk with students
and families about immigration.
We are a nation of immigrants. It has always given America a big advantage over other
nations. It keeps our country young, dynamic, and entrepreneurial. But today, our
immigration system is broken, and everybody knows it.
That’s why, nearly two years ago, I came to this school and laid out principles for
immigration reform. And five months later, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents
in the Senate came together to pass a commonsense compromise bill. That bill would
have secured our border, while giving undocumented immigrants who already live here
a pathway to citizenship if they paid a fine, started paying their taxes, and went
to the back of the line. Independent experts said it would grow our economy, and
shrink our deficits.
Now, had the House of Representatives allowed a yes-or-no vote on that kind of bill,
it would have passed with support from both parties. Today it would be the law. But
for a year and a half, Republican leaders in the House have refused to allow that
simple vote. Now, I still believe that the best way to solve this problem is by
working together -- both parties -- to pass that kind of bipartisan law. But until
that happens, there are actions I have the legal authority to take as President --
the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican Presidents before me --
that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just.
I took those actions this week. We’re providing more resources at the border to help
law enforcement personnel stop illegal crossings, and send home those who do cross over.
We’ll focus enforcement resources on people who are threats to our security -- felons,
not families; criminals, not children. And we’ll bring more undocumented immigrants
out of the shadows so they can play by the rules, pay their full share of taxes, pass
a criminal background check, and get right with the law.
Nothing about this action will benefit anyone who has come to this country recently,
or who might try and come to America illegally in the future. It does not grant citizenship,
or the right to stay here permanently, or offer the same benefits that citizens receive.
And it’s certainly not amnesty, no matter how often the critics say it. Amnesty is the
immigration system we have today -- millions of people living here without paying their
taxes, or playing by the rules. And the actions I took this week will finally start
fixing that.
As you might have heard, there are Members of Congress who question my authority to make
our immigration system work better. Well, I have one answer for that: Pass a bill. The
day I sign it into law, the actions I’ve taken to help solve this problem will no longer
be necessary.
In the meantime, we can’t allow a disagreement over a single issue to be a dealbreaker
on every issue. That’s not how our democracy works. This debate deserves more than politics
as usual. It’s important for our future. It’s about who we are, and the future we want to build.
We are only here because this country welcomed our forebears, and taught them that being
American is about more than what we look like or where we come from. What makes us Americans
is our shared commitment to an ideal -- that all of us are created equal, and all of us have
the chance to make of our lives what we will. That’s the country we inherited, and it’s the
one we have to leave for future generations.
Thank you, God bless you, and have a great weekend.