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President
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delivers
Your
Weekly
Address
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President
Obama
delivers
Your
Weekly
Address
In
his
first
weekly
address
since
being
sworn
in
as
the
44th
president
of
the
United
States,
President
Barack
Obama
discusses
how
the
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment
Plan
will
jump-start
the
economy.
"This
is
not
just
a
short-term
program
to
boost
employment,"
he
said.
"It’s
one
that
will
invest
in
our
most
important
priorities
like
energy
and
education;
health
care
and
a
new
infrastructure
that
are
necessary
to
keep
us
strong
and
competitive
in
the
21st
century."
The
Administration
is
still
working
with
Congress
to
refine
the
plan,
but
in
the
address,
President
Obama
lays
out
the
key
priorities.
He
goes
into
detail,
noting
that
the
plan
will
update
our
electric
grid
by
laying
more
than
3,000
miles
of
transmission
lines;
weatherize
2.5
million
homes;
protect
health
insurance
for
more
than
8
million
Americans
in
danger
of
losing
their
coverage;
secure
90
major
ports;
renovate
10,000
schools;
and
triple
the
number
of
science
fellowships.
Watch
the
President's
weekly
address
and
read
the
full
remarks
below.
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.mp4
[UPDATE:
Download
the
Recovery
Plan
Metrics
Report
(PDF)]
Remarks
of
President
Barack
Obama
Weekly
Address
Saturday,
January
24th,
2009
We
begin
this
year
and
this
Administration
in
the
midst
of
an
unprecedented
crisis
that
calls
for
unprecedented
action.
Just
this
week,
we
saw
more
people
file
for
unemployment
than
at
any
time
in
the
last
twenty-six
years,
and
experts
agree
that
if
nothing
is
done,
the
unemployment
rate
could
reach
double
digits.
Our
economy
could
fall
$1
trillion
short
of
its
full
capacity,
which
translates
into
more
than
$12,000
in
lost
income
for
a
family
of
four.
And
we
could
lose
a
generation
of
potential,
as
more
young
Americans
are
forced
to
forgo
college
dreams
or
the
chance
to
train
for
the
jobs
of
the
future.
In
short,
if
we
do
not
act
boldly
and
swiftly,
a
bad
situation
could
become
dramatically
worse.
That
is
why
I
have
proposed
an
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment
Plan
to
immediately
jumpstart
job
creation
as
well
as
long-term
economic
growth.
I
am
pleased
to
say
that
both
parties
in
Congress
are
already
hard
at
work
on
this
plan,
and
I
hope
to
sign
it
into
law
in
less
than
a
month.
It’s
a
plan
that
will
save
or
create
three
to
four
million
jobs
over
the
next
few
years,
and
one
that
recognizes
both
the
paradox
and
the
promise
of
this
moment
-
the
fact
that
there
are
millions
of
Americans
trying
to
find
work
even
as,
all
around
the
country,
there’s
so
much
work
to
be
done.
That’s
why
this
is
not
just
a
short-term
program
to
boost
employment.
It’s
one
that
will
invest
in
our
most
important
priorities
like
energy
and
education;
health
care
and
a
new
infrastructure
that
are
necessary
to
keep
us
strong
and
competitive
in
the
21st
century.
Today
I’d
like
to
talk
specifically
about
the
progress
we
expect
to
make
in
each
of
these
areas.
To
accelerate
the
creation
of
a
clean
energy
economy,
we
will
double
our
capacity
to
generate
alternative
sources
of
energy
like
wind,
solar,
and
biofuels
over
the
next
three
years.
We’ll
begin
to
build
a
new
electricity
grid
that
lay
down
more
than
3,000
miles
of
transmission
lines
to
convey
this
new
energy
from
coast
to
coast.
We’ll
save
taxpayers
$2
billion
a
year
by
making
75%
of
federal
buildings
more
energy
efficient,
and
save
the
average
working
family
$350
on
their
energy
bills
by
weatherizing
2.5
million
homes.
To
lower
health
care
cost,
cut
medical
errors,
and
improve
care,
we’ll
computerize
the
nation’s
health
record
in
five
years,
saving
billions
of
dollars
in
health
care
costs
and
countless
lives.
And
we’ll
protect
health
insurance
for
more
than
8
million
Americans
who
are
in
danger
of
losing
their
coverage
during
this
economic
downturn.
To
ensure
our
children
can
compete
and
succeed
in
this
new
economy,
we’ll
renovate
and
modernize
10,000
schools,
building
state-of-the-art
classrooms,
libraries,
and
labs
to
improve
learning
for
over
five
million
students.
We’ll
invest
more
in
Pell
Grants
to
make
college
affordable
for
seven
million
more
students,
provide
a
$2,500
college
tax
credit
to
four
million
students,
and
triple
the
number
of
fellowships
in
science
to
help
spur
the
next
generation
of
innovation.
Finally,
we
will
rebuild
and
retrofit
America
to
meet
the
demands
of
the
21st
century.
That
means
repairing
and
modernizing
thousands
of
miles
of
America’s
roadways
and
providing
new
mass
transit
options
for
millions
of
Americans.
It
means
protecting
America
by
securing
90
major
ports
and
creating
a
better
communications
network
for
local
law
enforcement
and
public
safety
officials
in
the
event
of
an
emergency.
And
it
means
expanding
broadband
access
to
millions
of
Americans,
so
business
can
compete
on
a
level-playing
field,
wherever
they’re
located.
I
know
that
some
are
skeptical
about
the
size
and
scale
of
this
recovery
plan.
I
understand
that
skepticism,
which
is
why
this
recovery
plan
must
and
will
include
unprecedented
measures
that
will
allow
the
American
people
to
hold
my
Administration
accountable
for
these
results.
We
won’t
just
throw
money
at
our
problems
-
we’ll
invest
in
what
works.
Instead
of
politicians
doling
out
money
behind
a
veil
of
secrecy,
decisions
about
where
we
invest
will
be
made
public,
and
informed
by
independent
experts
whenever
possible.
We’ll
launch
an
unprecedented
effort
to
root
out
waste,
inefficiency,
and
unnecessary
spending
in
our
government,
and
every
American
will
be
able
to
see
how
and
where
we
spend
taxpayer
dollars
by
going
to
a
new
website
called
recovery.gov.
No
one
policy
or
program
will
solve
the
challenges
we
face
right
now,
nor
will
this
crisis
recede
in
a
short
period
of
time.
But
if
we
act
now
and
act
boldly;
if
we
start
rewarding
hard
work
and
responsibility
once
more;
if
we
act
as
citizens
and
not
partisans
and
begin
again
the
work
of
remaking
America,
then
I
have
faith
that
we
will
emerge
from
this
trying
time
even
stronger
and
more
prosperous
than
we
were
before.
Thanks
for
listening.
You
are
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BRIEFING
ROOM
The
Blog
Your
Weekly
Address
Slideshows
Press
Briefings
Official
Statements
Press
Releases
Presidential
Actions
Nominations
&
Appointments
THE
AGENDA
Civil
Rights
Defense
Disabilities
Economy
Education
Energy
&
Environment
Ethics
Family
Fiscal
Foreign
Policy
Health
Care
Homeland
Security
Immigration
Iraq
Poverty
Rural
Seniors
&
Social
Security
Service
Taxes
Technology
Urban
Policy
Veterans
Women
Additional
Issues
THE
ADMINISTRATION
President
Barack
Obama
Vice
President
Joe
Biden
First
Lady
Michelle
Obama
Dr.
Jill
Biden
The
Cabinet
White
House
Staff
Executive
Office
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President
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