奥巴马发表年度国情咨文

Speaking to Congressional lawmakers, US President Barack Obama has declared an end to the financial crisis and is promising economic policies to benefit all Americans.

In a speech crafted to appeal to working families, Obama has outlined his strategy for "middle-class economics".

"We've seen the fastest economic growth in over a decade, our deficits cut by two-thirds, a stock market that has doubled, and health care inflation at its lowest rate in fifty years. This is good news, people. So the verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And these policies will continue to work, as long as politics don't get in the way."

Obama is urging lawmakers to help working families by passing legislations on equal pay, affordable childcare and even slashing tuition in community colleges, where 40 percent of Americans go to get a higher education.

But most observers note his plans are unlikely to make it through a Republican-controlled Congress.

On the foreign policy front, the President says the United States reserves the "right to act unilaterally" in hunting down terrorists.

He's also called on Congress to pass a resolution to authorize the use of force against Islamic State.

Obama also took time to hail the Sino-US climate change pact he announced at the APEC meeting in Beijing this past year.

"In Beijing, we made an historic announcement?-?the United States will double the pace at which we cut carbon pollution, and China committed, for the first time, to limiting their emissions. And because the world's two largest economies came together, other nations are now stepping up, and offering hope that, this year, the world will finally reach an agreement to protect the one planet we've got."

Meanwhile, the Republican opposition has offered its rebuttal to the President's address.
The rebuttal, handled by Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, took swipes at the state of the economy and at Obama's vision.

"Americans have been hurting, but when we demanded solutions, too often Washington responded with the same stale mindset that led to failed policies like Obamacare. It's a mindset that gave us political talking points, not serious solutions,"

The State of the Union address is a constitutionally-mandated exercise, which forces the US President to periodically update a joint session of congress on issues affecting the United States.

It's also a venue for the US President to outline his policy plans for the coming year.

For CRI, I'm Poornima Weerasekara.