President Obama’s final State of the Union address

President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address on Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. EST.  In this speech, the White House shares that he plans to reflect on the past seven years and the progress of the American people. In a preview to the speech, the White House shares that the American people will hear about these six major initiatives from the past seven years:

1-    Jobs: 14.1 million jobs have been added over the past 70 months.

2-    Social progress and equality: Basic rights and protections for LGBT Americans have been secured.

3-     Affordable health care that benefits all Americans: Universal, affordable health care has become a reality for all. Five years in, the Affordable Care Act has already expanded coverage to millions of Americans, and 90% of Americans now have health insurance.

4-     Iran and Nuclear Arms: We have created a deal to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

5-    Cuba: We have re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba.

6-    Climate: Under President Obama’s leadership, we have met that challenge and led the international community and world leaders to a global agreement to combat climate change, while investing in a clean energy future.

In attendance at the farewell State of the Union address will be 23 Americans picked as special guests of President Obama and the First Lady. These guests will sit with the First Lady in her guest box, and notably they will include:

• Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone, who along with Army Specialist Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler, were heroes in France after they stopped a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train.
• Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage nationwide.
• Ryan Reyes, who represents his partner Larry Kaufman who was killed in the San Bernardino terrorist attack on Dec. 2. Kaufman is credited with saving the lives of several people before he was killed.
• A vacant seat for the victims of gun violence.

The State of the Union address promises to be a review of our progress as a nation, and inspirationally a plan for hope for the future. Each American citizen is invited to watch on Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. EST. Follow up coverage will be presented hereafter the speech.