奥巴马国情咨文 State of the Union address

U.S. President Barack Obama has delivered his annual State of the Union address, calling for increased income equality and new ways to get around a divided congress. (Obama) "Lets make this a year of action" Obama also called on Congress to pass a bill that would increase the federal minimum wage for all workers to $10.10 an hour from $7.25 and index that to inflation going forward. Increased social mobility was also emphasized in the reply by House Republican Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, as studies reveal more Americans see themselves as lower class. Notes Speech also to include mention of - Afghanistan also likely to get mentioned. U.S. troops will end the nation's 13-year military odyssey in Afghanistan this year, something Obama will no doubt remind his audience of. - Bipartisan possibilities for more liberal immigration policies also likely to get mentioned - mention of the affordable care act (obama care) - Despite (slowly) recovering economy, a new survey from the Pew research centre, the proportion of Americans who identify themselves as middle class has dropped sharply in recent years. Today, about as many Americans identify themselves as lower or lower-middle class (40%) as say they are in the middle class (44%). - Economists also report a lack of jobs growth in middle-skill, middle-income jobs. - Half of congressmen who will watch SOTU address are millionaires - SOTU is a constitutional obligation of the leader of the country, Woodrow Wilson was the first to deliver the message orally. - SOTU reflects some scaled-back legislative ambitions after a difficult year. Obama will make clear in his 9 p.m. address on Tuesday that he is willing to bypass U.S.lawmakers and go it alone in some areas by announcing a series of executive actions that do not require congressional approval. - Media strategy to include Latino Americans more: - Today White House launched new bilingual Facebook page to highlight the Obama administration's efforts to ensure that "the ladder of opportunity remains strong for Latinos and all Americans," according to officials. Follows b-weekly Spanish newsletter, updates from director of latino media.