Issues - An economy built to last -- Barack Obama 1 of 6 http://www.barackobama.com/issues Log in Create account DONATE The President's plan for AN ECONOMY BUILT TO LAST President Obama has a plan to grow the economy from the middle class out, not the top down. We can't just cut our way to prosperity, and we can't go back to the same failed policies that caused the economic crisis and punished middle-class families. 3 f JOBS & THE ECONOMY EDUCATION 7 ENERGY e ENVIRONMENT b EQUAL RIGHTS y HEALTH CARE z IMMIGRATION 2 NATIONAL SECURITY 4 RURAL ISSUES 5 SENIORS c TAXES & THE BUDGET 1/18/2013 1:57 PM Issues - An economy built to last -- Barack Obama 2 of 6 http://www.barackobama.com/issues Tweet 628 INNOVATION: Create the jobs of tomorrow here at home President Obama is investing in education, research and technology to grow the economy for the long term. Manufacturing is an essential building block of our economy because it sparks innovation, generates higher-wage jobs, and strengthens entire communities. After declining for over a decade, the manufacturing sector has rebounded - led by President Obama's rescue of the auto industry- and created 479,000 manufacturing jobs since January 2010. To build on this recovery, President Obama set a goal to create 1 million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016 and is working to double American exports over the next five years by promoting U.S. goods and removing trade barriers, expanding access to credit, and promoting strong growth. MO RE O N INNO VAT IO N TAXES: Reform the tax code to create jobs and pay down our deficit President Obama cut taxes for every American worker and provided 18 tax cuts for small businesses to help them weather the recession. Now, he's calling on millionaires and billionaires to pay a little bit more so that we can pay down our debt in a balanced way. The President has put forward a specific, balanced plan of spending cuts and revenue increases that reduces the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade, including $1 trillion in spending cuts he signed into law last summer as part of a deal with Congressional Republicans. His plan includes $2.50 in spending cuts for every dollar in revenue increases, while bringing annual domestic spending as a share of the economy to its lowest level in 50 years. 1/18/2013 1:57 PM Issues - An economy built to last -- Barack Obama 3 of 6 http://www.barackobama.com/issues NATION-BUILDING AT HOME: End wars and rebuild America President Obama responsibly ended the war in Iraq and will end the war in Afghanistan in 2014--now is the time to rebuild America. The President's plan uses half the money we're no longer spending on war to put Americans back to work rebuilding road, bridges, runways and schools here at home and uses the other half to help pay down the debt. While other nations are vastly outspending us on their infrastructure, American businesses are saddled with crumbling roads and bridges. The President is working to get rid of pet projects, government boondoggles, and bridges to nowhere. And he has proposed a new independent fund that will attract private dollars and issue loans for new construction projects based on: how badly are they needed, and how much good will they do for the economy. MO RE O N INFRAST RUCT URE ENERGY: Invest in clean energy made here in America 1/18/2013 1:57 PM Issues - An economy built to last -- Barack Obama 4 of 6 http://www.barackobama.com/issues sources, we can become a global leader in clean energy, creating American jobs and businesses while improving our environment and national security. An unprecedented boom in domestic production has led to cheaper natural gas, and President Obama will take every possible action to safely develop this abundant source of American energy to support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. U.S. oil production is at a 14-year high and President Obama has charted a course to cut net oil imports in half between 2008 and 2020, lowering imports by 5.5 million barrels per day and reducing our reliance on foreign oil to its lowest level in almost three decades. MO RE O N ENERG Y EDUCATION: Lead the world in college graduates by 2020 Education is the surest path to the middle class. President Obama is making historic investments in education to create opportunity for all Americans. To help students better afford a college education, President Obama ended billions in subsidies wasted on banks and used the savings to double investments in Pell Grants. He established a college tax credit for students and their families worth up to $10,000 over four years of college. He set a goal to lead the world in college graduates by 2020, and cut the growth of college tuition and fees in half over the next 10 years, a goal that will save the typical student thousands of dollars a year, and proposed bringing together community colleges and businesses to train 2 million Americans for good jobs that actually exist now and are waiting to be filled. There is no substitute for a great teacher. President Obama is fighting to help state and local governments save the jobs of hundreds of thousands of teachers and to provide states with resources to reward and attract great teachers while taking strides to improve teacher effectiveness. And he has set a goal to recruit and prepare 100,000 math and science teachers so we can out-compete countries in fields like science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). MO RE O N EDUCAT IO N HEALTH CARE: Expanding access and lowering costs for families 1/18/2013 1:57 PM Issues - An economy built to last -- Barack Obama 5 of 6 http://www.barackobama.com/issues rebates to expanded coverage, see how the President's health reform benefits you. The health care law that President Obama passed makes the health insurance system work better for everyone. It stops insurance companies from arbitrarily capping and cancelling our coverage, and provides access to recommended preventive care without co-pays or deductibles. It strengthens Medicare for our seniors and it helps young people get the health insurance they need. MO RE O N HEALT H CARE About Barack Obama Michelle Obama Joe Biden Dr. Jill Biden Connect Facebook Flickr Instagram Mobile App RSS SMS Storify Tumblr Twitter YouTube Issues Jobs and the economy Taxes and the budget Health care Education Environment Energy Immigration Campaign 1/18/2013 1:57 PM Issues - An economy built to last -- Barack Obama 6 of 6 http://www.barackobama.com/issues Frequently Asked Questions Privacy Policy Terms of Service PAID FOR BY OBAMA FOR AMERICA Follow @BarackObama (C) 2011-2012 Obama for America. All Rights Reserved. Like 34m 1/18/2013 1:57 PM