Latest Updates Obama State of Union 2013: Live Coverage of the President's Speech

Impact

On Tuesday, February, 12, 2013, President Obama will deliver his fifth State of the Union but the first address to Congress after winning a second term in office. The president will certainly use this speech to highlight his major policy goals for the next four years. Follow along live for coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address. 

During his inauguration speech, the president outlined a robust vision for his second term. Obama mentioned many issues that have remained unaddressed during his first term. Those unaddressed issues consist of climate change and immigration reform. Obama also made references to inequality and other hot button social issues.

According to news reports, the economy and jobs will be the central theme of the upcoming State of the Union address. To keep bolstering the economy, it has been reported that the president will call for spending on infrastructure and clean energy.

Education will also be included in the State of the Union. In a speech before House Democratic members during their annual retreat, Obama gave a preview of what he would discuss in the State of the Union. The president stated that he would propose “improvements in education” as a job-boosting measure.

Sequestration is another issue that will be addressed by the president because of the deleterious impact that it would have on the economy. Obama is likely to propose a short term plan that includes both revenues and spending cuts to forestall the severe cuts that sequestration will cause.

Gun control will be a key component of the speech. Since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, the regulation of guns has become a hot button issue. It is highly likely that the president will offer a plan that will include universal background checks, a 10 bullet limits on high capacity magazines, and perhaps a ban on assault weapons.

Last but not least, the president will certainly address immigration reform. During his first term, Obama’s effort to tackle immigration reform was torpedoed by Republicans. There is renewed momentum for the passage of immigration reform after the election. The president will surely offer a plan that would include a path to citizenship to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country.