— A note from President Barack Obama
Back at the beginning of this year, I made a point to tell folks to pay attention to what we do in the time we have left in the White House — that interesting stuff tends to happen in the fourth quarter.
And I like to think that 2015 has proven that point to be true. We’ve seen our hard work over the years pay off for the American people in a big way: The longest streak of private-sector job growth on record, the unemployment rate down to just 5 percent, and wages growing faster than at any time since the recovery began. The Affordable Care Act has helped drive the rate of uninsured folks in this country below 10 percent for the first time on record. Our American delegation working to reduce carbon emissions brought China to the table, and earlier this month in Paris, nearly 200 nations joined us in forging a historic climate agreement.
And though it wasn’t easy, Congress has also done their part to help end this year with some progress, too. They came to the table and passed a bipartisan budget deal, and in doing so averted a government shutdown for at least another nine months.
My hope is that as we go into my final year in office, we can see even more of this — people deciding to come together to get important things done on behalf of the American people. Because we still have some unfinished business.
I’ve got 12 months left to squeeze every ounce of change I can while I’m still in office. And that’s what I intend to do. In 2016, I’m planning to leave it all out on the field — and I hope you’ll be there alongside me. I’ve never been more optimistic about a year ahead than I am right now.
We’ve done a lot of remarkable things together this year, and it’s because of committed citizens like you that this country keeps moving forward. Thanks for being part of this work— these are your accomplishments. That’s what I want to celebrate with you on January 12, when I make my last State of the Union speech. Make sure you tune in. Let’s squeeze the best yet from the second half of this fourth quarter.