In his third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama outlined his priorities for legislative action and priorities for the American people. He opened his address by celebrating the return of combat troops from Iraq, and later outlined his policy toward the Middle East and Asia. Near the end of his remarks he also made a plea to Congress to address economic inequality.
In his remarks he focused on the economy and economic recovery efforts, saying "the state of the union is getting stronger." He also proposed a bluprint for boosting American manufacturing, called for tax reforms, urged Congress to invest in innovation, and announced a program to investigate fraud in the mortgage industry.Other topics included international trade, education, clean energy, and partisan politics in Washington.