This year, the president’s State of the Union address will not merely be a one-night event.
Instead, President Obama plans to roll out his policy priorities for the year during the two weeks leading up to the annual speech, which he is set to deliver to Congress on Jan. 20.
Beginning with a three-city swing next week, Obama “will highlight the progress we have made in the economy and he will announce policies that he will highlight in the State of the Union address to push us forward — specifically in the areas of helping more responsible Americans own a home, getting kids a college education, and creating new, good paying jobs,” Deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz said in a statement.
The president will travel on Wednesday to the Detroit area, on Thursday to Phoenix, and on Friday to Tennessee, Schultz said, where Obama plans to announce both legislative proposals and executive actions.
Whereas the president declared 2014 his “year of action,” in which he circumvented Congress in many instances with executive actions, the White House has indicated Obama will endeavor this year to work more through the legislative process — even though that could mean butting heads with a Republican-controlled Congress.
“There are a number of issues we could make progress on,” Schultz said, “but the president is clear that he will not let this Congress undo important protections gained — particularly in areas of healthcare, Wall Street reform and the environment.”
