Although we have more work to do, our economy has added more than 4 million private-sector jobs over 25 consecutive months. This chart shows our progress since President Obama took office. Share it widely.

Last night, President Obama delivered his third State of the Union address, laying out a blueprint for an America built to last. He described his vision of an economy built on American manufacturing and American energy and called on us and leaders in Washington to help accomplish his mission.

Journalists, pundits, and politicians across the country applauded the President's address.

Politico called President Obama a "defender of middle-class Americans," while the Washington Post called him a "champion for middle-class families struggling to get by." The Detroit Free Press said, "Because he deliberately stayed away from a lot of political line-drawing, he delivered a clear message that never strayed far from the middle of the American mind-set." According to the Christian Science Monitor, President Obama "pitched the issue of fairness in terms of 'American values,' not Democratic or Republican."

Journalist Howard Fineman described the address as “one of Barack Obama’s best, substantively and politically.” and journalist Rick Klein said it "was among the most confident, optimistic speeches by an American politician since 9/11.” "Obama showed how to criticize while reaching higher,” journalist David Corn praised, while journalist Amy Walter hailed the President as “confident, committed and ready to defend his record."

David Gergen, a presidential adviser during the Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton administrations said of the President on CNN: "He showed Democrats that he's willing to fight." Rep. Tim Ryan called Obama's address the “best policy speech of his administration.”

Former Clinton adviser Paul Begala summed up the State of the Union nicely in a tweet: “So proud of our President tonight... Beautifully written, wonderfully delivered.”

If you missed the State of the Union or want to relive the experience, watch the full speech here.

In case you missed it last night—or want to watch it again—here's full video of the White House's enhanced State of the Union address.

Afterward, be sure to add your name in support of the President's blueprint for an America that's built to last.

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union Address—to report on where we stand as a nation as well as lay out his agenda for the coming year. Democrats are hosting State of the Union watch parties across the country, and there is still time to find one near you.

Be sure to watch President Obama's address tonight—on barackobama.com, whitehouse.gov, network or cable television—and share the experience with your fellow Democrats. And while you're waiting for tonight's festivities, check out this behind-the-scenes video to find out about what goes into writing a State of the Union address.

We are one day away from President Obama's third State of the Union address. Kicking off tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET. Democrats across the country are hosting watch parties to view the speech and exchange ideas about how to support the agenda that the President will lay out. Join the action and find a State of the Union party near you.

If you can't make it to a watch party, no problem—there are plenty of ways to see the President's address. Tune into the live enhanced broadcast online—complete with charts, stats, and data that helped inform President Obama’s policy decisions. Or catch the address via the live stream that will broadcast through the White House Live App on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and barackobama.com—as well as all major networks and cable news stations. 

Following the address, the White House wants to hear from Americans who have questions about the address. You can ask questions to a live panel of White House senior advisers via Twitter (use the hashtags #WHChat & #SOTU) or Facebook.

Later in the week, check barackobama.com for shareable overview of the speech, and on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, administration officials, policy advisers and experts will take questions during Office Hours—an online questions and answer session on Twitter.

And finally, next Monday the President will answer your questions about his address in a Google+ Hangout, a live multi-person video chat. You can submit your questions now at youtube.com/whitehouse.

Tune into the State of the Union tomorrow, and stay involved all week long.

In a speech today in the White House Rose Garden, President Obama laid out a set of specific proposals to reduce our debt by more than $4 trillion in a balanced way—by asking all Americans to do their part so that no one segment of society has an unfair share of the burden.

"This is how we can reduce spending: by scouring the budget for every dime of waste and inefficiency, by reforming government spending, and by making modest adjustments to Medicare and Medicaid. But all these reductions in spending, by themselves, will not solve our fiscal problems. We can’t just cut our way out of this hole. It’s going to take a balanced approach. If we’re going to make spending cuts—many of which we wouldn’t make if we weren’t facing such large budget deficits—then it’s only right that we ask everyone to pay their fair share."

The President promised to work with Democrats and Republicans to reform our tax code, close unfair loopholes and subsidies that benefit big corporations, and end, once and for all, the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

"It is wrong that in the United States of America, a teacher or a nurse or a construction worker who earns $50,000 should pay higher tax rates than somebody pulling in $50 million. Anybody who says we can’t change the tax code to correct that, anyone who has signed some pledge to protect every single tax loophole so long as they live, they should be called out. They should have to defend that unfairness—explain why somebody who's making $50 million a year in the financial markets should be paying 15 percent on their taxes, when a teacher making $50,000 a year is paying more than that—paying a higher rate. They ought to have to answer for it. And if they’re pledged to keep that kind of unfairness in place, they should remember, the last time I checked the only pledge that really matters is the pledge we take to uphold the Constitution."

Read the full remarks here and watch the President's speech below.

This morning, The Labor Department announced better-than-expected numbers for jobs—the private sector added 154,000 jobs during the month of July, and unemployment ticked down to 9.1 percent. 

Today’s better than expected report marks 17 consecutive months of private-sector gains totaling more than 2.4 million jobs. The President welcomes this positive news but remains unsatisfied with the pace of recovery—and he will continue to do everything in his control, which includes pushing Congress, to help accelerate American growth.

That's why Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of the Council on Economic Advisors, called on Congress to take action:

Bipartisan action is needed to help the private sector and the economy grow – such as measures to extend both the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance, as well as passing the pending free trade agreements with re-employment assistance for displaced workers, the patent reform bill, and a bipartisan infrastructure bill to help put Americans back to work.  […] We will continue to work with Congress to build on these efforts to achieve a broader balanced deficit reduction agreement that instills confidence and allows us to live within our means without shortchanging future growth.

The chart below shows the economic turnaround since President Obama took office, from precipitous loss to steady gains:

Earlier today, Senator Reid reached an agreement with Republicans to end the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ensuring a paycheck for an estimated 74,000 workers during the month of August.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, a former Republican Congressman, praised the leadership of President Obama and four senators who came together to end this impasse and get people back to work.

President Obama released the following statement in light of the resolution:

I'm pleased that leaders in Congress are working together to break the impasse involving the FAA so that tens of thousands of construction workers and others can go back to work. We can't afford to let politics in Washington hamper our recovery, so this is an important step forward.

The White House today released this great infographic explaining the details of the bipartisan debt agreement reached earlier this week:

The White House today released this great infographic explaining the details of the bipartisan debt agreement reached earlier this week:

Earlier today, Congress sent to President Obama a measure to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the deficit. Following the Senate’s vote on this legislation, President Obama spoke from the White House Rose Garden and thanked the American people for pressuring their elected officials to reach a compromise during this debate.

In particular, the President today praised the creation of the bipartisan Joint Committee tasked with further debt discussions, and he renewed his call for a balanced approach that asks for shared sacrifice from those of us who can afford it. The Joint Committee is empowered to do just that.

But the President made clear that reducing the deficit is only the first step toward growing our economy. He urged Congress to take immediate action after they return from August recess to help “create a climate where businesses can hire, where folks have more money in their pockets to spend, where people who are out of work can find good jobs.”

We need to begin by extending tax cuts for middle-class families so that you have more money in your paychecks next year. If you’ve got more money in your paycheck, you’re more likely to spend it. And that means small businesses and medium-sized businesses and large businesses will all have more customers. That means they’ll be in a better position to hire. 

And while we’re at it, we need to make sure that millions of workers who are still pounding the pavement looking for jobs to support their families are not denied needed unemployment benefits.

Through patent reform, we can cut the red tape that stops too many inventors and entrepreneurs from quickly turning new ideas into thriving businesses -- which holds our whole economy back. And I want Congress to pass a set of trade deals -- deals we’ve already negotiated -- that would help displaced workers looking for new jobs and would allow our businesses to sell more products in countries in Asia and South America, products that are stamped with the words “Made in America.”

In the meantime, the President will continue doing everything in his power to foster growth and support families fighting to keep afloat.

The debt agreement is not perfect, nor is it the policy President Obama and Congressional Democrats would have crafted under different circumstances. It does, however, avert economic catastrophe, extend government’s borrowing ability, and set the stage for a balanced approach to reduce the deficit—a fact often misconstrued by Republicans and acquiescent media reports.

Among other changes, the agreement creates a new Joint Congressional Committee responsible for recommending an additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction. 

President Obama has repeatedly called on Congress to adopt a balanced approach that eliminates tax loopholes and asks shared sacrifice from the wealthiest among us—and this Joint Committee is empowered to do just that.

Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council, clarifies this point in a White House blog post:

First, the Committee can consider getting rid of tax expenditures like subsidies for oil and gas companies or corporate jet owners. These types of tax changes have been a major part of the recent deficit reduction conversation and would be a smart part of an overall balanced plan. No one on any side can dispute that the Joint Committee could consider them.

Second, the Committee can consider the kind of revenue raising tax reform that has broad and growing bipartisan support.

Sperling’s second point, that the Joint Committee can raise additional revenue, refutes a false claim made by Republicans. The Bush tax cuts expire in 2013, so some in the GOP have wrongly suggested that extending those tax cuts for middle and working-class families would increase the deficit.

That's simply not true. 

And this Joint Committee can reduce the deficit by both recommending spending cuts and also raising new revenue.

According to Sperling, here’s the bottom line:

[The] Joint Committee can reduce the deficit through tax reform and eliminating tax expenditures just like it can cut spending. What it ultimately does is up to the members of that Committee.

Feel free to read the full blog post for greater detail.

12:20 p.m. update: The President is expected to begin speaking soon after the Senate finishes voting on the debt agreement. The vote began shortly after noon ET.

Starting at 12:15 p.m. ET, President Obama will speak to the press about the bipartisan debt legislation passed yesterday in the House—and expected to pass the Senate today at noon. The agreement reduces the deficit, extends the government’s borrowing limit, and allows our country to move beyond the weeks-long impasse.

Watch the President live at 12:15 p.m. ET at whitehouse.gov/live.

In a message to supporters, President Obama explains the details and circumstances of the bipartisan deal reached to raise the debt ceiling and avert the first-ever government default. Watch below:

The President also thanked supporters who took action to call, write, and tweet at their elected officials—those actions helped end the stalemate. It’s a message of thanks echoed by all of us here at the Democratic National Committee as well.

Yesterday evening, President Obama addressed the nation about the need to reach a bipartisan solution to reduce America’s debt that still enables the economy to grow. The President acknowledged that although he and some House Republicans disagree on many issues, they share enough common ground to seize the moment and do the right thing:

I’m confident we can reach this compromise. Despite our disagreements, Republican leaders and I have found common ground before. And I believe that enough members of both parties will ultimately put politics aside and help us make progress.

Now, I realize that a lot of the new members of Congress and I don’t see eye-to-eye on many issues. But we were each elected by some of the same Americans for some of the same reasons. Yes, many want government to start living within its means. And many are fed up with a system in which the deck seems stacked against middle-class Americans in favor of the wealthiest few. But do you know what people are fed up with most of all?

They’re fed up with a town where compromise has become a dirty word. They work all day long, many of them scraping by, just to put food on the table. And when these Americans come home at night, bone-tired, and turn on the news, all they see is the same partisan three-ring circus here in Washington. They see leaders who can’t seem to come together and do what it takes to make life just a little bit better for ordinary Americans. They’re offended by that. And they should be.

Click here to read the President’s full remarks. Also, be sure to check back later for additional coverage.

Yesterday evening, President Obama addressed the nation about the need to reach a bipartisan solution to reduce America’s debt that still enables the economy to grow. The President acknowledged that although he and some House Republicans disagree on many issues, they share enough common ground to seize the moment and do the right thing:

I’m confident we can reach this compromise. Despite our disagreements, Republican leaders and I have found common ground before. And I believe that enough members of both parties will ultimately put politics aside and help us make progress.

Now, I realize that a lot of the new members of Congress and I don’t see eye-to-eye on many issues. But we were each elected by some of the same Americans for some of the same reasons. Yes, many want government to start living within its means. And many are fed up with a system in which the deck seems stacked against middle-class Americans in favor of the wealthiest few. But do you know what people are fed up with most of all?

They’re fed up with a town where compromise has become a dirty word. They work all day long, many of them scraping by, just to put food on the table. And when these Americans come home at night, bone-tired, and turn on the news, all they see is the same partisan three-ring circus here in Washington. They see leaders who can’t seem to come together and do what it takes to make life just a little bit better for ordinary Americans. They’re offended by that. And they should be.

Click here to read the President’s full remarks. Also, be sure to check back later for additional coverage.

If you agree with the President that we need a balanced approach, call your member of Congress: (202) 224-3121.

Earlier today at a short press conference, President Obama spoke about ongoing negotiations with Congress. He praised the progress of a bipartisan group of Senators, and again urged swift action to move forward with a balanced approach that reduces the deficit without undercutting economic growth.

In this week’s address, President Obama called on Democrats and Republicans to seize the moment and seek a balanced approach to solving our nation’s deficit problem.

In his third press conference in as many weeks, President Obama today spoke to reporters and the American public about the status of debt and deficit negotiations – and the need to move forward immediately. He implored Congress to “seize the moment” and seek a balanced, responsible approach that stabilizes America’s finances for decades to come.

The President reiterated that a majority of voters from both parties support a balanced approach – one that reduces spending but also asks the wealthiest among us to chip in a bit more. At a time when we cannot afford everything we need, he said it would be unfair to ask our most vulnerable to embrace austerity “if we’re not asking the most fortunate in our society to make some sacrifices as well.”

Our economy has come a long way since the worst of the recession, but far too many people are still struggling to keep afloat. The President hopes that negotiations will yield the biggest deal possible – and that it will happen as soon as possible.

My hope, though, is that they’re listening not just to lobbyists or special interests here in Washington, but they’re also listening to the American people. Because it turns out poll after poll, many done by your organizations, show that it’s not just Democrats who think we need to take a balanced approach; it’s Republicans as well. 

The clear majority of Republican voters think that any deficit reduction package should have a balanced approach and should include some revenues. That’s not just Democrats; that’s the majority of Republicans. You’ve got a whole slew of Republican officials from previous administrations. You’ve got a bipartisan commission that has said that we need revenues. 

So this is not just a Democratic understanding; this is an understanding that I think the American people hold that we should not be asking sacrifices from middle-class folks who are working hard every day, from the most vulnerable in our society -- we should not be asking them to make sacrifices if we’re not asking the most fortunate in our society to make some sacrifices as well.

You can also read the full transcript from today’s press conference.

Starting at 11:00 a.m. ET this morning, President Obama will hold a press conference on the status of negotiations to reduce the deficit and grow our economy. He and Vice President Biden have been meeting every day with Congressional leaders to craft a path forward that finds a balanced solution to these objectives ahead of the August 2nd deadline for government default.

Watch the President's press conference online starting at 11:00 a.m. ET at whitehouse.gov/live.

Also, be sure to check back later for more coverage of the event.

In case you weren’t able to watch the President’s full press conference yesterday, check out the video highlights reel below. Also, you can click here to read the full transcript, including the President’s remarks and his responses to reporters’ questions.

This morning, President Obama held a press conference to discuss the status of deficit negotiations. Amid a meeting over the weekend and another this afternoon, the President spoke about the need to find a balanced approach to reducing our deficit without hampering our recovery and harming working and middle-class Americans.

President Obama also emphasized that he will not agree to a temporary fix that punts on the critical decisions that will help secure our country’s fiscal and economic future: “We’re going to resolve this, and we’re going to resolve this for a reasonable period of time, and we’re going to resolve it in a serious way. “

What I emphasized to the broader group of congressional leaders yesterday is now is the time to deal with these issues. If not now, when? I've been hearing from my Republican friends for quite some time that it is a moral imperative for us to tackle our debt and our deficits in a serious way. I've been hearing from them that this is one of the things that's creating uncertainty and holding back investment on the part of the business community. And so what I've said to them is, let's go. And it is possible for us to construct a package that would be balanced, would share sacrifice, would involve both parties taking on their sacred cows, would involve some meaningful changes to Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid that would preserve the integrity of the programs and keep our sacred trust with our seniors, but make sure those programs were there for not just this generation but for the next generation; that it is possible for us to bring in revenues in a way that does not impede our current recovery, but is fair and balanced.

Read the President’s full remarks from today’s press conference.

Following yesterday’s meeting with House and Senate leadership, President Obama will hold a press conference this morning at 11:00 a.m. to provide an update on deficit negotiations and the economy and answer questions from the media.

Watch live online beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET at whitehouse.gov/live.

President Obama discusses the need for Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement on a balanced and responsible approach to reducing the deficit, but one that also enables our economy to continue growing.

Yesterday, Twitter users from across the country asked the President questions about a wide array of issues, from clean energy to education to NASA. Today and tomorrow, we’re going to look at some of your questions and elaborate on the President’s answers – providing more information and greater detail than was possible during the event itself.

First up: jobs and the economy.

In response to a question about the administration’s focus on manufacturing instead of “tech and knowledge industries,” the President replied: “Well, it’s not an either/or question; it’s a both/and question.”

The manufacturing industry, the President explained, typically offers higher wages and has a big multiplier effect, creating additional jobs that feed into the manufacturing process. He continued:What we want to focus on is advanced manufacturing that combines new technology, so research and development to figure out how are we going to create the next Twitter, … how are we going to create the next big thing.

Over the past few months in particular, the Obama administration has launched several exciting initiatives to help invest in advanced technology, spur manufacturing, and prepare our workforce for the future. Here are a few of those initiatives:

Train 10,000 engineers. On a visit to Durham, North Carolina, President Obama announced an initiative to train 10,000 engineers, collaborating with businesses and universities to promote education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Prepare 500,000 community college students for manufacturing careers. First launched in October 2010, President Obama renewed this initiative and announced efforts to help provide 500,000 community college students with credentials that will help them secure jobs in the manufacturing industry.

Create the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. This newinitiative brings together industry, universities, and the federal government to kick-start investment in nascent technologies such as robotics and national security industries -- and improves energy efficiency in manufacturing.

Invest in clean-energy technology. The Obama administration made the single greatest investment in clean energy in American history, providing tax credits for firms to develop energy technologies and incentives to innovate new sources of renewable energy.

Establish Startup America to spur entrepreneurship and job creation. In January, the President launched Startup America designed to spur entrepreneurship and inspire job creation.

Retrofit buildings. The administration launched the Better Buildings Initiative to make office buildings 20 percent more energy efficient by 2021 – it’s an initiative that creates jobs, encourages more efficient technologies, and saves money over the long run.

Check back tomorrow for more follow up from the President’s Twitter Town Hall.