Ed. note: This is cross-posted from the Department of Transportation's Fast Lane blog. See the original post here.

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama said that, "The best measure of opportunity is access to a good job," and at the Department of Transportation, we couldn't agree more strongly.

That's why we work around the clock and through the calendar to ensure that American transportation connects people and communities more safely, reliably, and conveniently every day. Because we know that every minute you're stuck in highway traffic is a minute you can't be with your family after work, and every bus that is out of service for maintenance on your transit route is a challenge to your ability to get to work on time.

Update: The live Hangout has concluded. You can watch the full video below, or right here.

President Obama's going on a road trip today, and we want you come along for the ride.

After the President delivered his State of the Union Address, he traveled the country to talk about how we're going to ensure opportunity for all. And over the past week, people from all over have submitted their video questions about the address.

Today, January 31, he'll meet with some of those folks as part of a virtual road trip on Google+. The road trip will begin on the West Coast, then the President will hop on to a Hangout in the Midwest, and end back East.

It all happens today at 2 p.m. ET -- don't miss it. Watch the Hangout Road Trip live on WhiteHouse.gov, the White House Google+ page, and at YouTube.com/WhiteHouse. 

President Barack Obama tours General Electric's Waukesha Gas Engines Facility in Milwaukee, Wis., Jan. 30, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

Following his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama is traveling around the country to talk more about the importance of opportunity for all.

Earlier today, President Obama visited a General Electric gas engines facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin and McGavock High School in Nashville. At both stops, he detailed the four parts of the opportunity agenda he put forward in Tuesday’s address: 1) create more new jobs; 2) train Americans with the skills to fill those jobs; 3) guarantee every child access to a world-class education; and 4) make sure hard work pays off.

Economic growth was solid in the fourth quarter, a testament to the resilience of American businesses and families. The private sector’s strong performance in the fourth quarter caps off its fastest year of growth since 2003. And over the four quarters of 2013, real GDP grew 2.7 percent, its strongest rate in three years. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate is still unacceptably high, and too many Americans are still looking for a job and fighting to make ends meet. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Obama outlined his plans to build on the progress made to date and ensure 2014 is a year of action, with steps to increase growth, create new jobs, and expand economic opportunity.

FIVE KEY POINTS IN TODAY’S REPORT FROM THE BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

1. Real gross domestic product rose at a solid 3.2 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, the 11th consecutive quarter of growth. Looking at the various components of GDP, growth in consumer spending picked up from the previous quarter, as did exports, business investment was in line with its recent performance, but Federal spending fell sharply, and housing posted its first quarterly decline since 2010. In the last two quarters economic growth accelerated to a 3.7 percent annual rate and over the four quarters of 2013, real GDP grew 2.7 percent, up from 2.0 percent in 2012. (Note that economists generally prefer to measure growth on a Q4/Q4 basis because that reflects what happened to the economy just in 2013, the alternative annual measure of growth also places considerable weight on what happened to the economy in 2012 and thus does not provide as meaningful a measure.)

Ed. note: This event has concluded. See all the responses from administration officials who participated in Big Block of Cheese Day.

President Obama has always been dedicated to the idea that the White House is truly "The People's House" and has worked to make 1600 Pennsylvania and his administration open and accessible.

This isn't a new idea, the same can be said of President Andrew Jackson. On February 22, 1837, President Jackson hosted an open house featuring a 1,400-pound block of cheese that sat in the main foyer of the White House. This original "Big Block of Cheese Day" opened the doors of the White House to thousands of citizens to interact with cabinet members and White House staff – and carve off a slice of the four foot by two foot thick slab of cheddar. 

On Wednesday, January 29th, with a nod to history (and maybe the TV show the West Wing), the Obama Administration is hosting the first-ever virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day," during which dozens of White House officials will take to social media for a day long 'open house' to answers questions from everyday Americans in real-time on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and via Google+ Hangout.

So be sure to visit WH.gov/SOTU to watch the State of the Union Address live on January 28, 2014 at 9 p.m. ET and stay tuned for a complete schedule of engagement events for virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day."

Today, the White House launched a new bilingual Facebook page to highlight the Administration's efforts to ensure that the ladder of opportunity remains strong for Latinos and all Americans.

In the lead up to the State of the Union Address, the White House is continuing its commitment to connecting with the American public through social media interaction with senior Administration officials on important topics that are critical to our economic prosperity. We encourage the public to participate in the discussion by using the hashtag #SOTU. You can also follow along on the White House blog when White House officials take over the White House Instagram account to give you a behind-the-scenes view of preparations for the State of the Union. Tune in on Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET to hear more about the President's vision for 2014, and you can watch the speech with live Spanish captioning here.

President Obama and his Administration are breaking new ground on connecting with the Latino community every day by creating meaningful engagement through many platforms:

• The official Spanish-language website at whitehouse.gov/espanol and Hispanic sections at whitehouse.gov/Hispanic and immigration section at whitehouse.gov/immigration
• Bilingual Twitter account @LaCasaBlanca and bilingual updates from Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz @Cecilia44 and Director of Hispanic Media Katherine Vargas @Vargas44
• Bi-weekly Latino newsletter by the White House Office of Public Engagement on key events and policies of importance for the Latino community. To subscribe to the Latino newsletter, you can sign up here.
• Weekly Spanish-language video message called “Mensaje de la Casa Blanca” (White House Video Message) echoing the themes from the President's Weekly Address featuring senior level Administration officials.

Our great nation was built on and continues to thrive on its diversity and opportunity. Latinos will account for 60 percent of our population growth in the coming decades, and in turn will be an increasingly larger share of the workforce. There is no doubt that the future of the United States is inextricably linked to the future of the Hispanic community. That's something President Obama understands, and why he has made it a priority that his Administration is not only reflected in America's great diversity, but that we're being open and responsive to the needs of all Americans.

Thank you for your interest and participation.

In just about 24 hours, the President will deliver his fifth State of the Union Address. Today, I took over the White House Instagram to take you behind the scenes (and the podium). Thanks for following along, and be sure to watch the speech live tomorrow at 9pm ET on WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU.

For nearly three decades, extraordinary Americans who exemplify the themes and ideals laid out in the State of the Union Address have been invited to join the First Lady in her viewing box. Learn more about the remarkable individuals who will join First Lady Michelle Obama for the 2014 State of the Union Address:

On Tuesday, January 28th at 9:00 p.m. ET, President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union Address to the nation. Once again, we will live stream an enhanced version of the speech featuring graphics, data and stats that highlight the issues the President will lay out for the upcoming year. You can also watch that broadcast on Facebook, YouTube and our Google+ page. But the speech is just the beginning…

Immediately following the address, we’ll stream a live “Open for Questions” event from the White House on WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU. You'll have the chance to ask your questions and hear from a panel of senior White House advisors. You can post questions now, and during the speech on Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Google+ and Facebook using the hashtag #SOTUChat. We'll also answer questions from an in-person audience of White House Social participants.

Here's the full line up:

• Josh Earnest, Principal Deputy Press Secretary (@JEarnest44)
• Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy
• Betsey Stevenson, member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisors (@CEABetsey)
• Dan Utech, Director for Energy and Climate Change (@Utech44)
• Christen Young, Domestic Policy Council
• Marlon Marshall, Principal Deputy Director of Public Engagement

We hope you can join us!