A Better Bargain
WATCH: President Obama's Economic Vision
Health Care
Middle-class families deserve the security of knowing they have access to affordable health care when they get sick.
Jobs
The first cornerstone of a strong and growing middle class must be an economy that generates good jobs.
Housing
Owning a home has always been at the heart of the American Dream.
Education
Education is the single most important investment we can make in our middle class.
Ladders of Opportunity
Americans still trapped in poverty deserve a chance to work their way into the middle class, too.
WATCH: Ladders of Opportunity
There’s a basic bargain in America. It says that no matter who you are or where you’re from, if you’re willing to work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to find a good job, feel secure in your community, and support a family.
President Obama has fought for the middle class and made historic investments in making sure that there are ladders of opportunity for those working hard to make it to the middle class. And he's committed the rest of his presidency to building a better bargain that will make the middle class great well into the 21st century.
WATCH: A Better Bargain for Health Care
President Obama believes that nobody in America should go broke because they get sick, which is why he signed the Affordable Care Actinto law in 2010.
The law gives hard-working, middle class families the security they deserve and protects every American from the worst insurance company abuses.
And now, from October through March, millions of Americans can sign up for insurance that fit their needs and their budgets at HealthCare.gov.
WATCH: A Better Bargain for Middle Class Jobs
- End incentives to ship jobs overseas
- Lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs in the U.S.
- Lower tax rates for manufacturers
- Cut taxes for small businesses
- Put construction workers on the job rebuilding our infrastructure
- Expand our network of high-tech manufacturing hubs
- Strengthen job training at community colleges
- Raise the minimum wage
WATCH: A Better Foundation for Middle Class Homeowners
Restoring security to homeownership is one of President Obamas top economic priorities. In Phoenix, he laid out his ideas strengthen the housing market and ensure responsible middle class families have access to affordable mortgages and refinancing.
But he made it clear that we can't go back to the same bubble-and burst housing system that caused the financial crisis. We need a rock-solid foundation for financing homeownership with a bigger role for the private sector, where taxpayers aren’t on the hook for the irresponsible behavior or bad decisions of financial institutions.
WATCH: A Better Bargain for Students
A college education continues to be the ticket to the middle class. More and more, well-paying jobs require education or training after high school.
Despite President Obama's historic investments in college affordability since taking office, the cost of college has been growing out of reach for decades, and students and their families are taking on more of the costs.
This week, President Obama is on a bus tour to talk about his ambitious new agenda to keep college affordable for middle class families.
A Better Bargain
Nearly five years after the start of the Great Recession, President Obama kicks off a series of speeches laying out the progress we’ve made since then and the work that’s left to do to rebuild an economy where everyone who works hard can get ahead.
Get updates about future speeches and the economy