On Tuesday, January 28th, President Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. His fifth address during his presidency covered a variety of topics such as the war on terrorism, minimum wage, social security, education, and finding renewable energy resources.

The President started his address by highlighting our country’s growing economy, supported by positive statistics from the past several years.  Obama then proposed to continue to take action and reverse the effects of the Great Recession, particularly by strengthening the middle class.

Obama’s first major subject matter was that of American energy. He claimed that American dependence on foreign oil was lower than ever and applauded the increased usage of natural gas and solar power. Reducing energy usage and finding more efficient energy sources benefited the American work force, as more jobs were created to facilitate the transition to other resources.

Next, Obama led into wage equality, citing that the wage gap between men and women prevented half of America’s workforce from reaching its full potential.  The President then announced his most drastic measure of the whole address: an executive order (sidestepping Congress’ approval) in the coming weeks that will raise the minimum wage of federally-funded employees to $10.10 an hour.

The address also focused on social security and health care. Obama stated that social security isn’t enough for retired workers to survive.   He further explained that he intends to direct a new method for Americans to create their retirement savings called MyRA, a “no risk” savings bond. Following this, he listed several statistics indicating positive results from the Affordable Care Act.   While criticizing Republican opposition to the bill, Obama noted that the bill has helped millions of people, and the government owes it to the American people to keep the bill in place.

His final point was on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and counterterrorism. With all troops withdrawn from Iraq and the intention of  fulfilling the American mission in Afghanistan, Obama promised that the war will finally be over by the end of the year. As for counterterrorism, the President wants to focus on the intelligence community and to “remain vigilant” by  avoiding wars in the future. He wants to take a more diplomatic turn by requesting that Congress close the Guantanamo Bay prison,  promising to reduce drone strikes abroad, and reforming invasive surveillance programs.

Obama ended his address with a rehashing of the current state of international affairs– disarming Syria of their chemical weapons, halting Iranian progress with their nuclear program, the strengthening relationship between the US and Europe, and sending disaster relief to the Philippines– an anecdote of American bravery, and of course, a “God bless the United States of America.”