The Presidential State of the Union address briefly mentioned the Prism, NSA and surveillance controversy.
President Barack Obama said in his annual address on Capitol Hill in Washington DC that he will reform “our surveillance programs – because the vital work of our intelligence community depends on public confidence” and that “we do these things because they help promote our long-term security”.
Obama used the address to talk boisterously about economic growth, overseas military action, the Obamacare programme, development of the country’s resources, education programmes, the strength of the country and how “our citizens who make the state of our union strong”.
However after he announced plans to reform the NSA recently, Obama said that he will reform the surveillance programs as “the vital work of our intelligence community depends on public confidence, here and abroad, that the privacy of ordinary people is not being violated”.
He said: “We do these things because they help promote our long-term security, and we do them because we believe in the inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual orientation.
“My fellow Americans, no other country in the world does what we do. On every issue, the world turns to us, not simply because of the size of our economy or our military might – but because of the ideals we stand for, and the burdens we bear to advance them.”
Elsewhere Obama stressed the need for high-tech manufacturing companies to hire. He claimed that there is the chance “to beat other countries in the race for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs”.
“My administration has launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing in Raleigh and Youngstown, where we’ve connected businesses to research universities that can help America lead the world in advanced technologies,” Obama said.
“Tonight, I’m announcing we’ll launch six more this year. Bipartisan bills in both houses could double the number of these hubs and the jobs they create. So get those bills to my desk and put more Americans back to work.”
