U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Congress to take action on a number of his domestic priorities - such as health care and the economy - in his first State of the Union address.
Speaking to a joint session of the House and Senate at the Capitol Wednesday night, Mr. Obama urged Congress to send him a jobs bill "without delay." He called for a new foundation for long-term economic growth, and for the nation to address the economic problems that Americans have faced for years.
Mr. Obama vowed to keep fighting for a sweeping health care overhaul, saying that if it does not pass in Congress, insurance costs will continue to rise and the U.S. deficit will grow.
He acknowledged that the country faces serious challenges and that some his decisions have not been politically popular. Unemployment in the United States is at 10 percent; the budget deficit is in the trillions of dollars, and Mr. Obama's public approval ratings have declined since he took office a year ago with soaring public approval.
In the Republican response, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said the federal government is trying to do too much, and has increased the national debt for future generations.
President Obama called for a freeze on government spending for three years, starting in 2011, in an effort to lessen the national debt.
On international issues, President Obama said that even as the United States fights wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the country is confronting perhaps the "greatest danger" to its people - the threat of nuclear weapons. He said North Korea is facing increased isolation and stronger sanctions, and said that Iran will face "growing consequences" if its leaders continue to ignore their obligations.
On the domestic front, the president said he will work to repeal a law that bans homosexuals from serving in the U.S. military - the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which allows gays to serve as long as they do not reveal their sexual preferences.
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