Jackie Bray is a single mother who lost her job as a mechanic but has a new one working at a wind turbine factory in Charlotte, North Carolina. In his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, President Obama used this story to illustrate his vision for America’s economy. His focus was on the middle class and a government that will create the conditions for the middle class to flourish. To that end, he described measures for tax reform, domestic job creation, consumer protection, and regulation of financial institutions. The president also described his strategy to expand America’s home-grown energy and his commitments to maintaining a robust military and to restraining Iran.

The State of the Union Address lays the vision for the president’s budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year, which the White House will release in February. Here are details on some of the proposals the president put forth in his speech on Tuesday night, and National Priorities Project offers analysis of tension between some of his stated goals and the hurdles he is likely to face.

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