‘Detroit Is Open for Business’: Obama Hits the Road, Touting ‘Breakthrough Year’

“I just had lunch with Detroit’s new mayor, Mike Duggan. He told me there's one thing that he wants everybody to know. It's that Detroit is open for business and I have great confidence that he's going to provide the leadership that you need. I'm really proud of him. The point is we've all had to buckle down, we've all had to work hard, we've all had to fight our way back these past five years. And in a lot of ways we are now better positioned for the 21st century than any other country on earth. This morning we learned that our businesses in the private sector created more than 140,000 jobs last month, adding up to about 8.5 million new jobs over the past four years. Our unemployment rate is now the lowest it's been since before I was first elected. The companies across the country are saying they intend to hire even more folks in the months ahead. And that's why I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America. And I’ve come here today to sign a bill that hopefully means folks in Washington feel the same way. Instead of wasting time creating crises that impede the economy, we're going to have a Congress that's ready to spend some time creating new jobs, and new opportunities, and positioning us for the future, and making sure our young people can take advantage of that future.”