Happy New Year, everybody. I am fired up for the year that stretches out before us. That's because of what we've accomplished1 together over the past seven.
Seven years ago, our businesses were losing 800,000 jobs a month. They've now created jobs for 69 straight months, driving the unemployment rate from a high of 10% down to 5%. Seven years ago, too many Americans went without health insurance. We've now covered more than 17 million people, dropping the rate of the uninsured below 10% for the very first time. Seven years ago, we were addicted2 to foreign oil. Now our oil imports have plummeted3, our clean energy industry is booming, and America is a global leader in the fight against climate change. Seven years ago, there were only two states in America with marriage equality. And now there are 50.
All of this progress is because of you. And we've got so much more to do. So my New Year's resolution is to move forward on our unfinished business as much as I can. And I'll be more frequently asking for your help. That's what this American project is all about.
That's especially true for one piece of unfinished business, that's our epidemic4 of gun violence. Last month, we remembered the third ann
