In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama announced his plans to make community college free, reduce student loan debt and lower taxes for working families, among other initiatives.

Much of Obama’s address focused on using “middle-class economics” in the budget he will propose to Congress in two weeks, which he said would lower the costs of childcare, college, health care, homes and retirement.

Specifically, Obama said he plans to cut taxes up to $3,000 per child each year for middle-class and low-income families.

He also brought up issues he would like Congress to act upon, such as strengthening workers’ unions, raising the minimum wage, paying women at an equal rate to men, and granting workers paid maternity leave and paid sick leave.

On the topic of education, Obama said he will send Congress a plan to make community college free for students who can maintain their grades and graduate on time, citing 40 percent of college students choose community college, and two out of three jobs will require higher education by the end of the decade.

He also said he wants to work with Congress to allow for reductions on monthly student loan payments.

On foreign policy, Obama asked Congress to authorize the use of force against ISIL, noting the U.S. is supporting opposition in Syria with the idea being to lead a coalition rather than enter another war.

Likewise, he said he has prohibited torture, constrained the use of drones, and worked to cut the population of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in half.

He also encouraged Congress to end the trade embargo with Cuba that has been in effect for 50 years.

Obama also acknowledged climate change as the greatest threat to future generations and said the U.S. would double its rate of reducing carbon emissions, setting the example for other counties.

Additional topics included the need for a new infrastructure for exporting products and adjusting trade deals in Asia and Europe, which the president said would create more jobs and help the country compete with China.

Obama added companies that invest in the U.S. should be rewarded, and tax loopholes for the wealthy should be eliminated.

Obama mentioned Internet security many times as well, as he will be proposing legislation that would give the government more access to information to protect companies and others against cyber-threats.

The full text of Obama’s address is available online at www.whitehouse.gov.

Stephanie Markham can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].