Washington: Listing priorities for the next year, that includes economy, immigration, health care and foreign policy, US president Barack Obama said that "2014 needs to be a year of action."
"I think 2014 needs to be a year of action. We`ve got work to do to create more good jobs, to help more Americans earn the skills and education they need to do those jobs and to make sure that those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let families build a little bit of financial security," Obama said at a crowded year end news conference.
Emphasising the need to overhaul America`s immigration system, Obama said: "We still have the task of finishing the fix on our broken immigration system."
US is going to focus on continue with progress made on the economic front and offer the middle class and those aspiring to join its ranks better opportunity, the US President said.
Obama maintained that the US is strengthening its position at home and defending its interests abroad.
"This year, we`ve demonstrated that with clear-eyed, principled diplomacy, we can pursue new paths to a world that`s more secure - a future where Iran does not build a nuclear weapon, a future where Syria`s chemical weapons stockpiles are destroyed," he said.
The President insisted that the US will wind up Afghan war by the end of next year and would continue to bring its troops home.
"As always, we will remain vigilant to protect our homeland and our personnel overseas from terrorist attacks," he said.
Obama said he firmly believe that 2014 can be a breakthrough year for America. "We all know there`s a lot more that we`re going to have to do to restore opportunity and broad-based growth for every American. And that?s going to require some action," he said.
In 2013, American businesses created another two million jobs, adding up to more than 8 million in just over the past 45 months.
"Over the summer, our economy grew at its strongest pace in nearly two years. The unemployment rate has steadily fallen to its lowest point in five years. Our tax code is fairer, and our fiscal situation is firmer, with deficits that are now less than half of what they were when I took office," he argued.
"For the first time in nearly two decades, we now produce more oil here at home than we buy from the rest of the world, and our all-of-the-above strategy for new American energy means lower energy costs."
He said that the Affordable Care Act has helped keep health care costs growing at their slowest rate in 50 years.
"Combined, that means bigger paychecks for middle-class families and bigger savings for businesses looking to invest and hire here in America," Obama said.
