On January 20, 2015, the sixth anniversary of President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Obama took a moment to address the United States. Following his State of the Union, approval ratings increased to a two year high of 50%, showing that Obama’s focus on middle class economics appealed to the common population. With good intentions, Obama highlighted issues ranging from tax breaks for child care to two years of free community college. However, the question remains: will any of these proposals actually be realistic with a Republican majority in Congress?

Early in his address, Obama appeared to bring an aura of confidence to the podium. With a somewhat revived economy and lower gas prices, Obama looked seemingly unruffled by the outcome of the 2014 midterm elections. Obama remarked, “In two weeks, I will send this Congress a budget filled with ideas that are practical, not partisan.” He then commenced to outline issues geared toward the middle class, proposing measures that would “put thousands of dollars back into [middle class voters’] pockets each year.”

Some consider one of these many proposals to be especially unfeasible: the change in minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 has been a goal throughout President Obama’s presidency. When a Senate with a Democratic majority received a bill seeking to raise the minimum wage in April of 2014, the final vote was 54 to 42 – not enough to pass the bill. In a provocative statement to promote his goal, Obama challenged the Republicans: “If you think living on $15,000 is appropriate, try it.” Despite this jab, it is unlikely that they will budge on their stance. It is simply unpractical for this minimum wage bill to be passed.

Another key initiative President Obama laid out was to provide tuition free two-year community college for any students willing to keep up to the standard. Proposing to Congress a $60 billion cost sharing program, Obama seemed keen on the idea of helping lower and middle class families help climb the social ladder.

Aadi Kulkarni ’18 brings up a valid point: “Although free community college is a great idea on paper, it is going to be interesting to see if it can be implemented effectively.”

Along with addressing the need of measures ensuring paid sick leave for workers, Obama said he would send a new budget to Congress so that child care becomes more affordable. Stating that it is no longer only a women’s issue, Obama put forward the initiative of a $3,000 tax break for each child in a family.

Regardless of Obama’s rallying of lowering taxes on the middle class, one must wonder how they will be made up for. The answer is that Obama wants to raise taxes on the wealthy to finance cuts on the growing middle class and the new programs he proposed. However, the likelihood of Congress shutting down the initiative is strong, because it is led by lawmakers who strongly oppose tax hikes.

Ashley Yang ’17, sums up, “I think his ideas are great, and I bet so will the average middle class worker. However, they definitely won’t be feasible to be implemented within his term, in addition to the fact that there is a Republican Congress. However, I think appealing to the middle class to this extent made the State of the Union a success.”