President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address Jan. 25 to the joint session of Congress. In an effort to urge Americans to invest in the nation’s infrastructure, Obama said the nation is facing “our generation’s Sputnik moment.”

Obama reiterated many of his campaign promises in the address and promised strong infrastructure and economic recovery. His promise to innovate the country included a pledge to make high-speed rail accessible to 80 percent of Americans within 25 years.

He also called to cut spending, setting forth a five-year freeze on all spending outside of security, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Obama is facing a Republican majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in his administration and urged for unity between the Democrats and Republicans.

“At stake right now is not who wins the next election – after all, we just had an election,” he said. “At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It’s whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It’s whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world. We are poised for progress.”

Lawmakers broke the tradition of sitting on opposite sides of the aisle during the address. This decision was made in light of the recent Tuscon, Ariz. tragedy that left six people dead and many injured, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). This symbolic gesture echoed the call from both sides of the aisle to work together and compromise on issues to be sure that accomplishments will be made.

Obama has faced recent criticism from both sides of the aisle for not fulfilling many of the promises from his 2008 presidential campaign in the past two years. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said in the official Republican Party’s response to Obama’s speech that the U.S. is at a “tipping point” with debt.

“The debt will soon eclipse our entire economy, and grow to catastrophic levels in the years ahead,” Ryan said, who blamed much of this debt on the fiscal policies of Obama and the democrats during the past two years.

He said that a major culprit for this fiscal crisis is the president’s health care law. Ryan claimed that the law is “accelerating our country toward bankruptcy.”

Dr. Alexander Aguado, associate professor of political science, said that Obama’s “Sputnik” comments represent an important time to reinvest in the public. “This is a way to repackage his agenda in a more positive light. These promises are nothing new. They’re what the stimulus tried to do, but it doesn’t sound all that liberal,” Aguado said.

Aguado stated that Obama has accomplished many of the goals he set forth in 2008, including repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and his best-known achievement of health care reform. Aguado said that many of Obama’s promises outlined in the speech were tepid.

“Who’s not against creating jobs?” Aguado asked. “Who’s not against making school cheaper? The question the Republicans and the Tea Party will ask is how we are going to pay for it, and that will be the question of the next two years.”