This was a momentous week for America.  It was a week in which together, we took bold new steps toward restoring economic security for our middle class and rebuilding a stronger foundation for our future.  It was a week in which some of the change that generations have hoped for and worked for finally became reality in America.
 It began with the passage of comprehensive health insurance reform that will begin to end the worst practices of the insurance industry, rein in our exploding deficits, and, over time, finally offer millions of families and small businesses quality, affordable care – and the security and peace of mind that comes with it.
And it ended with Congress casting a final vote on another piece of legislation that accomplished what we’ve been talking about for decades – legislation that will reform our student loan system and help us educate all Americans to compete and win in the 21st century.
Year after year, we’ve seen billions of taxpayer dollars handed out as subsidies to the bankers and middlemen who handle federal student loans, when that money should have gone to advancing the dreams of our students and working families.  And yet attempts to fix this problem and reform this program were thwarted by special interests that fought tooth and nail to preserve their exclusive giveaway.
 But this time, we said, would be different.  We said we’d stand up to the special interests, and stand up for the interests of students and families.   That’s what happened this week.  And I commend all the Senators and Representatives who did the right thing.
This reform of the federal student loan programs will save taxpayers $68 billion over the next decade.  And with this legislation, we’re putting that money to use achieving a goal I set for America: by the end of this decade, we will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.
To make college more affordable for millions of middle-class Americans for whom the cost of higher education has become an unbearable burden, we’re expanding federal Pell Grants for students: increasing them to keep pace with inflation in the coming years and putting the program on a stronger financial footing.  In total, we’re doubling funding for the federal Pell Grant program to help the students who depend on it.
To make sure our students don’t go broke just because they chose to go to college, we’re making it easier for graduates to afford their student loan payments.  Today, about 2 in 3 graduates take out loans to pay for college.  The average student ends up with more than $23,000 in debt.  So when this change takes effect in 2014, we’ll cap a graduate’s annual student loan repayments at 10 percent of his or her income.
To help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates over the next decade, we’re revitalizing programming at our community colleges – the career pathways for millions of dislocated workers and working families across this country.  These schools are centers of learning; where students young and old can get the skills and technical training they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow.  They’re centers of opportunity; where we can forge partnerships between students and businesses so that every community can gain the workforce it needs.  And they are vital to our economic future.
And to ensure that all our students have every chance to live up to their full potential, this legislation also increases support for our Minority Serving Institutions, including our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to keep them as strong as ever in this new century.
Education.  Health care.  Two of the most important pillars of a strong America grew stronger this week.  These achievements don’t represent the end of our challenges; nor do they signify the end of the work that faces our country.  But what they do represent is real and major reform.  What they show is that we’re a nation still capable of doing big things.  What they prove is what’s possible when we can come together to overcome the politics of the moment; push back on the special interests; and look beyond the next election to do what’s right for the next generation.
That’s the spirit in which we continue the work of tackling our greatest common tasks – an economy rebuilt; job creation revitalized; an American Dream renewed – for all our people.
这一周对美国来说是非常重要的一周。这一周我们实行了新的大胆的步骤，既为我们的中产阶级恢复经济安全，同时也为我们的未来重建一个强大的基础。这是一些几代人都希望并且努力实现的改变在美国最终成为现实的一周。

在这周结束的时候，国会应经对另外一项立法议案进行了投票表决。这项立法议案实现了我们几十年一直讨论的对学生贷款体系改革，来帮助我们教育所有美国人在二十一世纪中竞争致胜。
 
综合医疗保险改革的通过拉开了这一周的序幕，这就将开始杜绝保险业最恶劣的行为，控制我们爆炸性增长的赤字，同时随着时间的推移最终将对数以百万的家庭和小型企业提供质量可靠、支付得起的医疗。这样心灵的安全和和平随之而来。

一年又一年，我们总是看到几十亿的税收用来补贴银行家和持有联邦学生贷款的中间人，但是这些钱本应该是用来帮助我们的学生和工薪家庭实现梦想。然而试图对这些问题的解决和对这项计划的改进总是被一些想保持他们独有馈赠的特殊利益集团极力阻挠。

但是这次，我们可以说应该不一样了。我们成功的顶住了特殊利益集团的破坏，坚持维护学生和家庭的利益。这就是这周发生的事情。同时，我对所有做出了正确选择的参议员和众议员表示赞扬。

这项关于联邦贷款计划的改革将在下一个十年为纳税者节省680亿元。有了这项法案，我们可以把这些钱用来实现我为美国设定的目标，那就是在这个十年的末期，我们将再一次的拥有世界上最高比例的大学毕业生。
对于数以百万计中产阶级美国人来说高额的高等教育花费已经成为一个难以承受的负担。为了使大学教育让这些人能够支付的起，我们正扩大联邦佩尔助学金的资助学生范围，提高资助金以适应接下来几年的通货膨胀，并且把资助计划放在一个更可靠的经济基础之上。总的来说，我们将成倍增加联邦佩尔助学金计划的资金，去帮助那些依靠它的学生。

 为了保证我们的学生不会因为选择接受高等教育而破产，我们正在努力使毕业生支付他们的学生贷款变得更加轻松。现在，大约有三分之二的毕业生通过借贷来支付大学教育。平均每个学生最终会欠下超过23000美元的债务。因此，当这项改革一直到2014年有效的话，我们将会使一个毕业生每年偿还的学生贷款限制在他们个人收入的10%以下。
为了帮助额外的五百万美国人再下一个十年里获得学位和毕业证书，我们正在振兴我们在社区学院的计划，这是在这个国家里的失业工人和工薪家庭的职业途径。这些学校是年轻或年老的学生获得他们现在或将来工作所需要能力和技术培训的学习中心，同时也是机会的集中地。在这里学生和小企业家能结成合作伙伴，这样每个社区都能获得他们需要的劳动力。这些都是我们未来经济的重要因素。
同时为了确保我们所有的学生都有机会充分发挥自己的潜力，这项法案也增加了对少数民族服务机构的支持，包括我们的传统的黑人学院和大学，来保证他们在这个新的世纪中一如既往的强大。
教育和医疗卫生，这是一个强大美国的两个最重要的支柱，都在这一周变得更加稳定。这些成功并不代表我们的挑战就会结束，也不能证明我们国家所面临的这些工作就要结束。但是他们一定能表示这是一项真正重大的改革。它们表明我们国家仍然具有做大事的能力。它们证明我们团结起来克服当前政策，击退特殊利益集团，在未来做出对后代有利的下一次选举是可能的。
这就是我们继续处理我们所有人共同的艰巨任务——经济复苏，就业振兴，美国梦复兴——的精神。