US President Barack Obama used his traditional radio address Saturday to showcase his administration’s legislative achievements, arguing the country has made steps toward restoring its economic security.

“This was a momentous week for America,” the president said. “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.”

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On Tuesday, Obama signed into law a health care reform bill that extends medical coverage to an estimated 32 million Americans who currently lack it and bans insurance company abuses as well as mandating that all US citizens buy insurance or face fines.

Later in the week, Congress gave its final approval to legislation that will reform the US student loan system and, according to the president, will save the taxpayers 68 billion dollars 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,” Obama said.

The president said that these achievements did not represent the end of challenges facing American society, and the country still had a lot of work to do.

“But what they do represent is real and major reform,” he pointed out. “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.”

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This video was published to the Web by the White House on March 27, 2010.

With AFP.