President Obama says he will not let the economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out Americans' basic protections.

He said he rejects the idea that the government has to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. He said he rejects the argument that says for the economy to grow, the nation has to roll back protections and rules or strip away collective bargaining rights.

He said the United States should not be in what he described as “a race to the bottom,” where it tries to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. He said the United States should be in a race to the top, and said he believes that is a race the nation can win.

President Obama said the United States has always been a nation with responsibilities to one another.

Addressing members of Congress, he said it is time for the government to meet its responsibilities, pointing out that every proposal of his is the kind that has been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past.

He said every proposal will be paid for and is designed to meet the urgent needs of the American people and communities.