NEW YORK — Facing a Congressional logjam over the nation’s debt ceiling, President Barack Obama said Saturday that the U.S. can’t just cut its way back to prosperity.
Using his weekly Internet and radio address recorded at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh to stress jobs and education, Obama said he’s committed to working with members of both parties to cut deficits and debt.
But the president gave no specific hints on how he’ll tackle key meetings, scheduled to begin Monday, with congressional leaders over stalled debt-ceiling talks.
“We need to do what’s necessary to grow our economy; create good, middle-class jobs; and make it possible for all Americans to pursue their dreams,” Obama said. “That means giving our kids the best education in the world so they have the knowledge and skills to succeed in this economy. It means rebuilding our crumbling roads, railways and runways. And it means investing in the cutting-edge research and technologies that will spur growth in the years ahead — from clean energy to advanced manufacturing.”
The comments came ahead of a meeting on Monday between Obama and U.S. Senate leaders from the Republican and Democratic parties to try to revive stalled talks about raising the U.S. debt ceiling and avoiding a government shutdown.
Republicans walked away from debt reduction talks held by Vice President Joe Biden over the issue of tax increases.
In the Republican response to Obama, Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C, said the “job creators” from the U.S. small business community, “don’t have their hand out … they don’t want a bailout. All they ask us to do is get government out of the way. Uncertainty, burdensome regulations and the fear of higher taxes are making it harder to create jobs and stay afloat.”
Ellmers said 2.3 million more Americans are looking for work than when Obama took office in early 2009.
She touted a Republican job creation plan, which Ellmers said would cut regulations for businesses, expand U.S. energy production, and open overseas markets for American products.
Obama praised a privately held Pittsburgh-based company called RedZone Robotics, which makes robots to find leaks in water and sewage pipes.
He said the newly launched Advanced Manufacturing Partnership program will help get ideas from the drawing board to the manufacturing floor to the marketplace as swiftly as possible to make the U.S. more competitive.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
