President Barack Obama launched a ferocious political attack on hard line Tea Party Republicans Thursday, accusing them of betraying the ideals of America by forcing a 16-day government shutdown that cost the economy at least $24 billion.
Hours after signing the legislation that ended Washington’s latest budget standoff, Obama said Republicans who had “pushed for the shutdown” had succeeded only in creating a spectacle of poor governance that had tarnished America’s credibility in the world.
“It’s encouraged our enemies, it’s emboldened our competitors, and it’s depressed our friends, who look to us for steady leadership,” he said, The Province informs.
Obama said the crisis had caused “completely unnecessary” damage to the economy, claiming it had slowed growth, seen households cut back on their spending and worsened the deficit.
“Let’s be clear. There are no winners here,” he said. “The American people are completely fed up with Washington.”
