SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Obama: shutdown encouraged US foes

Less than 11 hours after signing legislation that ended the US government shutdown, President Barack Obama has called on politicians to come together.

US President Barack Obama
US President Barack Obama warned that America's political dysfunction had encouraged its enemies. (AAP)

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

US President Barack Obama has warned that America's political dysfunction had encouraged its enemies and depressed its friends, and says the crisis has left "no winners" in Washington.

Obama called on warring politicians to come together to pass a long term budget and to give up the "brinksmanship" that threatens the economy and squandered the trust of the American people.

The president spoke less than 11 hours after signing legislation that ended a 16-day government shutdown and a showdown over raising his government's borrowing authority.

The bill brought a temporary end to a stand-off that had threatened to pitch the US economy into a historic default.

Obama urged Congress, specifically Republicans in the House of Representatives, to now come together to pass stalled legislation on agriculture and on reforming America's immigration system.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"There's been a lot of discussion lately of the politics of this shutdown," Obama told an audience of returned executive branch workers in the State Dining Room of the White House.

"Let's be clear. There are no winners here. These last few weeks have inflicted completely unnecessary damage on our economy," Obama said.

"Probably nothing has done more damage to America's credibility in the world, our standing with other countries, than the spectacle that we've seen these past several weeks," Obama said.

"It's encouraged our enemies, it's emboldened our competitors and depressed our friends who look to us for steady leadership."


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world