United States President Barack Obama delivers remarks at an Organizing for Action "Obamacare Summit" at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C. on November 4, 2013. UPI/Ron Sachs/Pool |
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NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday "there's no question" the government shutdown hurt the economy and urged Congress to pass key economic legislation.
Speaking at the Port of Southern Louisiana in New Orleans, the president called on Congress to pass a farm bill, immigration reform and a budget, and once again called for federal spending to upgrade the national infrastructure, saying it will make the United States more competitive with China, Europe and Brazil.
"Rebuilding transportation and communication systems is one of the fastest ways to create good jobs," he said.
Obama said "we're already paying for" antiquated infrastructure because trucking companies reroute to avoid substandard bridges and highways, adding to the cost of shipping.
"Those costs then get passed onto consumers," the president said.
He said the problems are not "going to magically fix themselves. We've got to do it."
Obama said the economy has created 7.8 million jobs during his presidency and the federal deficit is coming down at the fastest rate in 60 years, but said the recovery is being held back by a "constant cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds that have been coming out of Washington."
"Every time [the economy is] just about to take off somebody taps the brakes and says not so fast," he said.
"There's no question that the shutdown harmed our jobs market," he said, adding that gross domestic product growth in the fourth quarter could also "be down because of what happened in Washington."
"We should not be injuring ourselves every few months -- we should be investing in ourselves," Obama said.
The president spoke briefly about the troubled Affordable Care Act rollout, saying the Department of Health and Human Services will fix the healthcare.gov website and consumers are already finding out they can get "better plans for less cost."
He joked critics will stop calling the plan Obamacare once "it's working really well."
Obama toured the Port of South Louisiana with Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., as well as U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Protesters held signs at the port entrance urging the president not to allow construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline Project.