U.S. President Barack Obama is warning lawmakers that they risk plunging the country into another recession if they do not pass a budget and agree to raise the debt limit.
The comments in the president's weekly address Saturday came hours after the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a temporary funding measure that would keep the government operating, but defund Obama's signature health care law.
The resolution will now go to the Democratic-controlled Senate where it is not likely to pass, setting the stage for a potential partial government shutdown if a budget agreement is not reached by the end of the month.
In his address, President Obama slammed "the far right of the Republican party," which he said would rather shut down the government and "plunge America into default" if they cannot defund the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare.
Watch President Obama's address:
Republican House members are strongly opposed to President Obama's health care law and have voted to repeal it 42 times, saying it does not have the support of the American people.
They have also expressed opposition to raising the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling. If the borrowing limit is not raised by mid-October, the government would not be able to pay all its bills.
Obama - a Democrat in the fifth year of his presidency - often has sparred with Republican opponents in Congress over government spending, tax rates and the country's long-term debt.
In the weekly Republican address Saturday, Brian Sandoval - governor of the southeastern state of Nevada - said his party's plan for reducing budget deficits is preferable to the president's.
Sandoval said, "unlike Washington," his state had to balance its budget and could not "borrow its way out of problems." He said it was best to "reduce government, balance budgets and keep taxes as low as possible."
Watch weekly Republican address:
The comments in the president's weekly address Saturday came hours after the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a temporary funding measure that would keep the government operating, but defund Obama's signature health care law.
The resolution will now go to the Democratic-controlled Senate where it is not likely to pass, setting the stage for a potential partial government shutdown if a budget agreement is not reached by the end of the month.
In his address, President Obama slammed "the far right of the Republican party," which he said would rather shut down the government and "plunge America into default" if they cannot defund the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare.
Watch President Obama's address:
Republican House members are strongly opposed to President Obama's health care law and have voted to repeal it 42 times, saying it does not have the support of the American people.
They have also expressed opposition to raising the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling. If the borrowing limit is not raised by mid-October, the government would not be able to pay all its bills.
Obama - a Democrat in the fifth year of his presidency - often has sparred with Republican opponents in Congress over government spending, tax rates and the country's long-term debt.
In the weekly Republican address Saturday, Brian Sandoval - governor of the southeastern state of Nevada - said his party's plan for reducing budget deficits is preferable to the president's.
Sandoval said, "unlike Washington," his state had to balance its budget and could not "borrow its way out of problems." He said it was best to "reduce government, balance budgets and keep taxes as low as possible."
Watch weekly Republican address:
