Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) issued the following statement after President Obama traveled to Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, to deliver an address announcing the Administration’s pivot back to job creation as a priority issue:

“Although I welcome the President’s renewed focus on repairing our struggling economy, I wish he had never let his focus wander in the first place. My colleagues and I have been hard at work all year passing bills that will cut red tape, reduce the deficit, and create jobs – points the President outlined as important priorities in his speech. The President should stop blaming Congress and instead take a hard look at the reality facing our nation: a mounting national debt without a coherent strategy to address the out-of-control spending weighing down our economic recovery.

“President Obama blames Washington gridlock for sluggish economic growth – but the President needs to realize there are deeper systemic issues driving a lackluster recovery under this Administration that can only be fixed with an honest assessment of our financial situation. The national debt, which has ballooned to nearly $17 trillion, is a pandemic that drags on investor confidence, damages the strength of our currency, and ultimately chokes job creation and growth. If Washington does not take the threat of rising interest rates on the debt seriously, we will end up in an economic situation much more dire than what we face today.

“While words are important, I hope the President will consider what these consequences mean for the future of our nation’s fiscal health and solvency. I look forward to continuing the important work of reducing the debt that will lead to greater prosperity for all Americans.”