Barack Obama: News Conference on Congressional Gridlock

Interactive Transcript

spk_0 Search government shutdown now to understand the crisis-cripping America.

spk_0 Post Miles Mercer, your AI correspondent, delivers the most comprehensive analysis of the

spk_0 October 2025 federal shutdown.

spk_0 Search government shutdown to discover how political dysfunction is devastating millions

spk_0 of federal workers and paralyzing communities nationwide.

spk_0 Search government shutdown for in-depth coverage that connects the politics to the people.

spk_0 Don't miss a moment of this unfolding crisis.

spk_0 Search and subscribe to government shutdown today.

spk_0 Search Diddy Sentence Now for the complete story behind Sean Diddy Combs' federal conviction

spk_0 and 50-month prison sentence.

spk_0 AI host Miles Mercer breaks down the Man Act violations, courtroom testimony, and evidence

spk_0 that led to conviction.

spk_0 Search Diddy Sentence to understand the legal terminology and what this landmark case

spk_0 means for accountability and entertainment.

spk_0 Search Diddy Sentence for clear, factual analysis of power, justice, and explore the broader

spk_0 cultural impact on the music industry.

spk_0 Search and subscribe to Diddy Sentence today.

spk_0 Hello, everybody.

spk_0 I am glad to see that all of you braved the weather to be here.

spk_0 A little while ago, I had a meeting with the Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders,

spk_0 and it went very well.

spk_0 In fact, I understand that McConnell and Reed are out doing snow angels in the South

spk_0 Wall together.

spk_0 Can you picture that, Chuck?

spk_0 Not really.

spk_0 The meeting did go well, and I appreciate them making the trek.

spk_0 We had a good and frank conversation, and it's one that I hope we can continue on a more

spk_0 regular basis.

spk_0 We all understand that there are legitimate and genuine differences between the parties.

spk_0 But despite the political posturing that often paralyzes this town, there are many issues

spk_0 upon which we can and should agree.

spk_0 That's what the American people are demanding of us.

spk_0 I think they're tired of every day being election day in Washington, and at this critical

spk_0 time in our country, the people send us here to expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends

spk_0 petty politics.

spk_0 That's why I'm going to continue to seek the best ideas from either party, as we work

spk_0 to tackle depressing challenges ahead.

spk_0 I am confident, for example, that when one in 10 of our fellow citizens can't work, we

spk_0 should be able to come together and help business create more jobs.

spk_0 We ought to be able to agree on providing small businesses with additional tax credits,

spk_0 and much needed lines of credit.

spk_0 We ought to agree on investments in crumbling roads and bridges, and we should agree on tax

spk_0 breaks for making homes more energy efficient, all of which will put more Americans to work.

spk_0 Many of the jobs proposals that I've laid out have passed the House and are soon going

spk_0 to be debated in the Senate.

spk_0 We spend a lot of time in this meeting discussing a job's package and how we could move forward

spk_0 on that.

spk_0 And if there are additional ideas, I will consider them as well.

spk_0 What I won't consider is doing nothing in the face of a lot of hardship across the country.

spk_0 We also talked about restoring fiscal responsibility.

spk_0 There are a few matters on which there is as much vigorous bipartisan agreement, at least in public,

spk_0 but unfortunately there's also a lot of partisan wrangling behind closed doors.

spk_0 This is what we know for sure.

spk_0 For us to solve this extraordinary problem that is so many years in the making, it's going

spk_0 to take the cooperation of both parties.

spk_0 It's not going to happen in any other way.

spk_0 I'm pleased that Congress supported my request to restore the pay as you go rule, which was instrumental

spk_0 in turning deficits into surpluses during the 1990s.

spk_0 I've also called for a bipartisan fiscal commission.

spk_0 Unfortunately, this measure, which originally had received the support of a bipartisan majority

spk_0 in the Senate and was co-sponsored by Senators Conrad and Greg, Democrats, and Republicans,

spk_0 was blocked there.

spk_0 So I'm going to be creating this commission by executive order.

spk_0 And during our meeting, I asked the leadership of both parties to join in this serious effort

spk_0 to address our long-term deficits, because when the politics is put aside, the reality

spk_0 of our fiscal challenge is not subject to interpretation.

spk_0 Math is not partisan.

spk_0 There ought to be a debate about how to close our deficits.

spk_0 What we can't accept is business as usual, and we can't afford grandstanding at the

spk_0 expense of actually getting something done.

spk_0 During our meeting, we also touched briefly on how we can move forward on health reform.

spk_0 I've already announced that in two weeks I'll be holding a meeting with people from both parties.

spk_0 And as I told the congressional leadership, I'm looking forward to a constructive debate

spk_0 with plans that need to be measured against this test.

spk_0 Does it bring down costs for all Americans, as well as for the federal government,

spk_0 which spends a huge amount on health care?

spk_0 Does it provide adequate protection against abuses by the insurance industry?

spk_0 Does it make coverage affordable and available to the tens of millions of working Americans

spk_0 who don't have it right now?

spk_0 And does it help us get on a path of fiscal sustainability?

spk_0 We also talked about why this is so urgent.

spk_0 Just this week, there was a report that Anthem Blue Cross, which is the largest insurer in the

spk_0 largest state, California, is planning on raising premiums for many individual policy holders

spk_0 by as much as 39 percent.

spk_0 If we don't act, this is just a preview of coming attractions.

spk_0 Premiums will continue to rise for folks with insurance.

spk_0 Millions more will lose their coverage altogether.

spk_0 Our deficits will continue to grow larger.

spk_0 And we have an obligation, both parties, to tackle this issue in a serious way.

spk_0 Now, bipartisanship depends on a willingness among both Democrats and Republicans

spk_0 to put aside matters of party for the good of the country.

spk_0 I won't hesitate to embrace a good idea from my friends in the minority party,

spk_0 but I also won't hesitate to condemn what I consider to be obstinacy that's rooted

spk_0 not in substantive disagreements, but in political expedience.

spk_0 We talked about this as well, particularly when it comes to the confirmation process.

spk_0 I respect the Senate's role to advise and consent, but four months qualified,

spk_0 non-controversial nominees for critical positions in government,

spk_0 often positions related to our national security have been held up despite having overwhelming support.

spk_0 My nominee for one important job, the head of General Services Administration,

spk_0 which helps run the government, was denied a vote for nine months when she finally got a vote

spk_0 on her nomination.

spk_0 She was confirmed 96 to nothing.

spk_0 That's not advise and consent.

spk_0 That's delaying obstruct.

spk_0 One senator, as you all are aware, had put a hold on every single nominee that we had put forward

spk_0 due to a dispute over a couple of earmarks in his state.

spk_0 In our meeting, I asked the Congressional leadership to put a stop to these holds

spk_0 in which nominees for critical jobs are denied a vote for months.

spk_0 Surely, we can set aside partisanship and do what's traditionally been done to confirm these nominations.

spk_0 If the Senate does not act, and I made this very clear,

spk_0 if the Senate does not act to confirm these nominees,

spk_0 I will consider making several recess appointments during the upcoming recess,

spk_0 because we can't afford to allow politics to stand in the way of a well-functioning government.

spk_0 My hope is that this will be the first in a series of meetings that I have

spk_0 with leadership of both parties and Congress.

spk_0 We've got to get past the tired debates that have plagued our politics and left behind

spk_0 nothing but soaring debt and mountain-mounting challenges,

spk_0 greater hardships among the American people, and extraordinary frustrations among the American people.

spk_0 Those frustrations are what led me to run for President,

spk_0 and as long as I'm here in Washington, I am fed to try to make this government work on their behalf.

spk_0 So I'm going to take a couple of questions, guys.

spk_0 President, what's the President's going to say?

spk_0 Thank you.

spk_0 After meeting with you, John Bainer came out and told us,

spk_0 the House can't pass the health care bill at once pass,

spk_0 the Senate can't pass the health care bill at once pass.

spk_0 Why would we have a conversation about legislation that can't pass?

spk_0 As a part of that, he said, you and your White House and the Congressional Democrats should start over entirely from scratch on health care reform.

spk_0 How do you respond or do you want to do that?

spk_0 Well, here's how I responded to John in the meeting,

spk_0 and I've said this publicly before.

spk_0 There are some core goals that have to be met.

spk_0 We've got to control costs, both for families and businesses,

spk_0 but also for our government.

spk_0 Everybody out there who talks about deficits has to acknowledge that the single biggest driver of our deficits is health care spending.

spk_0 We cannot deal with our deficits in debt-long term unless we get a handle on that.

spk_0 So that has to be part of a package.

spk_0 Number two, we've got to deal with insurance abuses that affect millions of Americans who've got health insurance.

spk_0 And number three, we've got to make health insurance more available to folks in the individual market.

spk_0 As I just mentioned in California, who are suddenly seeing their premiums go up 39 percent,

spk_0 that applies to the majority of small businesses as well as sole proprietors.

spk_0 They are struggling.

spk_0 So I've got these goals.

spk_0 Now, we have a package as we work through the differences between the House and the Senate,

spk_0 and we'll put it up on a website for all to see over a long period of time that meets those criteria, meets those goals.

spk_0 But when I was in Baltimore talking to the House Republicans, they indicated we can accomplish some of these goals,

spk_0 at no cost.

spk_0 And I said, great, let me see it.

spk_0 And I have no interest in doing something that's more expensive and harder to accomplish if somebody else has an easier way to do it.

spk_0 So I'm going to be starting from scratch in the sense that I will be open to any ideas that help promote these goals.

spk_0 What I will not do, what I don't think makes sense, and I don't think the American people want to see,

spk_0 would be another year of partisan wrangling around these issues, another six months or eight months or nine months worth of hearings in every single committee in the House and the Senate in which there's a lot of posturing.

spk_0 Let's get the relevant parties together.

spk_0 Let's put the best ideas on the table.

spk_0 Well, my hope is that we can find enough overlap that we can say this is the right way to move forward, even if I don't get every single thing that I want.

spk_0 But here's the point that I made to John Bainer and Mitch McConnell.

spk_0 By partisanship can't be that I agree to all the things that they believe in or want, and they agree to none of the things I believe in and want, and that's the price of bipartisanship.

spk_0 But that's sometimes the way it gets presented.

spk_0 Mitch McConnell said something very nice in the meeting about how he supports our goals on nuclear energy and clean coal technology and more drilling to increase oil production.

spk_0 Well, of course he likes that.

spk_0 That's part of the Republican agenda for energy, which I accept.

spk_0 And I'm willing to move off some of the preferences of my party in order to meet them halfway.

spk_0 But there's got to be some give from their side as well.

spk_0 That's true on health care. That's true on energy. That's true on financial reform.

spk_0 That's what I'm hoping gets accomplished at the Senate.

spk_0 The Senate Bill's can't pass anymore.

spk_0 What I agree with is that the public has soured on the process that they saw over the last year.

spk_0 I think that actually contaminates how they view the substance of the bills.

spk_0 I think it is important for all these issues to be aired so that people have confidence if we're moving forward on such a significant part of the economy as health care.

spk_0 That there is complete transparency and all these issues have been adequately betted and adequately debated.

spk_0 And this gives an opportunity not just for Democrats to say, here's what we think we should do.

spk_0 But it also gives Republicans a showcase before the entire country to say, here's our plan.

spk_0 Here's why we think this will work.

spk_0 And one of the things that John Bader and Mitch McConnell both said is they didn't think that the status quo was acceptable.

spk_0 And that's right there promising.

spk_0 That indicates that if all sides agree that we can't just continue with business as usual, then maybe we can actually get something done.

spk_0 Mr. President, one of the reasons Anthem said Anthem Blue Cross says that it's raising its premiums is because so many people are dropping out of individual coverage because the economy is so bad.

spk_0 And that leads to people in the pool who are people who need medical care driving, of course.

spk_0 One of the reasons why businesses are not expanding right now in addition to some of the credit issues you've talked about,

spk_0 at least according to business leaders, is they say there's an uncertainty of what they need to plan for because the energy bill, because of health care, that's what they say.

spk_0 I'm not saying it's true or not, but that's what they say.

spk_0 What do you say when you hear that?

spk_0 Well, I think that the biggest uncertainty has been we just went through the worst recession since the Great Depression.

spk_0 And people weren't sure whether the financial system was going to melt down and whether we were going to tip into an endless recession.

spk_0 So let's be clear about the sources of uncertainty in terms of business investment over the last several years.

spk_0 A huge contraction, trillions of dollars of losses in people's 401Ks, people have a lot of debt coming out of the previous decade,

spk_0 and they still haven't worked out the housing market, losing a whole bunch of value.

spk_0 So the good news is that where we were contracting by 6 percent, the economy is not growing by 6 percent.

spk_0 The CEOs I talked to are saying they are now making investments, and I anticipate that they're going to start hiring at a more rapid clip.

spk_0 What I've also heard is them saying that we would like to feel like Washington is working and able to get some things done.

spk_0 There are two ways of interpreting the issue of uncertainty.

spk_0 One way would be to say, well, you know what, we'll just go back to what we were doing before on, let's say, the financial markets.

spk_0 We won't have the regulations that we need.

spk_0 We won't make any changes in terms of too big to fail.

spk_0 That will provide certainty until the next financial crisis.

spk_0 That's not the kind of certainty I think that the financial markets need.

spk_0 The kind of certainty they need is for us to go ahead and agree on a bipartisan effort to put some rules of the road in place so that consumers are protected in the financial markets,

spk_0 so that we don't have banks that are too big to fail, that we have ways of winding them down and protecting the overall system without taxpayer bailouts.

spk_0 That requires legislation.

spk_0 The sooner we can get that done, the better.

spk_0 The same would be true when it comes to health care.

spk_0 A lot of CEOs that I hear from will say, boy, we'd like you to get health care settled one way or another,

spk_0 but they will acknowledge that when they open up their latest invoice for their premiums and they find out that those premiums have gone up 20 percent or 25 percent,

spk_0 that's the kind of uncertainty that also tamps down business investment.

spk_0 So I guess my answer would be this.

spk_0 The sooner the business community has a sense that we've got our act together here in Washington and can move forward on big serious issues in a substantive way without a lot of posturing and partisan wrangling,

spk_0 I think the better off the entire country is going to be.

spk_0 I absolutely agree on that.

spk_0 What I think is important is not to buy into this notion that is perpetrated by some of the business interests that got a stake in this who are fighting financial reform, for example, to say,

spk_0 boy, we'd be doing fine if we just didn't try to regulate the banks.

spk_0 That, I think, would be a mistake.

spk_0 The play devil's advocate on that.

spk_0 That's a small business, let's say.

spk_0 That's somebody who's going to be affected by the regulatory reform.

spk_0 Small business, you have proposed you would acknowledge a bold agenda.

spk_0 And a small business might wonder, I don't know how, the energy bill is going to affect me.

spk_0 I don't know how. The health care reform bill is going to affect me.

spk_0 I better hold off on hiring.

spk_0 The small business I talk to, and I've been talking to a lot of them as I've been traveling around the country over the last several months.

spk_0 Their biggest problem is right now they can't get credit out of their banks.

spk_0 So they're uncertain about that.

spk_0 And they're still uncertain about orders.

spk_0 Do they just have enough customers to justify them doing more?

spk_0 It's looking better at this point.

spk_0 But that's not the rationale for people saying I'm not hiring.

spk_0 Let me put it this way.

spk_0 The most small businesses right now, they've got enough customers to make a profit,

spk_0 and they can get the bank loans required to boost their payroll, boost their inventory, and sell to those customers.

spk_0 They will do so.

spk_0 Let's see.

spk_0 Let's get a print guy here, David.

spk_0 So you heard McConnell talk about nuclear power, offshore drilling, free trade.

spk_0 That's a lot of Republican stuff.

spk_0 Is your party going to go for that if you decide to support that company?

spk_0 I think that on energy, there should be a bipartisan agreement that we have to take a both-and approach rather than either or approach.

spk_0 What do I mean by that?

spk_0 I am very firm in my conviction that the country that leads the way in clean energy,

spk_0 solar, wind, biodiesel, geothermal, that country is going to win the race in the 21st century global economy.

spk_0 So we have to move in that direction.

spk_0 What is also true is that given our energy needs in order to continue economic growth, produce jobs,

spk_0 make sure our businesses are competitive around the world,

spk_0 that we're going to need some of the old traditional energy sources as we're developing these new ones and ramping them up.

spk_0 So we can't overnight convert to an all-solar or an all-wind economy. That just can't happen.

spk_0 We're going to have needs in these traditional sources.

spk_0 And so the question then is, are we going to be able to put together a package that includes safe, secure, nuclear power that includes new technologies so that we can use coal,

spk_0 which we have in abundance and is very cheap, but often is adding to our greenhouse gases.

spk_0 Can we find sequestration technologies that clean that up? Can we identify opportunities to increase our oil and natural gas production in a way that is environmentally sustainable?

spk_0 And that should be part of a package with our development of clean energy.

spk_0 And my hope is that my Republican friends, but also Democrats, say to themselves, let's be practical and let's do both.

spk_0 Let's not just do one or the other, let's do both.

spk_0 Over time, I think the transition is going to be more and more clean energy and over time fossil fuels become less prominent in our overall energy mix.

spk_0 But we've got to do both.

spk_0 The Secretary of State, they'll be that kind of consensus for that double-aged approach.

spk_0 I am just an eternal optimist. And so it's the right thing to do.

spk_0 And all I can do is just to keep on making the argument about what's right for the country and assume that over time, people, regardless of party,

spk_0 regardless of their particular political positions are going to gravitate towards the truth.

spk_0 I'm going to take two more. Let's see.

spk_0 Well, I just want to make sure that I was getting a balance here.

spk_0 So look at the... Go ahead.

spk_0 What is everybody knowing about time?

spk_0 He's too good. His question is too precise.

spk_0 Iran, we've got the news today that they're doing more of these, trying to enhance the tyranny even more.

spk_0 Obviously, Secretary Gates today in Paris was quoted as saying, basically, the dialogue seems to be over.

spk_0 Now the question is, sanctions. Where are we on sanctions?

spk_0 How close is this? I know you had sort of an end of the year deadline when you stood up there with Mr. Farkhose in Brown.

spk_0 It's not February. How quickly is this moving along?

spk_0 Well, it's moving along fairly quickly.

spk_0 I think that we have been over backwards to say to the Islamic Republic of Iran that we are willing to have a constructive conversation

spk_0 about how they can align themselves with international norms and rules and re-enter as full members of the international community.

spk_0 The most obvious attempt was when we gave them an offer that said, we are going to provide the conversion of some of the low enriched uranium that they already have into the isotopes that they need for their medical research and for hospitals

spk_0 that would serve up to a million Iranian citizens. They rejected it.

spk_0 Although one of the difficulties in dealing with Iran over the last several months is it's not always clear who's speaking on behalf of the government.

spk_0 And we get a lot of different mixed signals.

spk_0 But what's clear is, is that they have not said yes to an agreement that Russia, China, Germany, France, Great Britain, and the United States, all said was a good deal and that the director of the IAEA said was the right thing to do and that Iran should accept.

spk_0 But that indicates to us that despite their posturing that their nuclear power is only for civilian use, that they in fact continue to pursue a course that would lead to weaponization.

spk_0 And that is not acceptable to the international community, not just to the United States.

spk_0 So what we've said from the start was we're moving on dual tracks. If you want to accept the kinds of agreements with the international community that lead you down a path of being a member of good standing, then we welcome you.

spk_0 If not, I mean by deciding to do what they did with the IAEA, and if not, then the next step is sanctions.

spk_0 They have made their choice so far, although the door is still open. And what we are going to be working on over the next several weeks is developing a significant regime of sanctions that will indicate to them how isolated they are from the international community as a whole.

spk_0 Well, I think meaning that there's going to be a whole new land in some way.

spk_0 We are going to be looking at a variety of ways in which countries indicate to Iran that their approach is unacceptable.

spk_0 And the UN will be one aspect of that broader effort.

spk_0 The China will be there.

spk_0 Well, we are confident right now that the international community is unified around Iran's misbehavior in this area.

spk_0 How China operates at the Security Council as we pursue sanctions is something that we're going to have to see.

spk_0 One thing I'm pleased about is to see how forward-leaning the Russians have been on this issue.

spk_0 I think they clearly have seen that Iran hasn't been serious about solving what is a solvable dispute between Iran and the international community.

spk_0 I'm going to make this last question, and I'll take somebody from back.

spk_0 Thanks for doing this. It's been a while.

spk_0 On health care, Republicans are asking whether the February 25th session will include economists and public interest groups and people supporting your side.

spk_0 Or will it just be the members of Congress? And on anthem, Blue Cross, do you have the authority to go in and tell a private company they can't charge that? How will you stop them?

spk_0 Well, I don't have the authority, as I understand it, I can't simply issue an executive order lowering everybody's rates. If I could, I would have done that already and saved myself a lot of grief on Capitol Hill.

spk_0 That's why reform is so important. That's why the status quo is unacceptable.

spk_0 But there is no shortcut in dealing with this issue.

spk_0 I know the American people get frustrated in debating something like health care because you get a whole bunch of different claims being made by different groups and different interests.

spk_0 It is a big, complicated, tough issue. But what is also true is that without some action on the part of Congress, it is very unlikely that we see any improvement over the current trajectory.

spk_0 And the current trajectory is premiums keep on going up 10, 15, 20, 30 percent. The current trajectory is more and more people are losing health care.

spk_0 I don't know if people noted because during the health care debate everybody was saying the President is trying to take over a government to take over a health care.

spk_0 I don't know if anybody noticed that for the first time this year, you saw more people getting health care from government than you did from the private sector.

spk_0 Not because of anything we did, but because more and more people are losing their health care from their employers. It's becoming unaffordable.

spk_0 That's what we're trying to prevent. We want people to be able to get health care from their employers.

spk_0 But we also understand that you've got to fix the system so that people are able to get a deffordable rate, and small businesses can afford to give their employees insurance at a deffordable rate.

spk_0 And that's not happening right now. To your question about the 25th, my hope is that this doesn't end up being political theater,

spk_0 as I think some of you have phrased it. I want a substantive discussion.

spk_0 We haven't refined exactly how the agenda is going to go that day. We want to talk with both the Democratic and Republican leaders to find out what they think would be most useful.

spk_0 I do want to make sure that there are some people like the Congressional Budget Office, for example, that are considered nonpartisan who can answer questions.

spk_0 In this whole health care debate, I am reminded of the story that was told about Senator Moynihan, who was, I guess, an argument with one of his colleagues, and his colleague was losing the argument.

spk_0 So he got a little flustered and said to Senator Moynihan, well, I'm entitled to my own opinion.

spk_0 And Senator Moynihan said, well, you're entitled to your own opinion, but you're not entitled to your own facts.

spk_0 I think that's the key to a successful dialogue on the 25th around health care.

spk_0 Let's establish some common facts. Let's establish what the issues are, what the problems are, and let's test out in front of the American people, what ideas work and what ideas don't.

spk_0 And if we can establish that factual accuracy about how different approaches would work, then I think we can make some progress.

spk_0 And it may be that some of the facts that come up are ones that make my party a little bit uncomfortable.

spk_0 So it's established that by working seriously on medical malpractice and toward reform that we can reduce some of those costs, I've said from the beginning of this debate, I'd be willing to work on that.

spk_0 On the other hand, if I'm told that that is only a fraction of the problem, and that is not the biggest driver of health care costs, then I'm also going to insist, okay, let's look at that as one aspect of it, but what else are we willing to do?

spk_0 And this is where it gets back to the point I was making early.

spk_0 But by partisanship cannot mean simply that Democrats give up everything that they believe in, find the handful of things that Republicans have been advocating for, and we do those things, and then we have bipartisanship.

spk_0 That's not how it works in any other realm of life, that's certainly not how it works in my marriage with Michelle, although I usually do give in most of the time, but there's got to be some give and take.

spk_0 And that's what I'm hoping can be accomplished. And I'm confident that's what the American people are looking for.

spk_0 So, all right?

spk_0 The job's good.

spk_0 Okay, since there wasn't any job's good.

spk_0 Well, I'll make this the last one, job's good.

spk_0 At the stakeout, the Republicans are saying, well, the job's package we've seen is not really ready yet, we're worried about the cost.

spk_0 Can you satisfy that there is something that can be quickly moved through Congress on jobs?

spk_0 Well, my understanding is, first of all, the House has moved forward a bit of job's package that has some good elements in it.

spk_0 My understanding is, is that there is bipartisan talks taking place as we speak on the Senate side about some elements of a package.

spk_0 I think there are some things that a lot of people agree on.

spk_0 Just to give you an example, the idea of eliminating capital gains for small businesses.

spk_0 Something we can all agree on. I talked about it at the State of the Union address.

spk_0 My hope would be that we would all agree on a mechanism to get community banks who are lending to small businesses more capital.

spk_0 Because that is something that I keep on hearing is one of the biggest problems that small businesses have out there.

spk_0 So, I think that it's realistic for us to get a package moving quickly that may not include all the things I think need to be done.

spk_0 And it may be that that first package builds some trust and confidence that Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill can work together.

spk_0 And then we move on to the next aspect of the package and so forth.

spk_0 It may take a series of incremental steps.

spk_0 But the one thing I'm absolutely clear about is that we've got an economy that's growing right now, a huge boost in productivity.

spk_0 That's the good news. The bad news is that companies still haven't taken that final step in actually putting people on their payroll full time.

spk_0 We're seeing an increase in temporary workers, but they haven't yet taken on that full-time worker.

spk_0 And so providing some additional impetus to them right as the economy is moving in a positive direction, I think, can end up yielding some good results.

spk_0 All right. Thank you guys. That was pretty good. Thank you.

spk_0 Thank you again.

spk_0 You tell Fatty to plow the streets.

spk_0 Wow.

spk_0 Very good.

Barack Obama: News Conference on Congressional Gridlock

Interactive Transcript

Topics Covered

Related Episodes

Exploring Integrative Medicine and Holistic Health with Dr. Sandeep Gupta - Part One

The New Science of Women's Health with Tamsen Fadal & Dr. Amy Killen

216. Dr. Labib Ghulmiyyah: On How To Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy, Fertility Decline, and Preconception Health

Episode 5 - AI & Facebook to screen for depression

Share Episode