U.S. President Barack Obama says there are three areas where
he believes Democrats and Republicans can work together immediately.
In
his first weekly address since a partial government shutdown ended and a threat
of default was defused, the president said the two parties "should sit down and
pursue a balanced approach to a responsible budget" that grows the economy
faster and shrinks deficit spending further.
Obama said another area
where they can work together was finishing the job of fixing the country's
"broken immigration system." He said the Senate has already passed a bill with
strong bipartisan support, and now it was time for the House of Representatives
to do the same.
Watch President Obama's weekly
address:
The president said the third area where they
should be able to make progress was passage of a farm bill "that protects
vulnerable children and adults in time of need," and gives rural communities
opportunities to grow.
In the Republican address, Virginia Attorney
General Ken Cuccinelli said Obama's health care law was an affront to the
freedoms on which the country was built. Cuccinelli, who is running for governor
of Virginia, said the law was an overreach of federal government, and has been a
national embarrassment.
Watch weekly Republican
address: