Obama: 2013 can be year of economic growth
Obama says 2013 can be year of economic growth, but only if Washington stays out of the way
A screen on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, shows the Dow Jones industrial average above 14,000 for the first time since October 2007. Evidence that the U.S. economic recovery is firmly on track drove markets higher on Friday, adding to the cheer from good economic indicators out of Europe.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says 2013 can be a year of solid economic growth, but only if Washington gets out of the way.
In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says there are signs of progress in real estate, manufacturing and job-creation.
But other signs are worrying. Unemployment ticked up from 7.8 percent in December to 7.9 percent in January. And the Commerce Department says the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the final months of 2012.
Obama says the U.S. must lower health care costs and close tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthy.
In the Republican address, Rep. Susan Brooks of Indiana says Democrats must get serious about the nation's spending problems. She's calling on Senate Democrats to pass a budget.
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Online:
Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov
GOP address: www.youtube.com/HouseConference
