President Barack Obama scolded Republicans for failing to carry out the core responsibilities of Congress, including passing a budget, in an interview with CNN that aired Friday.
Obama compared the legislative process to the series “Schoolhouse Rock,” which produced an animated short film that explained how a bill becomes a law on Capitol Hill, to express his frustration with the slow pace of the legislature.
“You remember how the bill gets passed?” he said. “You know, the House and the Senate try to work out their differences. They pass something. They send it to me, and potentially I sign it. We like to make things complicated, but this is actually not that complicated.”
Obama also took a shot at Republicans in Congress who advocate a government shutdown as a “last gasp” in the effort to defund the Affordable Care Act, citing lawmakers who had privately told him that they agree with his position but fear primary challenges from the far right.
“Now what we’ve got is Republicans talking about the idea that they would shut down the government,” he said. “Nobody thinks that’s good for the middle class.”
Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that “Schoolhouse Rock” was a series that produced a short film about a bill becoming law.
