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President Barack Obama called on lawmakers to work together to pass a budget in his weekly address, stressing that it was the best way to invest in America and create jobs.

"It begins by ending what has done more than anything else to undermine our economy over the past few years - and that's the constant cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds," Obama said.

"I was glad to hear the Republican leader in the Senate say this week that they won't pursue another government shutdown or threaten another default on our debt. Because we shouldn't be injuring ourselves every few months - we should be investing in ourselves."