President Barack Obama says he is speeding up the U.S. transition to a clean energy economy, as part of efforts to make sure jobs and industries of the future take root in the United States.
In his weekly address Saturday, President Obama touted almost $2 billion in new investments in two U.S. solar energy companies.
"After years of watching companies build things and create jobs overseas, it's good news that we've attracted a company to our shores to build a plant and create jobs right here in America," said President Obama.
Mr. Obama says the projects will create thousands of jobs and generate enough clean energy for tens of thousands of homes.
The president also addressed an announcement by the U.S. Labor Department Friday that the total number of people asking for unemployment assistance rose to almost 500,000 in the last week of June.
"As I've said from the day I took office, it's going to take months, even years, to dig our way out - and it's going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort," he added.
The Republican weekly address comes from Senator Saxby Chambliss from the southern state of Georgia. Chambliss criticized Democrats for heavy spending while the U.S. has a $13 trillion debt.
"We have to make tough decisions about spending beyond our means," he said. "I continue to hope that President Obama, [House] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi and others will take a step toward responsibility and restraint, and reject the path of reckless spending that America is presently on," he said.
Senator Chambliss also said the U.S. receiving loans from other nations makes the large debt a security issue.