Reince Priebus: Obama's Record on National Debt 'Worst'

President Barack Obama has the worst record of any president for increasing the national debt, said Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus.

His comments came just days after the level of the federal debt passed $18 trillion for the first time, according to The Hill.

"[Obama has] the worst record of any president when it comes to putting America deeper in debt," Priebus said Tuesday.

He added that the escalation of the debt was "immoral" and said that the Republican victories in the midterm elections were proof that American voters are "tired of Democrats' free-spending ways."

"We literally cannot afford to continue Barack Obama's policies," he said, according to The Hill.

Much of the debt accumulated in the early years of the Obama presidency were as a result of the president's actions to ease the effects of the recession in the form of a major stimulus package.

The administration has defended the president's fiscal policies, pointing out that the deficit, by contrast, has decreased.

"Since taking office, the president has cut the deficit by more than half, and the president's budget policies would stabilize and reduce the debt as a share of the economy," Melanie Rousell, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget, told The Hill.

Priebus has publicly reflected on the significance of the midterm elections in the weeks since Republicans swept both houses of Congress. He said it was gratifying to see the party's midterm election victories because it showed the GOP was starting to get its "act together" in strategies to connect with voters.

At the same time, he has said the party may struggle to capture the White House in 2016.

"I think we've got a long way to go to be ready for 2016," he said. "Granted, we are excited and proud of where we've come, but I think we've got to be about perfect as a national party to win a national cultural vote in this country. I think the Democrats can be good and win, but we have to be great," he told Time magazine.

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