Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), released the following statement after the announcement from the Bureau of Economic Analysis that Gross Domestic Product grew by 1.3 percent in the second quarter of 2011:

“The weak economic growth in the first half of the year makes it clear that Congress has to get back to work on improving the economy and creating private sector jobs. We must make every effort possible to create an environment that will foster stronger economic growth for the rest of 2011.

“Washington needs to put politics aside and reach an immediate agreement to avoid defaulting on our obligations. A default on the debt will have catastrophic consequences on the economy.”