US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has accused US President Barack Obama of standing by while a looming budgetary calamity unfolds in Washington.
Mr Romney leaped into the debate over the "fiscal cliff," the potential for an end-of-the-year uproar when some $109bn in across-the-board spending cuts kick in unless Mr Obama and Congress reach a deficit-reduction deal to avert them.
Bush-era tax cuts also expire at year's end.
The Washington debate mirrors the campaign battle between Mr Obama and Mr Romney.
Democrats want to make up the shortfall by increasing taxes on wealthy Americans while Republicans favour spending cuts.
"Political gridlock threatens to plunge us back into recession, but instead of seeking bipartisan solutions, President Obama is passively allowing us to go over a fiscal cliff," Mr Romney said in his weekly podcast.
