Secretary of State John Kerry warned US lawmakers Thursday that future political stalemates in Washington would do damage to the status of the United States abroad, dpa reported.
"A self-inflicted wound like the shutdown can never happen again," Kerry told the liberal Center for American Progress, referring to the 16-day closure of the US government earlier this month. He pointed to the need to resolve differences when Congress weighs budget issues and raising the debt limit over the coming months.
Kerry said the shutdown had done real damage to the US ability to lead and could cause people around the world to question the value of democracy.
He said lawmakers must weigh whether "our politics stops us from providing the leadership that the world needs."
"We cannot afford to cede the best opportunities of this new century to others who have chosen to be more disciplined than we are," he said.