Obama Tells Gulf Residents That “Buck Stops With Me”

President Barack Obama said Friday that the U.S. government is doing everything it can to permanently stop the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and to mitigate the damage done to the local ecosystem and economy.

In televised statement Friday afternoon from Grand Isle, Louisiana, Mr. Obama reiterated an assertion he made Thursday that ultimate responsibility for the response to the oil leak lies with him. Governors and members of Congress from the Gulf area also joined Obama at the press announcement.

“I am the president, and the buck stops with me,” President Obama said. “I give the people of this community and the entire Gulf my word that we’re gonna hold ourselves accountable to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this catastrophe, to defend our natural resources, to repair the damage and to keep this region on its feet.”