U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones visited Washington on Monday, addressing the Washington Noon Rotary Club and meeting with several city officials.

At the Noon Rotary meeting, Jones spoke to members and guests about issues concerning the nation, the state and the district he represents. Among some of the national issues Jones discussed were the national debt, the national deficit, the Iraq and Afghan wars and the continued accumulation of debt. Jones cited the fact that the national debt was just over $5.6 trillion, which has now more than tripled to over $18 trillion.

“I speak about this everywhere I go,” Jones said. “It can’t keep going down this way. I talk about my concerns about what’s going to happen to our country as it relates (to the debt) because the debt is growing and we keep adding to the debt by the second.”

In regard to Afghanistan, Jones said, “John Sopko, the inspection general for Afghan Construction, says it’s a waste — we’re not changing anything. And how can you take a country that has always been a tribal country and try to teach them how to be mayors and have a government — you just can’t do it. It’s not going to happen.”

Jones also met with Mayor Mac Hodges, City Manager Brian Alligood and other city officials to discuss the possibility of acquiring federal funding to aid in some of the concerns and issues the city is facing like infrastructure, flooding and issues with downtown, said Hodges.

“We had a good hour meeting and we talked about a bunch of issues where we might have an opportunity for federal funding,” Hodges said.