President Barack Obama issued a challenge Thursday to Republicans who ushered in a government shutdown and threatened default in a bid to gut the Affordable Care Act: win an election if you want reform.

In a statement hailing the deal that re-opened the government and raised the debt ceiling, Obama said that the Republican-led movement to halt the health care law — an effort that led to the shutdown and brought the United States close to default — was unfaithful “to what this country’s about.”

“You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to change it,” Obama said. “But don’t break it. Don’t break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building. That’s not being faithful to what this country’s about.”

In the same statement, Obama said that the “spectacle” over the budget and debt inflicted damage on America’s credibility.