The US is headed towards a “very tragic and bad ending” unless Washington moves decisively to bring spending under control, Mayor Bloomberg warned today.

The normally optimistic mayor turned unusually dark and gloomy in discussing the nation’s prospects during a press conference in Queens marking the one-year anniversary of the restaurant grading system.

“I think we averted a crisis and we missed an opportunity to do something much more important and that was to put our house in order,” Bloomberg said, responding to a question about the debt ceiling agreement.

“We are headed down a road that has a very tragic and bad ending for America and unless we find ways to stop this increase in the deficit, which is going to have to be done through enhanced revenues and real cuts, we are headed towards a great fall.”

The mayor described the government in Washington as barely there.

“I don’t think you can say this is a non-functioning government, but it is a poorly functioning government…” he concluded.