President Obama welcomed Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to the White House Monday. Obama praised Brazil for its rapid economic growth.

President Obama: “It gives me an opportunity, as well, to remark on the extraordinary progress that Brazil has made under the leadership of President Rousseff and her predecessor, President Lula, moving from a dictatorship to democracy, embarking on an extraordinary growth path, lifting millions of people out of poverty, and becoming not only a leading voice in the region but also a leading voice in the world.”

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff criticized U.S. monetary policy, saying it has harmed Brazil and other developing countries. Rousseff said the U.S. decision to leave benchmark lending rates near zero has created an overload of speculative money that floods into economies like Brazil.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff: “Such expansionist monetary policies, in and of themselves, in isolation, regarding the fiscal policies, ultimately lead to a depreciation in the value of the currency of developed countries, thus impairing growth outlooks in emerging countries.”

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is a former Brazilian guerrilla who was held for nearly two years in prison and tortured.