President Barack Obama’s charm offensive will continue next week, when he will visit separately with House and Senate Republicans.
Obama will attend the weekly Senate Republican policy lunch on Tuesday, while the time for a meeting with House Republicans is still being scheduled, according to a GOP aide.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced the visit Wednesday.
“Senate Republicans welcome the President to the Capitol. And I appreciate he took my recommendation to hear from all of my members,” McConnell said in a statement. “We promised the American people that we would cut Washington spending, and the President signed those cuts into law. We have numerous challenges facing the country and Republicans have offered the President serious solutions to shrink Washington spending and grow the economy. And we will have an opportunity to discuss them with the President at the lunch.”
It’s the first visit by the president to the lunch since May 25, 2010, McConnell’s office said.
The New York Times first reported the visit would take place, and also reported Obama would have dinner with a group of Senate Republicans. The White House announced Wednesday morning that the president’s dinner with Republicans would take place Wednesday night at the Jefferson Hotel. But the White House cautioned the dinner could be canceled if a snow storm hitting the D.C.-region makes travel too difficult.
CQ Roll Call reported Tuesday that the president has also called a handful of rank-and-file Republicans as he seeks to build a “caucus of common sense” to back his proposal for a balance of new revenue and spending cuts to shrink the deficit.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
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