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 In the run-up to the lunch meeting at the White House, it was
clear that in this post-election era, Obama and Republicans
controlling the Congress next year would continue going at each
other, just as they did before the Nov. 4 vote.
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and Senator Mitch
McConnell, who is set to become Senate majority leader in January,
said they intend to send Obama legislation repealing all or parts of
the president's landmark healthcare law.
Obama countered that he will ignore Republican warnings and use his
executive powers to ease some restrictions on undocumented
residents, since House Republicans have steadfastly refused to
advance immigration legislation.
"Finding common ground is going to be hard work. But it will be even
harder if the president isn't willing to work with us," Boehner
warned at a press conference on Thursday.
 The White House took a more optimistic tone ahead of the meeting,
saying Obama was committed to working with Republicans on issues of
shared interest like infrastructure, tax reform and international
trade even as differences remain on health care and immigration.
Friday’s meeting is expected to focus on some major bills that must
be passed promptly, once Congress begins its post-election "lame
duck" session on Wednesday.
It will be the "old" Congress, the one that ends its legislative
session in mid-December and has a Democratic Senate pitted against a
Republican House, that must produce these bills.
At the top of the list is a $1 trillion spending bill to keep the
government running beyond Dec. 11, when current funding runs out.
Other bills likely to see action in the month-long session include
one to extend some temporary tax provisions, a bill renewing
Pentagon programs and an expiring terrorism risk insurance bill that
is important to developers of major construction projects in big
cities.
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The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate and House will
also receive a briefing from military commanders on whether there
has been progress in the difficult air campaign the United States
and allies are waging against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Congress in coming weeks is expected to begin debating whether to
formally authorize military force against the Islamic State, but a
vote might not come until next year.
Meanwhile, Congress is expected this year to debate Obama's plans
for arming and training Syrian rebels. A current authorization for
these activities expires on Dec. 11.
Democratic leaders are likely to use Friday's session with Obama to
try to raise other issues, such as increasing the federal minimum
wage for hourly workers and providing equal pay for women.
"Instead of voting on GOP (Republican) bills to protect millionaires
and big corporations and repeal health coverage and patient
protections for millions of Americans, Americans want us to come
together and immediately address these priorities," said Drew
Hammill, a spokesman for House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, David Lawder and Patricia
Zengerle; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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