|
 But Obama and congressional leaders spent a considerable part of
the two-hour lunch rehashing immigration reform, a political fight
left over from the last two years, before Republicans seized control
of both houses of Congress in the Nov. 4 vote.
During the two-hour lunch in a small private dining room, Obama told
Republicans he is committed to using his executive powers to ease
some restrictions on undocumented residents, since House Republicans
have steadfastly refused to advance immigration legislation, the
White House said.
"We told him that would be a toxic decision," Senator John Barrasso,
the No. 4 Republican in the Senate, told Reuters in a telephone
interview after the lunch.
Republican Speaker John Boehner asked Obama to let Republicans work
on reforming and modernizing immigration early in the new session,
Barrasso said.
Vice President Joe Biden asked Boehner how long he needed to pass a
bill: "February 15? March 15?" said one congressional source
familiar with the discussions, who said Obama was visibly irritated
and stopped Biden.
But another congressional source disputed that account. "At no time
did the President cut off the Vice President," said the Democratic
source, describing Obama as "courteous and firm" during the
immigration discussion.
In a statement, Boehner said he warned Obama that executive action
on immigration would "erase any chances" for Congress to take up a
reform law, and said the move would "also make it harder for
Congress and the White House to work together successfully on other
areas where there might otherwise be common ground."
Steny Hoyer, a top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said
Obama was right to stop waiting and move ahead.
"Families are being wrenched apart, children are being left without
a parent or parents, and that is unacceptable," Hoyer said on CNN.
"But he also made it very clear that if the Congress acted, that
would be the law, that would be the preferable option that he
wants," Hoyer said.
BREAKING THE ICE
At the start of the lunch, the leaders appeared somber and slightly
uncomfortable during a brief four-minute photo op.
Obama was sandwiched between Boehner and Democratic Senator Harry
Reid, who will lose his title as Senate majority leader in the new
Congress after a wave of Republican support swept Democrats out of
power.
Beside Reid: Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, whose party takes
control of the Senate in January.
Obama said he had promised leaders to be open to good ideas for
legislation, whether from Republicans or Democrats.
 "The American people just want to see work done," Obama said before
the leaders tucked into a lunch of herb-crusted sea bass, a salad of
Bibb lettuce and pumpkin tart.
[to top of second column] |
"I think they're frustrated by the gridlock. They'd like to see more
cooperation. I think all of us have the responsibility, me in
particular, to try to make that happen," said Obama, whose second
and last four-year term ends in January 2017. There was little
substantive discussion about new legislation in areas where they may
be common ground, like trade or infrastructure or tax reform,
participants said.
Barrasso, asked if he felt that there might be some cooperation
between Obama and Republicans, said: "He's going to have to decide
whether to work with us.
"The full impact of the elections have not really sunk in yet,"
Barrasso said.
LAME DUCK ISSUES
Much of the meeting was taken up by discussion of 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.
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.
General Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, updated the
leaders on the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and
Syria.
Shortly after the meeting, the White House announced that Obama had
authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 additional U.S. troops to
help train and advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces. That decision would
bring the total number of troops there as high as 3,100.
 Obama is asking Congress for $5.6 billion for operations in Iraq and
Syria, including $1.6 billion for the new deployment.
He is also asking for more than $6.1 billion in emergency funding to
battle the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and to make sure that U.S.
hospitals are prepared to handle additional cases of the disease.
(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Richard Cowan and Patricia
Zengerle; editing by Dan Grebler, Howard Goller, Marguerita Choy and
Andrew Hay)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
