President Obama said he hopes to check a few more items off his legislative agenda after Election Day.
“My hope is that we can make some modest progress in areas where we agree and where we’ve been working together,” Obama said after meeting with top congressional leaders at the White House on Monday. “After the election, I’m even more hopeful that we can get some things done. But I want to thank everybody for coming here. My hope is that by the time Congress adjourns, before the election, that we will have an agreement in place to fund the government,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Obama said his priorities are: “No. 1, to make sure that the government stays open.” And “No 2., to adequately fund our efforts to not only deal with the Zika outbreaks but also come up with diagnostic tools and vaccines that will solve the problem for good.”
Surrounded by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, R-Nev., Obama said he also wants to provide adequate disaster relief for Baton Rouge, La., and Flint, Mich.
Earlier Monday, McConnell announced that the Senate would move forward this week on a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 9 and include additional money to fight the Zika virus.
Florida lawmakers, including GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, applauded McConnell’s pledge to fund efforts to fight Zika.
“As I’ve told members in both the House and Senate, Zika is not a game, and we need to pass this funding as soon as possible so our health officials and experts have the resources they need to conduct vital medical research and eradicate Zika in Florida,” he said in a statement. “I called for this money to be included in whatever spending bill ultimately passes to keep the government open beyond this month, so today’s announcement is good news. We just need to get this done.”
