President Obama has invited the top four Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate to a meeting at the White House next Tuesday, as Obama tries to build momentum for his legislative agenda at the start of the 2015 congressional session.
“This will be an opportunity for them to talk about a range of issues,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest, “as well as a couple of foreign policy issues.”
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Obama is attempting to find a legislative strategy as Republicans take over both the Senate and House, looking for areas of compromise with lawmakers suspicious of his growing reliance on executive action.
That tension was on full display Tuesday, with Earnest revealing that Obama would veto Republicans’ expected approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Still, the White House said Obama and Republicans could find common ground on infrastructure and tax reform, among other initiatives.
“The key to doing that is not the frequency of conversations but the willingness of people on both sides to find agreement,” Earnest insisted. “That’s the spirit the president will bring to that meeting.”
Obama has been frequently criticized for not reaching out enough to leaders on Capitol Hill. However, Earnest said the invitations to the 16 lawmakers are not the beginning of a so-called charm campaign.
