Obama meets GOP, Democratic leadership

12-01-2010 08:12 BJT

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday met with Republican and Democratic Congressional leadership, discussing tax cuts, arms reduction treaty with Russia and other issues, and charting the way the Congress is going in its lame-duck session.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with bipartisan Congressional leadership in the President's Private Dining Room at the White House in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Nov. 30, 2010. Attending the meeting, clockwise from President Obama are: Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Republican Leader; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, Assistant Majority Leader; Sen. Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Republican Whip; Vice President Biden; Rep. Eric Cantor, R-VA, Republican Whip; Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader; Rep. John Boehner, R-OH, Republican Leader; and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA. (Xinhua/the White House/Pete Souza)

The White House meeting, the first since Republican triumph in the Nov. 2 midterm elections, "was our first chance to get together face to face since the election to talk about how we can best work together to move the country forward," Obama said after the meeting, noting "it's no secret that we have had differences that have led us to part ways on many issues in the past."

He said the meeting is "productive," and an encouraging recognition on the need to work together from both parties in the Congress.

Obama said leaders agreed there is work "that should begin today because there are some things we need to get done in the weeks before Congress leaves town for the holidays."

The first item on the agenda, "we should work to make sure that taxes will not go up by thousands of dollars on hardworking middle- class Americans come January 1st."

Tax cuts from the previous Bush administration is set to expire by the end of the year. Republicans want to continue the cuts for all taxpayers, while Democrats are reluctant to extend the cuts for the wealthiest of Americans.

"There was broad agreement that we need to work to get that resolved before the end of the year," Obama said, noting "there are still differences about how to get there."

The Republicans, on the other hand, reiterated their support for a comprehensive extension of the Bush tax cuts. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the meeting that all taxpayers should be treated the same.

Obama said he has appointed Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and White House budget director Jack Lew, to work with representatives of both parties to break through the logjam on the tax cuts, and "that process is beginning right away. And we expect to get some answers back over the next couple of days."

Apart from tax cuts, the meeting also discussed the arms reduction treaty with Russia, funding for the government for the next 10 months, as well as unemployment insurance.

Participants in the meeting include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, all from the Democratic side. The Republicans sent McConnell, House Minority Leader John Boehner, who's likely to become the next Speaker, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, and Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl.