President Obama canceled part of his upcoming trip to Asia on Wednesday as Washington braced for a prolonged battle over the federal government shutdown, with House Republicans continuing to demand that the nation’s new health-care law be delayed or repealed and Democrats — including Obama — refusing to give in.
Obama had been scheduled to visit Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia next week as part of his administration’s effort to strengthen U.S. foreign policy in Asia. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council said the president decided to cancel the stops in Malaysia and the Philippines because the logistics and planning had not been finalized, and the shutdown made it difficult to complete that work.
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For now, Obama is still planning travel to Indonesia and Brunei, where he is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“We will continue to evaluate those trips based on how events develop throughout the course of the week,” said Caitlin Hayden, the NSC spokeswoman. She said Secretary of State John F. Kerry will visit Malaysia and the Philippines instead of the president.
There were signs on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that Republicans — fearing that blame for the shutdown almost certainly will fall most heavily on them — are beginning to look for ways to lift some of the pressure generated by the impasse.
House GOP leaders offered to fund some parts of the government — including national parks, veterans benefits and the D.C. government. The goal was to put Democrats on the spot by trying to make them vote against programs that are popular among their constituents.
Senate Democratic leaders and the White House quickly rejected the piecemeal strategy. And in a series of evening votes, Democrats helped defeat the measures on the House floor.
Obama made his second appearance in as many days to call on Republicans to fund the government. He was flanked in the White House Rose Garden by about a dozen uninsured people who will be eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act, which took effect Tuesday. The legislation, widely known as Obamacare, remains unpopular, but polls suggest that the idea of closing the government to stop it is even more so.
“This shutdown is not about deficits. It’s not about budgets,” Obama said. “This shutdown is about rolling back our efforts to provide health insurance to folks who don’t have it. This, more than anything else, seems to be what the Republican Party stands for these days. I know it’s strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda, but that apparently is what it is.”
At the moment, neither side is feeling a clear imperative to end the shutdown.
Republican leaders prefer keeping the government closed to compromising on health care. And, with polls showing that voters overwhelmingly blame Republicans for the stalemate, Democrats, too, are willing to let it drag on.
Aside from a 10-minute phone call Monday evening, Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) are not talking. Nor is Boehner meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).
Obama had been scheduled to visit Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia next week as part of his administration’s effort to strengthen U.S. foreign policy in Asia. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council said the president decided to cancel the stops in Malaysia and the Philippines because the logistics and planning had not been finalized, and the shutdown made it difficult to complete that work.
Egyptian artifacts recovered, U.S. government shutdown, Philippine naked run and more.
For now, Obama is still planning travel to Indonesia and Brunei, where he is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“We will continue to evaluate those trips based on how events develop throughout the course of the week,” said Caitlin Hayden, the NSC spokeswoman. She said Secretary of State John F. Kerry will visit Malaysia and the Philippines instead of the president.
There were signs on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that Republicans — fearing that blame for the shutdown almost certainly will fall most heavily on them — are beginning to look for ways to lift some of the pressure generated by the impasse.
House GOP leaders offered to fund some parts of the government — including national parks, veterans benefits and the D.C. government. The goal was to put Democrats on the spot by trying to make them vote against programs that are popular among their constituents.
Senate Democratic leaders and the White House quickly rejected the piecemeal strategy. And in a series of evening votes, Democrats helped defeat the measures on the House floor.
Obama made his second appearance in as many days to call on Republicans to fund the government. He was flanked in the White House Rose Garden by about a dozen uninsured people who will be eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act, which took effect Tuesday. The legislation, widely known as Obamacare, remains unpopular, but polls suggest that the idea of closing the government to stop it is even more so.
“This shutdown is not about deficits. It’s not about budgets,” Obama said. “This shutdown is about rolling back our efforts to provide health insurance to folks who don’t have it. This, more than anything else, seems to be what the Republican Party stands for these days. I know it’s strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda, but that apparently is what it is.”
At the moment, neither side is feeling a clear imperative to end the shutdown.
Republican leaders prefer keeping the government closed to compromising on health care. And, with polls showing that voters overwhelmingly blame Republicans for the stalemate, Democrats, too, are willing to let it drag on.
Aside from a 10-minute phone call Monday evening, Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) are not talking. Nor is Boehner meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).