WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to address an issues retreat of House Democrats this week, but will also speak later to House Republicans in a fresh gesture of bipartisanship.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama will appear at the Democratic gathering at the Capitol on Thursday. The details of the president’s planned talk to the GOP next month are still being worked out.
Obama’s appearances come as lawmakers struggle to reconcile differing House and Senate versions of his health care overhaul. They also come as Obama prepares for his State of the Union speech against a backdrop of election-year bickering over administration plans ranging from taxes and spending to energy and banking rules.