President Barack Obama's outreach to congressional Republicans continues today, as he lunches at the White House with Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), the leading budget-writer in the House.
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Close ReutersRep. Paul Ryan planned to meet the president for lunch at the White House Thursday.
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It's the latest sign that Mr. Obama is trying to reignite conversations with the GOP aimed at producing a "grand bargain'' on deficit-cutting, entitlement spending and taxes. Debate over those issues has produced near-gridlock and a series of deadline-driven budget crises in Washington, which now threaten to divert attention from Mr. Obama's second term goals of passing an immigration overhaul and expanding early-childhood education, among other things.
Joining Messrs. Obama and Ryan will be Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee, a White House official said Thursday. Mr. Ryan is chairman of that committee.
Mr. Ryan would be an important figure in any "grand bargain'' talks. He is the architect of the House Republican plan to rein in federal spending and reshape the Medicare program, making him a leading representative of the most fiscally conservative lawmakers. Next week, he will release the House GOP's version of a budget for the next fiscal year.
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