House Republicans were told Wednesday morning to act like they belong when President Barack Obama visits them on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the GOP conference chairwoman, told her colleagues Wednesday morning at the Capitol Hill Club that they should not take pictures of the president or ask him for his autograph when he speaks to them in the Capitol basement.
It’s an important moment for Speaker John Boehner’s 232-member conference — the group that has been Obama’s chief sparring partner since it took the majority in 2010. The last time Obama met with the House GOP was at their retreat in 2010, where cameras captured the president speaking to House Republicans — including Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
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Wednesday’s visit, which will be held in the Capitol basement, is scheduled to be one hour. Boehner will give a brief introduction, before turning the floor over to McMorris Rodgers, who will introduce Obama.
Lawmakers were told to be in HC-5, their meeting room, by 1:15 p.m., ahead of the 1:30 p.m. meeting, sources said. No food will be served, as extra chairs are needed to accommodate what’s expected to be a larger-than-usual crowd.
The meeting is part of an aggressive outreach effort by the president to Hill lawmakers to try and find common ground on the deficit. On Tuesday, Obama met with Senate Democrats, and on Thursday, he will meet with Senate Republicans and House Democrats.
GOP leadership aides expect lawmakers to ask Obama somewhere in the neighborhood of three or four questions. GOP leadership originally mulled an open mic session with the president, but that idea was scratched.
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Before Obama comes to the Hill, House Republicans will hold an unannounced meeting for their members at 9 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club, a GOP hangout next to the Republican National Committee headquarters.
The meeting is almost certain to focus on budgetary matters, including Ryan’s 2014 budget — which was introduced on Tuesday — and tax reform. According to GOP sources, when Obama’s aides first requested the meeting with House Republicans, they said he wanted to come to Capitol Hill to focus on something completely different: his upcoming trip to Israel.
Tense meeting between Obama, House GOP
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