President Barack Obama and congressional leaders met at the White House early Wednesday evening to discuss the debt ceiling and federal operations for the first time since the government shutdown began at midnight Monday.
The meeting, which lasted over an hour, did not appear to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) appeared outside the White House after the meeting and said Obama reiterated he would not negotiate. Boehner further said he hopes that Democrats will at some point “Sit down and have a serious conversation about resolving these differences.”
“We had a nice conversation, a polite conversation, but at some point we’ve got to let the process that our founders gave us work out,” Boehner added.
Also at the meeting were Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Joe Biden.
Reid said there would be no give on efforts to defund or delay parts of the Affordable Care Act. “We are locked in tight on Obamacare,” he said, later adding that Obama will oppose any efforts to use the debt ceiling on that front. “The president said he will not stand for that,” Reid said.
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