President Obama invited the entire House Republican conference to the White House Thursday, but only a small group will be attending the session.
“Nine days into a government shutdown and a week away from breaching the debt ceiling, a meeting is only worthwhile if it is focused on finding a solution. That’s why the House Republican conference will instead be represented by a smaller group of negotiators, including the elected leadership and certain committee chairmen. It is our hope that this will be a constructive meeting and that the president finally recognizes Americans expect their leaders to be able to sit down and resolve their differences,” says Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner. One aide tells me the House GOP wasn’t about to enter a “dog-and-pony show” for the benefit of the cameras given the urgency of the situation.
The elected leaders who will be attending:
- Boehner
- Cantor
- McCarthy
- McMorris Rodgers
- Walden
- Lankford
- Jenkins
- Foxx
- Southerland
- Wagner
- Roskam
- Sessions
And the committee chairmen:
- Ryan
- Camp
- Upton
- Hal Rogers
- Hensarling
- McKeon