Latest White House Talks Wrap After Midnight
President Barack Obama and Congressional Democratic leaders broke off a White House meeting on health care reform legislation early Friday morning without announcing that they had resolved remaining differences between the House and Senate bills.“The president and Congressional leaders continued to work through the differences in the health bills,— a White House official said. “They made solid progress toward a final package, including common-sense adjustments that strengthen the legislation and make sure it works for middle-class families while bringing down costs and expanding coverage to millions of Americans.—The meeting, held in the Cabinet Room, began at about 9:15 p.m. and ended at about 1:25 a.m. The president departed the meeting shortly before 1 a.m.Lawmakers attending included Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.), House Majority Whip James Clyburn (S.C.), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (Calif.), House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (N.Y.), House Education and Labor Chairman George Miller (Calif.), Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (Mont.), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Tom Harkin (Iowa), and Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Chris Dodd (Conn.).Obama administration staff attending included White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann Deparle, Legislative Affairs Director Phil Schiliro, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.