Obama to Huddle With McCain, Bingaman
President Barack Obama will meet with two key Senators on Wednesday as he begins his effort to move forward on issues with bipartisan support after the State of the Union.
Obama is scheduled to sit down with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at 2:05 p.m. A McCain spokeswoman said there is no specific agenda but issues likely to be discussed include Egypt, free trade, the earmark ban, and immigration reform and border security.
The president will also meet with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman at 4:45 p.m. to discuss energy policy, including clean energy standards. The meeting comes two days after the New Mexico Democrat outlined his energy priorities for the 112th Congress.
During remarks to NDN and the New Policy Institute, Bingaman highlighted four key priorities for the next two years: leading in energy research and development, maintaining a strong domestic market for clean energy technologies, ensuring capital is available for building advanced energy technology projects, and creating explicit policies for promoting clean energy technologies.
“I think these four items or elements should be at the heart of whatever comprehensive energy legislation that we undertake in this Congress,” he said.