President Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden will huddle next week with House Democrats at their retreat in Philadelphia.
Obama, who is scheduled to return from a trip to India early Wednesday, with deliver remarks later that day at an armed services farewell in honor of outgoing Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. He’ll attend the House Democratic Caucus Retreat on Thursday; Biden will attend on Friday.
Obama attended last week’s Senate Democratic retreat and reportedly clashed with Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, over Menendez’s support for legislation calling for further sanctions on Iran.
Obama threatened at the Senate retreat to veto similar legislation and the subject is likely to be raised at the confab.
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Another potential area of inter-party conflict: Republicans are pressing Obama to step up his personal lobbying within his own party if he expects to advance his ambitious trade proposal to sell more U.S. goods throughout the Pacific Rim.
The Senate’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, said Thursday that he’s opposed to the president’s request, adding that he’s "always been suspect" of trade agreements.
"Until it’s shown to me that trade agreements help the middle class, I’m not going to be jumping on the bandwagon," Reid said at a news conference.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the White House is committed to working with Congress and will make its case “both to Democrats and Republicans.”
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