Obama invites leaders to budget talks

President Obama has invted the congressional leadership and the leaders of House and Senate spending panels for budget talks at the White House Tuesday.

{mosads}He invited House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.).

Press secretary Jay Carney made the announcement Monday, citing the upcoming deadline for the 2011 budget. The current plan funding the government runs through Friday.

“Time is of the essence, and that is why he called this meeting for tomorrow,” Carney said of the powwow.

The invitation comes on the heels of continued budget negotiations over the weekend, during which Obama phoned both Reid and Boehner.

The meeting will be “more of a leadership discussion, and not a line item discussion,” Carney said.

“It’s a good time, a very good time for these senior leaders to come together and assess where we are and make some decisions about whether or not we can reach final agreement,” the press secretary said. 

Speaker Boehner’s press secretary would not confirm that the leadership meeting has been scheduled.

“The Speaker hopes to meet with the President to discuss the need to keep the government open while making real cuts in spending, and we’re working with the White House to schedule that meeting,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told The Hill.

Updated at 1:24 p.m., 2:22 p.m. and 4:05 p.m.