Obama to dine with Democrats on eve of immigration order

President Obama will meet with Democratic members of Congress on Wednesday night to discuss the executive actions on immigration he plans to announce to the nation in a prime-time address.

Obama will discuss the details of his actions over dinner at the White House with 18 members of Congress, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday.

The president will also discuss a “couple other priorities” with the lawmakers, Earnest added.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will not attend the dinner but has been briefed on Obama’s plan by Cecilia Munoz, the director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, an aide said.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were not invited to the event, aides said.

Republicans in Congress have warned Obama not to act unilaterally on immigration, and are gearing up for a major battle over what they say is a flagrant violation of the Constitution.

The dinner comes ahead of the prime-time address on Thursday night and a Friday trip to Las Vegas, where Obama will speak at a local high school to discuss the details of the plan.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Obama says Washington has allowed the immigration problem “to fester for too long.”

He said he will be doing what he can “with my lawful authority as president to make the system work better, even as I continue to work with Congress and encourage them to get a bipartisan, comprehensive bill.”

The follow members of Congress were invited to the dinner, according to a White House official.

· Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
· Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
· Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
· Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
· Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
· Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
· Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
· Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
· House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
· Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)
· Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)
· Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.)
· Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.)
· Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-Texas)
· Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio)
· Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.)
· Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.)
· Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.)
· Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)

— This story was last updated at 4:31 p.m.