Obama Plans More Outreach to Republicans

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is reaching out to opposition Republicans in Congress in hopes of finding an agreement on ways to cut the U.S. deficit.  The effort is a sudden change from the president's recent strategy of criticizing Republicans and appealing directly to the American people.

Obama will spend much of the coming week on Capitol Hill, meeting with lawmakers from both parties and looking for solutions to the deficit and other issues.

The president's new outreach began Wednesday, when he treated 12 Republican senators to dinner at a luxurious Washington hotel.

The next day, he had lunch with Congressman Paul Ryan, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee, as well as Congressman Chris Van Hollen, the senior Democrat on the panel.

Both sides described the discussions as productive and pleasant, even if any deals on the deficit appear to be months away.

In his weekly address Saturday, President Obama said progress was made in several areas, and compromise is possible.

"We had an open and honest conversation about critical issues like immigration reform and gun violence, and other areas where we can work together to move this country forward.  And next week, I’ll attend both the Democratic and Republican party meetings in the Capitol to continue those discussions," he said.