Obama, Hill leaders meet ahead of federal funding deadline

At a White House meeting earlier Monday, President Barack Obama met with congressional leaders and urged them to approve Zika funding along with money for disaster relief in Louisiana and MI. Congress leaders have suggested they would try to override a presidential veto. White House spokesman Josh Earnest says countries could use the legislation as an excuse to haul US diplomats into court. "I do anticipate the president will veto the legislation when it is presented to him".

Obama met with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders appeared confident they soon will ink a deal to avoid a government shutdown, but neither side announced a final agreement on Monday.

Obama said they discussed the need for disaster relief in Louisiana and elsewhere, but gave no specifics on the conversation.

Lawmakers left Washington seven weeks ago without resolving a dispute over money for Zika.

"Members of both sides have been working toward an agreement to responsibly fund the government", McConnell said after he filed cloture on a motion to proceed to the bill, setting up a vote as soon as September 14. House Republicans also promoted a Zika bill that simply can not pass in Congress because of political poison pills inserted into the legislation.

Despite longstanding support for free trade among Capitol Hill Republicans, including Ryan and McConnell, there is now bipartisan opposition to the deal in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail, where Donald Trump has railed against it and Democrat Hillary Clinton reversed herself under pressure from the Democratic base and now opposes it.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, took to the floor to blame Democrats for the need for a continuing resolution to December 9, saying: "It's the result of our Democratic colleagues filibustering the regular appropriations process".

Obama touted the TPP during his trip to China and Laos last week, and he has vowed to press lawmakers to vote on the package during an expected lame-duck session of Congress after the November 8 elections. "In addition, the leaders discussed other remaining priorities including legislation on mental health, criminal justice reform, and medical research".

Also on the agenda for the president and legislators: a request from Louisiana's governor for $2.8 billion in federal assistance to help the state recover from devastating flooding. The president did visit after returning to Washington. Another issue that may be conflictive for the White House is the approval of a law that is now in the hands of the president to allow the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks to sue Saudi Arabia in U.S. courts for its alleged links with those attacks. Other endangered Republicans in both chamber support the bank, saying it helps create jobs by providing low-priced financing for exports.