WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John A. Boehner is headed to the White House to meet with President Obama on Tuesday, but expectations are low that much will come from their first face-to-face session in more than a year.
Ever since the failed talks between Obama and Boehner over the "fiscal cliff" -- their most recent meeting was Dec. 17, 2012, when they tried to reach a compromise to prevent a steep tax hike and spending cuts -- the Ohio Republican has said he's not interested in negotiating one-on-one with the president.
Boehner had been unable to rally his House Republican majority behind a deal with Obama. The deep partisanship of Washington has led to a tumultuous relationship, though both men say they do not have personal animosity for the other.
Tuesday's meeting was made at the invitation of the White House and will cover "a broad range of topics," said an aide familiar with the private session.
The talks come as Obama is preparing his fiscal 2015 budget, and as the president has said he will no longer wait for the divided Congress to act on his initiatives, but will be using his "pen" and "phone" to take executive action this year. That stance that has infuriated House Republicans, who call it an example of presidential overreach.
One topic of interest to both leaders is immigration reform -- something Obama and Boehner would both like Congress to accomplish this year. But the speaker has been reluctant to undertake in the face of opposition from his ranks.
The meeting is set for late morning.
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