Obama delays congressional leaders' meeting to give Senate more time

Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to reporters during a visit to Martha's Table, a kitchen which provides meals for the needy, in Washington October 14, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders to discuss progress toward a deal to re-open the government and raise the U.S. debt ceiling has been postponed to give the Senate more time, the White House said on Monday. Obama had been due to meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi at 3:00 p.m. EDT/1900 GMT. "The president's 3:00 p.m. meeting with the bipartisan leadership has been postponed to allow leaders in the Senate time to continue making important progress towards a solution that raises the debt limit and reopens the government," the White House said in a statement. White House officials said the postponement should be seen as positive, but there was no indication that the meeting would be rescheduled for later on Monday. (Reporting by Jeff Mason, Roberta Rampton, and Steve Holland; editing by Christopher Wilson)