Obama says he is not resigned to government shutdown amid budget stalemate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday he is not resigned to a U.S. government shutdown taking place with a midnight deadline looming and said he would talk to congressional leaders later in the day. During an Oval Office appearance with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama said he supported a Senate bill that would allow for a short-term funding of the government without cutting funding from his signature healthcare law, which Republicans are seeking to gut. Obama said he planned to talk to congressional leaders throughout the week. "I am not at all resigned" to a shutdown, he said. Obama said all involved must negotiate in good faith without a threat of a debt default. "We are the foundation of the world economy and the world financial system. And our currency is the reserve currency of the world. We don't mess with that," Obama said. "And we certainly don't allow domestic policy differences on issues that are unrelated to the budget to endanger not only our economy but the world economy," he said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Steve Holland; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)