HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama will cut short his traditional Christmas holiday in Hawaii, planning to leave for Washington on Wednesday evening as he and lawmakers consider how to prevent the economy from going over the so-called fiscal cliff.
Obama was expected to arrive in
Washington early Thursday, the White House said Tuesday night. First
lady Michelle Obama and the couple's two daughters will remain in
Hawaii.
In the past, the president's end-of-the-year holiday in his native
state had stretched into the new year. The first family had left
Washington last Friday night.
Congress was expected to return
to Washington on Thursday. Before he departed for Hawaii, Obama told
reporters he expected to be back in the capital the following week.
Automatic budget cuts and tax
increases are set to begin in January, which many economists say could
send the country back into recession. So far, the president and
congressional Republicans have been unable to reach agreement on any
alternatives.
Lawmakers have expressed little
but pessimism for the prospect of an agreement coming before Jan. 1. On
Sunday, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she expects any action
in the waning days of the year to be "a patch because in four days we
can't solve everything."
The Obamas were spending the
holiday at a rented home near Honolulu. On Christmas Day, the president
and first lady visited with members of the military to express thanks
for their service.
"One of my favorite things is
always coming to base on Christmas Day just to meet you and say thank
you," the president said at Marine Corps Base Hawaii's Anderson Hall. He
said that being commander in chief was his greatest honor as president.
Obama took photos with individual service members and their families.
On Christmas Eve, Obama called
members of the military to thank them for serving the nation, then
joined his family for dinner, the White House said. The Obamas opened
gifts Christmas morning, ate breakfast and sang carols.
Friends were joining the Obamas for Christmas dinner Tuesday night, the White House said.
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