Obama, Nancy Pelosi And Harry Reid Joining OFA Meeting

By KEN THOMAS, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is meeting Monday with his most loyal supporters to discuss ways to promote his agenda on issues like immigration reform and the economy as lawmakers prepare to return home for their annual summer break.

Obama was being joined by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California at a meeting of Organizing for Action, a super political action committee formed from the president's 2012 re-election campaign.

The meeting comes ahead of Congress' annual August recess, when many lawmakers return to their districts and hold town hall meetings with constituents. It was during the same period in 2009 that many tea party activists rallied against Obama's health care proposal, which the White House is now working to implement.

Democrats are trying to build momentum on issues like immigration reform, which cleared the Senate but faces an uncertain future in the House; expanded background checks for certain firearm purchases, which are stalled in Congress; and measures to curb climate change, which the president outlined last month.

Obama also plans a series of economic speeches beginning this week that will be aimed at building support ahead of upcoming budget deadlines this fall and the potential for another fight with Republicans over the nation's borrowing limit.

Organizing for Action, which is run by former White House and campaign aides, has tried to build public pressure on members of Congress to enact the president's second-term agenda. The group raised more than $8 million between April and June.

Attendees at an "Action August" summit were receiving an update from Reid and Pelosi at the meeting, along with news from Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which has been active in opposing sweeping new abortion restrictions in Texas.

Obama was scheduled to speak at the summit and then at a dinner for the organization later in the evening.