In his first full week as the newly re-elected incumbent, President Obama will host a series of meetings with a broad range of groups to discuss the country’s deficit and how to move the economy forward.
First up are leaders from the labor and progressive communities, according to what a White House official told NBC News. Among the expected attendees to Tuesday’s meeting with the president are the heads of the country’s top labor unions: Mary Kay Henry, SEIU; Lee Saunders, AFSCME; Dennis Van Roekel, NEA; and Rich Trumka, AFL-CIO.
Labor unions, which stumped for the president’s re-election, are expected to advocate for the protection of entitlements, such as Medicare and an end to tax cuts for wealthier Americans.
Henry, who leads the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), railed against the possibility of a Medicare voucher system, middle class tax increases, and cuts to education under a Mitt Romney presidency during her speech at the Democratic National Convention this past September.
Trumka, who also spoke at the DNC, recently said: “If any bipartisan deal includes cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, or extends the Bush tax cuts for the top 2%, we will oppose it.”
Leaders from progressive groups including the Center for American Progress, MoveOn, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities are also expected to join Tuesday’s meeting with labor groups. The president is expected to meet with the business community leadership the next day, and congressional leaders on Friday. Among those CEOs invited to meet the president Wednesday are a broad cross-section of industries, including Mark Bertolini who leads Aetna, Ginni Rometty of IBM, John Watson of Chevron, Jeff Immelt of GE, Alan Mulally of Ford, Mike Duke of Walmart, and Ken Chenault of American Express.
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