Obama meets with Hill leaders on jobs

U.S. President Barack Obama met for lunch behind closed doors Wednesday with top congressional leaders to talk about jobs, the White House said. It was the first such meeting since debt-ceiling negotiations broke down last summer, Politico reported. The newspaper said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attended. Absent was House Minority Leader Eric Cantor. Politico said the president and Cantor had a particularly tense face-off during the debt talks. The White House said Cantor repeatedly interrupted Obama. But Politico said Cantor and the president have been working together on a legislative jobs package to help small businesses get access to needed capital. "It was a constructive and cordial meeting," White House press secretary Jay Carney said, though he declined to give specifics. The Hill said Wednesday's meeting also included Vice President Joe Biden. Boehner left the meeting feeling "hopeful" and "encouraged" Democrats might consider energy and jobs bills passed by the Republican-led House, The Hill quotes his office as saying.