Readout of Consultative Meeting with Congressional Leaders on National Security Issues

This morning, President Obama invited bicameral congressional leaders and the Chairs and Ranking Members of national security committees to the White House to consult with them about ongoing U.S. efforts to respond to the conflicts in Ukraine, Iraq, Gaza, Syria, and other pressing issues. The President requested this meeting to update and hear from some of Congress' leading foreign policy voices before their departure for the August recess.

Today's meeting was constructive and the President committed that he and his team would continue to work closely with the Congress on these matters in the weeks and months ahead. The Vice President also attended this meeting in the Cabinet Room.

Members of Congress in this morning's meeting included:

• Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader
• Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Minority Leader
• Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL, Assistant Majority Leader
• Senator John Cornyn, R-TX, Minority Whip
• Senator Carl Levin, D-MI, Chairman, Armed Service Committee
• Senator Robert Menendez, D-NJ, Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee
• Senator Bob Corker, R-TN, Ranking Member, Foreign Relations Committee
• Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, Chair, Select Committee on Intelligence
• Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-GA, Vice Chairman, Select Committee on Intelligence
• Representative Buck McKeon, R-CA, Chairman, Armed Services Committee
• Representative Edward Royce, R-CA, Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee
• Representative Eliot Engel, D-NY, Ranking Member, Foreign Affairs Committee
• Representative Mike J. Rogers, R-MI, Chairman, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
• Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, D-MD, Ranking Member, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Senior Administration officials in this morning's meeting included:

• Shaun Donovan, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
• Susan Rice, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
• Neil Eggleston, Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President
• Katie Fallon, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs
• Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
• Antony Blinken, Deputy National Security Advisor
• Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications
• Jacob Sullivan, Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President