White House meetings likely postpone Conrad markup

Meetings on the deficit between President Obama and senators slated for Wednesday and Thursday mean that the Senate Budget Committee will have to likely postpone any budget resolution markup this week, aides said Monday.

Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) had hoped to release a 2012 budget resolution this week and hold a markup. Plans for a Monday markup were shelved when Senate Democrats could not agree on an exact approach late last week.

A Tuesday markup is not possible due to a 48-hour advance notice rule in the committee.

The fact that Democrats will meet with Obama on Wednesday and Republicans will meet with him Thursday rules out those dates since committee members will be at the White House.

A two-day markup is additionally unlikely to begin on a Friday.

Conrad's office did not respond to a request for comment. The chairman is under pressure to move a resolution that under law should have been agreed to by both House and Senate by April 15.

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