EXCLUSIVE: Cantor: Obama's not met with GOP leaders since May

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By Stephen Dinan

EXCLUSIVE:

President Obama has cut off communication with Republican leaders, going more than four months without hosting the bipartisan congressional leadership at the White House to discuss his health care proposal, the No. 2 Republican in the House said Wednesday.

Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, told The Washington Times that health care reform has been an "utter disaster" for Mr. Obama and predicted if he pushes through a public option as part of a final bill, Republicans will win back at least one chamber of Congress in the 2010 elections.

Mr. Cantor said Mr. Obama initially asked for Republican help on health care, but Republicans have heard nothing since they offered their ideas.

"No matter what the cry is from the White House, no matter what the president claims, they have not engaged with us," he said.

"The White House at this point has shut down, as far as any kind of engagement. I think that the last time that we as a Republican leadership were at the White House was in May, and that's when they called us in at the beginning of the health care discussion so that they could get our ideas," Mr. Cantor said. "The president enlisted us and said we want your ideas. [Minority Leader John A.] Boehner and I sent a letter to the White House in response to that request. Nothing."

The White House disputed Mr. Cantor's assertion, saying that just last week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius invited Rep. Tom Price and the Republican Study Committee to sit down and discuss the proposal.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Republicans are welcome to join the discussion - if they offer a comprehensive plan of their own.

"We'd be happy to evaluate their comprehensive proposal to provide health care reform to the American people. If you want to get it from them, I'll be happy to take it over to [legislative] affairs," Mr. Gibbs said.

Mr. Gibbs also said Republicans could take advantage of "a series of two-way streets between here and Capitol Hill" if they want to be constructive.