President Barack Obama has postponed visits to Malaysia and the Philippines so he can concentrate on dealing with the first federal government shutdown in 17 years, an administration official confirmed Wednesday.
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said that “logistically, it was not possible to go ahead with these trips in the face of a government shutdown.”
She added: “President Obama’s travel to Malaysia and the Philippines has been postponed. Because they are on the back end of the president’s upcoming trip, our personnel was not yet in place and we were not able to go forward with planning.”
Hayden said Secretary of State John Kerry would take Obama’s place in both Malaysia and the Philippines.
