The Prime Minister's visit will be the first trip to the White House of Obama's second term. In a statement, a White House official said the visit would include talks on trade and economic co-operation, as well as counterterrorism:
"The prime minister's visit underscores the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom that has been crucial in advancing our shared security and prosperity.
Obama spoke to Congressional leaders about budget deal
The White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer has revealed that Barack Obama spoke to all four Congressional leaders about the impending budget deadline before he left Hawaii:
President Obama spoke to all four Congressional leaders yesterday before departing for Washington, DC
White House urges opponents not to block 'fiscal cliff' deal
Barack Obama will resume talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff" Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The White House has called on congressional Republicans to not stand in the way of a resolution on the US Congress.
Barack Obama cut short a Christmas holiday to resume talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of automatic year-end tax hikes and spending cuts.
"It's up to the Senate Minority Leader not to block a vote and it's up the House Republican leader, the Speaker of the House ... to allow a vote," a senior administration official told reporters.
Michelle Obama has told Daybreak's Lucy Watson that she's ready for another four years at the White House. "Yes, we're ready to get to work," she said.
Speaking about Christmas Mrs Obama added: "I'm looking forward to opening the house to visitors [at Christmas]. We're going to have more that 90 thousand people here."
Following the suspension of the United Nations monitoring of Syria, the White House has urged Syria to abide by Kofi Annan's plan and says it is consulting partners on "next steps".
This event only reinforces why it was so important to pass Wall Street reform, why it is so important to fully implement Wall Street reform.
– White House spokesman Jay Carney
He said President Barack Obama "fought very hard against Republicans and Wall Street lobbyists" to increase oversight of US banks after the financial crisis and said it was critical to keep the laws from being watered down.
