WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Wednesday met with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and the two discussed the outlook for the U.S. economy and the European debt crisis.
The White House, in a summary of the meeting, said the two “discussed the outlook for the recovery and for jobs as well as fiscal issues, including the need to tackle long-term deficit reduction.” They also discussed the “situation in Europe,” the White House said.
It was their third such meeting this year, the White House said.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other economic officials from the Obama administration also attended the meeting.
Their meeting comes a day after the Federal Reserve downgraded its view of the U.S. economy. The Fed also said it plans to keep its benchmark short-term interest rate close to zero for at least another two years.
