Heller misses Obama meeting for son’s wedding

WASHINGTON — Sen. Dean Heller stepped aside Friday from talks on resolving the government shutdown in order to attend the wedding of his oldest son, his office said.

Heller was at the wedding of son Harris, one of his four children. The location of the family event was not given.

Consequently, the Nevadan was absent as Senate Republicans met at the White House with President Barack Obama amidst seeming momentum on a deal to end the shutdown and prevent a looming debt crisis.

Spokeswoman Chandler Smith said Heller is expected to be available Saturday when the Senate takes a scheduled test vote on a bill to increase the limit on the government’s borrowing power, one of the issues that has put the parties at loggerheads.

Republican senators met with Obama for about 90 minutes. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the meeting “very useful,” while others said it did not lead to concrete progress.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.