US President Barack Obama on Thursday postponed his trip to Indonesia and Australia until June as he attempts to push his historic health care reform bill through Congress.
"We greatly regret the delay of the trip," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, but he added the "passage of health insurance reform is of paramount importance and the president is determined to see this battle through."
Gibbs said Obama had called Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and would later call Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to tell him he would have to put the trip off to a "later date."
The president's spokesman said it was now clear that a House of Representatives vote on health care reform could not now take place until Sunday afternoon at the earliest.
Obama had already delayed his departure by three days until Sunday morning in a bid to finally pilot his top domestic priority to extend health care coverage to some 32 million Americans through Congress.
The president believed that his Democratic allies in the House would have enough votes to pass the legislation, Gibbs said.
"I think the president in the calls and meetings he's having with individual leaders is making great progress," Gibbs said, adding Obama believed his place was to be in Washington "seeing this through."
Obama had also been due to visit the US Pacific territory of Guam on the trip.
Indonesia understands the reason for U.S. President Barack Obama's last-minute cancellation of his visit to Jakarta and Bali, a spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday.
Obama scrapped his plan to visit Indonesia and Australia on Thursday, days before the start of his Asia-Pacific trip, in order to stay in Washington and give a final push for a U.S. healthcare overhaul. The visit will be postponed until June.
"Of course we have made maximum preparations ahead of the visit, but that does not mean we should be disappointed by the delay," said presidential spokesman Julian Pasha.
"The delay of President Obama's visit to Indonesia is related to urgent internal matters, so we understand. Health reform has become a hot issue in the U.S."
The rare cancellation of a presidential trip abroad underscored how Obama's political challenges at home have begun complicating his activity overseas, stirring debate on whether he may have to scale back some foreign policy goals.
Obama had intended to use the March 21-26 trip, his first foreign travel this year, to deepen U.S. ties in the Asia-Pacific region in the face of rising Chinese influence.
"We greatly regret the delay of the trip," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, but he added the "passage of health insurance reform is of paramount importance and the president is determined to see this battle through."
Gibbs said Obama had called Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and would later call Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to tell him he would have to put the trip off to a "later date."
The president's spokesman said it was now clear that a House of Representatives vote on health care reform could not now take place until Sunday afternoon at the earliest.
Obama had already delayed his departure by three days until Sunday morning in a bid to finally pilot his top domestic priority to extend health care coverage to some 32 million Americans through Congress.
The president believed that his Democratic allies in the House would have enough votes to pass the legislation, Gibbs said.
"I think the president in the calls and meetings he's having with individual leaders is making great progress," Gibbs said, adding Obama believed his place was to be in Washington "seeing this through."
Obama had also been due to visit the US Pacific territory of Guam on the trip.
Indonesia understands the reason for U.S. President Barack Obama's last-minute cancellation of his visit to Jakarta and Bali, a spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday.
Obama scrapped his plan to visit Indonesia and Australia on Thursday, days before the start of his Asia-Pacific trip, in order to stay in Washington and give a final push for a U.S. healthcare overhaul. The visit will be postponed until June.
"Of course we have made maximum preparations ahead of the visit, but that does not mean we should be disappointed by the delay," said presidential spokesman Julian Pasha.
"The delay of President Obama's visit to Indonesia is related to urgent internal matters, so we understand. Health reform has become a hot issue in the U.S."
The rare cancellation of a presidential trip abroad underscored how Obama's political challenges at home have begun complicating his activity overseas, stirring debate on whether he may have to scale back some foreign policy goals.
Obama had intended to use the March 21-26 trip, his first foreign travel this year, to deepen U.S. ties in the Asia-Pacific region in the face of rising Chinese influence.
