Obama scraps Malaysia and Philippines visits over shutdown

Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks alongside Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (R) and other Americans the White House says will benefit from the opening of health insurance marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, October 1, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has scrapped the Malaysia and Philippine portions of a scheduled four-country Asia trip because of the U.S. government shutdown, and the rest of the trip remains up in the air, the White House said on Wednesday. Obama is scheduled to set off on the trip on Saturday. He was to have visited Malaysia and the Philippines after attending international summits in Indonesia and Brunei. The White House said it would continue to evaluate the Indonesia and Brunei portions of the president's trip based on how events develop throughout the course of the week. (Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Kevin Liffey)