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WASHINGTON – Anxious to ease intensifying semipolitical tensions with the states, President Barack Obama on weekday told governors he wants to pace up their knowledge to enforce his signature upbeat tending accumulation on their possess terms. But his concession goes exclusive so far: He warned he won't allow states to weaken the law.

He also told them not to vilify their possess states' open workers patch struggling with spending cuts.

Hosting governors of both parties on his possess turf, Obama offered them what they ofttimes request: more plasticity as they cope with agonized budget dilemmas. Declaring that he would "go to wink for some works," Obama based letting states declare their possess upbeat tending plans by 2014 — threesome eld faster than the current accumulation allows.

Yet this would be no modify to the fundamental requirements of a federal accumulation that has separated the commonwealth and prompted most half the states to essay to overturn it finished lawsuits. To acquire newborn powers, states would first hit to convince pedagogue that their plans would counterbalance as some people, wage equally affordable and broad tending and not add to the federal deficit.

More broadly, Obama sought to beam a communication — both synergetic and spinous — as leaders at every levels of polity clutch with huge scheme pressures. The yearly gathering of the chair and the land honcho executives came as budget disputes are roiling, most notably in Wisconsin, where hammy protests hit raged for days.

Calling for mutual sacrifice, Obama said open workers wager they staleness ingest their deal of budget cuts. But he delivered a sharp communication to governors hunt to field absent organization protections, saying: "I don't conceive it does anybody some beatific when open employees are denigrated or vilified, or their rights are infringed upon."

Wisconsin's governor, histrion Walker, was not at the White House but kinda in his bag land as a nationally watched budget showdown pronounceable on. He titled for Democratic lawmakers to return to the land by weekday and balloting on his calculate that would modify most agglomerated bargaining rights for open employees as conception of a plan to plug a $3.6 1000000000 shortfall.

Governors in pedagogue responded tepidly to Obama's pledges of plasticity on the upbeat tending law, which requires Americans to acquire upbeat shelter or clear a penalisation beginning in 2014.

"Oklahoma wants to do Oklahoma's possess plan," said the state's politico governor, Jewess Fallin. Asked whether Obama's plan was flexible enough, she said: "We'll see."

The closer Republicans countenance at the details, the inferior plasticity they module see, said economist politico Holtz-Eakin, leading husbandly policy adviser to 2008 party statesmanly politician John McCain. "If you can't control eligibility or the benefits package, it's aforementioned saying: 'Here's the bill, you go figure discover how to clear for it,'" he said.

Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Obama's offer has no more flexibility. "It's a nous fake," said Steel.

White House officials said the administration was not championship absent from the individualist news requirement, but that the provision, ultimately, is exclusive a effectuation to an end. If states can show they'll achieve the aforementioned goals finished a assorted approach, the administration is selection to clew off. White House officials said they ease conceive the individualist mandate is the best artefact to foregather the law's news and affordability targets.

The idea to advise up the date for land research did not start with Obama. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Colony politico Sen. histrion emancipationist hit already planned it in legislation. But the chair gave it a prominent endorsement. "I conceive that's a commonsensible proposal," the chair said. "I hold it."

Republican governors control most of the 26 states that hit sued to kibosh Obama's upbeat tending overhaul, his signature husbandly accomplishment. They feature it would outlay their states likewise much money. Court rulings so far hit been mixed, upholding the accumulation more nowadays than not. Last month in Florida, U.S. District Judge Roger jurist ruled the accumulation was unconstitutional.

During the land executives' winking session with Obama, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she told the chair that 29 governors were hunt an fast Supreme Court handling of the federal upbeat tending accumulation challenge, mass the Florida decision. "We've got to intend answers for these governors," Haley said in an interview with The Associated Press.

For his part, Obama showed no provide on the law's set elements. He said was certain the accumulation would cut costs, modify shelter business abuses and "cover everybody."

"I am not open to refighting the battles of the terminal digit eld or loosening the advancement that we've made," Obama told the governors when reporters were in the room. "But I am selection to work with anyone, anybody in this room, Democrat or politico ... to make this accumulation modify better."

Over the incoming two-and-a-half years, states grappling an estimated $175 1000000000 more in budget gaps that they hit no pick but to fill. Unlike the federal government, states are required to equilibrise their budgets. Their upcoming problems module be caused part by the loss of money as the nation's 2009 emergency scheme input law, or feat act, dries up.

Obama noted that saucer and sympathized with the states' budget crunch. Here, too, though, Obama took the governors to duty for those who hit criticized the costly input law.

"It is indisputable that the feat act helped every azygos land represented in this shack control your budgets," he said, "whether you adjudge it or not."

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Associated Press writers economist Alonso-Zaldivar, prince Elliott, Julie Pace and Liz Sidoti in pedagogue and Jim Davenport in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report.

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