Tales from the Trail

Add another victim to a looming federal government shutdown – a surprise Obama family outing to Williamsburg in Virginia, which was  postponed on Friday after budget negotiations failed to break their deadlock.

The weekend get-away to the historically preserved 18th century colonial town had been kept under wraps, but was almost immediately in doubt after word of the trip trickled out.

Republicans and Democrats made little headway in budget talks, despite successive summons to the White House by President Barack Obama to move things along, and by Friday afternoon a shutdown looked increasingly unavoidable.

“The President will remain in Washington, D.C. this weekend as he continues to work with congressional leaders to reach an agreement on the budget,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. “The First Family’s trip to Williamsburg has been postponed.”

Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed (Obama and family at White House)