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But Obama and top Republican lawmakers also made clear that there's just no way to avoid two looming showdowns: Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline; and a GOP effort to attack Obama's overhaul of immigration rules in the same bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security.

Both sides said those issues came up in the meeting, which featured Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and 19 Republican and Democratic congressional leaders -- but offered no indications that they'd brokered any solutions.

Republicans said they had urged Obama not to threaten vetoes -- as he has on those two measures -- until they are closer to reaching his desk.

"But unfortunately he's pretty dug in on some of those issue and I don't think he expressed any willingness to reverse his course of action on the veto threats he's already issued," said Sen. John Thune.

"But I think in terms of the relationship and working with Congress, it's advantageous for him in the long run and for us for him not to draw lines in the sand so early on," the South Dakota Republican said. "Hopefully he was listening."

In a read-out of the meeting, the White House said Obama called for the Homeland Security Department to be funded "without delay."

"The President underscored there are priorities that rise above politics -- including keeping Americans safe by promptly and fully funding the Department of Homeland Security without delay so the men and women working there can operate with the confidence they need," the White House said.

But in a separate read-out, House Speaker John Boehner's office said the Ohio Republican made clear that the immigration provisions, undoing Obama's executive actions to forestall deportations for the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens, as well as his previous move to prevent the deportation of young people who have spent most of their lives in the United States, won't be dropped from the bill.

"The bill will include amendments to stop the president's unilateral actions on immigration, and the speaker reminded the president that he himself had stated publicly many times in the past that he did not have the power to rewrite immigration law through executive action," Boehner's office said.

Still, lawmakers departing the meeting said they had identified some areas where they could work together.

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Obama, Hill leader meeting agenda: Find common ground