President Barack Obama has canceled two stops on his long-planned trip to Asia because of the partial government shutdown, the White House announced Wednesday.

President Obama
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Obama is scheduled to leave Saturday night for what was originally a four-nation tour. But the White House has called off the final two stops in Malaysia and the Philippines and is re-evaluating the stops in Indonesia and Brunei.

"We have no updates on the President's travel to major international summits in Indonesia and Brunei," said White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden. "We will continue to evaluate those trips based on how events develop throughout the course of the week. For the sake of our national security and economic prosperity, we urge Congress to reopen the government."

The shutdown took effect early Tuesday after Congress missed its deadline to fund the government.

Hayden said that since Malaysia and the Philippines were "on the back end of the President's upcoming trip, our personnel was not yet in place and we were not able to go forward with planning."

Hayden added: "The cancellation of this trip is another consequence of the House Republicans forcing a shutdown of the government. This completely avoidable shutdown is setting back our ability to promote U.S. exports and advance U.S. leadership in the largest emerging region in the world."

The White House said Obama called Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday to inform them of his change in plans and commit to traveling to both countries later in his term.

"I empathize and understand," Najib said Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur. "If I were in his shoes, I would do the same."

In Manila, Ricky Carandang, a spokesman for Aquino, also said Obama's decision was understandable, and said the Philippines looks forward to welcoming him "at a more opportune time."

Secretary of State John Kerry, who left Tuesday for Asia and plans to join Obama in Indonesia and Brunei, will represent the United States in Malaysia and the Philippines next week, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The trip is part of Obama's broader focus on boosting U.S. economic ties with Asia. Obama twice canceled trips to Asia in 2010, once to stay in Washington for votes on his health care law, and once because of an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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