WASHINGTON — A senior administration official tells The Associated Press that President Barack Obama will travel Friday to the Louisiana Gulf Coast to review firsthand the efforts to counter a disastrous oil spill.
The White House is expected to release more details about the trip later Tuesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the trip has not yet been announced.
Obama will travel from Washington to Chicago on Thursday for a long weekend with his family, as planned. From there, he will go to Louisiana on Friday and return to Chicago that evening.
The timing comes as the administration is under increasing scrutiny to defend its oversight of the ongoing oil leak in the Gulf Coast.