On the heels of an expected veto, congressional leaders plan to meet with President Bush and begin new negotiations on the Iraq supplemental spending bill Wednesday afternoon.

The 2:25 p.m. meeting at the White House was scheduled as both parties dug in their heels on provisions in the current bill (HR 1591 — H Rept 110-107) that Bush has vowed to reject.

Democrats scheduled an enrollment ceremony for 3 p.m. Tuesday, at which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada were to sign the bill and send it on to the president.

The office of House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., said Bush’s expected veto would set the stage Wednesday for the House to attempt to override it.

Meanwhile, Republicans orchestrated their own media event across the street from the Capitol, where they railed against the current bill and pledged to continue to oppose any Democratic effort to mandate troop withdrawal dates in legislation.

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said Republicans say the spending bill should include benchmarks to be met by the Iraqi government but not billions of dollars in domestic spending Democrats included in the current bill. He said Republicans also will “not accept restraints on the military.”