Obama, Biden Could Be Out of Country at Same Time

For the first time this administration, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden might be out of the country at the same time next week.

President Obama is scheduled to depart for Israel on Tuesday evening, the same day that the vice president attends the Inauguration Mass for Pope Francis in Rome. The vice president's official schedule for the trip has yet to be released, but there might be a few hours of overlap, with Biden flying back from Italy while the president is already en route to Israel.

"There certainly is a chance that that could happen. I think some of the schedule details are still being nailed down," White House spokesman Joshua Earnest told reporters Friday aboard Air Force One. "President Obama is President of the United States everywhere he goes. Vice President Biden is Vice President of the United States everywhere that he goes. … This administration is deeply engaged all around the globe to make sure that the interests of the United States are well represented."

The president and vice president typically do not travel out of the country at the same time for security reasons.