WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says President Barack Obama plans to meet with Republican Sen. John McCain on Wednesday to discuss ongoing efforts to pass an overhaul of immigration laws and budget issues.

McCain, of Arizona, is one of the key Republicans in a bipartisan group of eight senators who drafted broad immigration legislation that would include a path to citizenship for immigrants illegally in the United States.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has been assembling the bill as its key sponsors attempt to fend off efforts that could hurt its chances of passing.

The meeting with McCain comes as the president faces questions over his administration's response to an attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. McCain has been a leading critic of the administration's actions after the attack.