Audrey Young: Big guns lined up to meet Key

John Key will get a chance to admire the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco as he passes through California on his way to Washington. Photo / Martin Sykes

Prime Minister John Key will meet some heavy-hitters in Washington next week besides President Barack Obama.

He has meetings with Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, both of whom are in the midst of the United States debt ceiling crisis.

Mr Key will also meet new Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano - whose trip to New Zealand in February this year was cancelled - and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

He has an appointment on Capitol Hill to meet Democrat Senator Harry Reid from Nevada and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the leader of the Republican minority, who are also deeply involved in talks to resolve the debt crisis.

His schedule in California, en route to Washington, is much lighter by comparison, with afternoon tea at the New Zealand consulate in Los Angeles and a private dinner with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros executives on one day, and a busier day in San Francisco, including a call on Facebook headquarters.

President Obama is deadlocked in negotiations with the House and Senate over lifting the country's US$14.3 trillion ($17 trillion) debt cap before August 2. That is the date by which a deal must be hammered out to avoid the first default on a US debt repayment and a likely downgrade by credit rating agencies.

Mr Bernanke issued a warning to a Senate committee this week of a huge financial calamity if Mr Obama and the Republicans cannot reach an agreement.

Mr Key is due to meet President Obama in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon local time, which will be early Saturday New Zealand time.