Obama Pushes for More Security at U.S. Embassies WASHINGTON - President Obama, seeking to regain his footing amid persistent questions over last September's attack in Benghazi, Libya, plans to call on Congress on Thursday to take action to bolster security at American Embassies, according to a senior administration official. President Obama in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Thursday. Mr. Obama will make his appeal during a midday news conference with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, the official said. He will urge lawmakers to fully fund the State Department's budget request for diplomatic security. The administration has come under harsh criticism from Republicans for lapses in security during the attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, which killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. But the White House has complained that Congress actually cut financing for diplomatic security. "Given the interest of Congress in Benghazi, the president is going to call on that interest to be channeled," the official said. Among other steps, Mr. Obama will ask for Congressional support to increase the number of Marine guards posted at embassies and for Congress to act in areas that could help fulfill recommendations detailed in an independent investigation of the Benghazi attack. In January, the State Department proposed legislation that would allow future investigative bodies to recommend disciplinary action based on demonstrated poor leadership during security incidents. Another measure, already being taken up by Congress, would allow the State Department to redirect money in its budget to bolster security. The president, the senior official said, will also pledge to work with the Pentagon to speed up the response time of military teams in cases where diplomatic facilities come under attack. Lawmakers criticized the administration for not dispatching fighter jets to fly over the Benghazi compound after the first wave of attacks by militants. The independent investigation - which is being led by a former ambassador, Thomas R. Pickering, and Adm. Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - concluded that military intervention would not have prevented the deaths of the Americans.