WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama was back home at the White House late Sunday, ending his eight-day summer vacation at exclusive Martha's Vineyard off the US east coast.

Fresh from the weeklong vacation, President Obama has to confront such issues as the crisis in Egypt and federal spending before getting back out on the road to sell his economic proposals.

On Thursday, the president sets out on a two-day bus trip through upstate New York and Pennsylvania to lay out ideas to help make a college education more affordable for the middle class.

Stops include the State University of New York at Buffalo and a school in Syracuse. On Friday, Obama plans to answer questions at a town hall-style event at State University of New York at Binghamton before a stop at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is to be joined there by Vice President Joe Biden, a native of the northeastern Pennsylvania city.

Obama has a private meeting Monday with various financial regulators to discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen the financial system, including the implementation of the Dodd-Frank law revamping the nation's financial system and the Consumer Protection Act.

Obama spoke publicly just once during his vacation, against the violence in Egypt that left scores of people dead. The White House is currently reconsidering all US assistance to Egypt, and "will consider additional steps as we deem necessary," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlyn Hayden said Sunday.

Also competing for Obama's attention will be negotiations with congressional Republicans to get a new spending plan in place by the Sept. 30 end of the federal budget year or risk a government shutdown, and to increase the government's borrowing authority.

His week ahead also includes a White House recognition ceremony Tuesday for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only NFL team to achieve a perfect season.

The president, his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia left their rental home on the island under steady rain and took a helicopter to a Coast Guard air station at Cape Cod.


, where they boarded their flight to Andrews Air Force Base outside the US capital.

From Andrews, the family boarded another helicopter for the short ride to the White House, arriving at 0257 GMT Monday.

Earlier in the day Obama played golf, his sixth round of the vacation, with partners who included World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Obama interrupted his rest last week to denounce the bloody crackdown in Cairo by Egypt's military.

The president received regular intelligence briefings, and both National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nabors were on the trip, White House spokesman Jay Carney earlier told reporters.

A favorite summer spot for the well-heeled, Martha's Vineyard is located off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and has hosted the likes of ex-President Bill Clinton and late first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

From 2009 to 2011, Obama spent about 10 days there each August, enjoying golf, picnics on the beach and eating out locally. He skipped a visit last year as he campaigned for re-election.

Obama's last vacation, over Christmas, was compromised by the so-called fiscal cliff fight with Congress, which forced the president to cut short his stay in Hawaii and head back to Washington.

The coming weeks for Obama are expected to be dominated by showdowns with opposition Republicans in the US Congress.

Turmoil in Egypt and the upcoming G20 summit in Russia are likely to take a backseat to the domestic agenda, as Republican legislators are threatening a government shutdown in October over the budget and debt ceiling.