WASHINGTON — President Obama has pledged to work for a bill to create a process for Native Hawaiian self-government, if necessary.

"When the time is right and there's been progress in the Senate and it becomes necessary for me to weigh in, I will be willing to do so," Obama said at a Wednesday meeting with reporters at the White House.

The week before, Native Hawaiian bills were again introduced in both the Senate and House in a battle that started in 2000 to win congressional approval.

The bills discard changes made during the Bush administration to address concerns raised by the Justice Department. The changes include a prohibition against Native Hawaiians bringing land claims against the United States and against a Native Hawaiian government authorizing gambling.

U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawai'i, the prime sponsor of the Senate bill, said he was "pleased" with the president's support and looked forward to working with him.

"He is a man of his word," Akaka said.

In the meeting with reporters, Obama said he is in "strong support" of the bill, as he has been in the past.

"If it lands on my desk, I'm going to sign it," said Obama, who pledged during the campaign to sign the legislation if Congress approves it.

But in the current environment, the Native Hawaiian bill is far from being a priority, Obama said.

"Now, I won't lie to my former neighbors and friends — with an economy in free-fall, two wars going on, housing foreclosures at record levels, 600,000 jobs lost last month — I have not spent a lot of time in these first few weeks focused on that bill," Obama said.

But when the time is right, the president said, he is willing to push for the bill.

Reach John Yaukey at jyaukey@gns.gannett.com.