WASHINGTON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will assemble his cabinet over the weekend to review the new administration's performance in its first half year in office, the White House said on Friday.

    Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will kick off the two-day assessment with a dinner joined by 22 cabinet members on Friday evening at Blair House, a building across the street from the White House, White House spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said.

    The closed-door meetings will be an opportunity to collaborate in a manner similar to every administration since President Eisenhower's.

    The review comes at a pivotal moment in Obama's young presidency.

    Among his challenges, Obama is juggling ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, trying to reverse a steep economic downturn and pushing Congress for legislation enacting universal health care.

    Five national polls released on Wednesday suggest that his approval rating has slipped in recent weeks.