Luke Sharrett for The New York Times
In a televised statement at the White House after meeting with Congressional leaders on Friday, President Obama said he was “modestly optimistic” that an agreement could be reached.
WASHINGTON — President Obama said Friday evening that progress had been made in make-or-break talks on the fiscal crisis and pronounced himself cautiously “optimistic,” as Senate leaders worked furiously toward an agreement to avert the worst of the economic punch from landing Jan. 1.
But after a one-hour meeting with Congressional leaders at the White House, Mr. Obama warned that if the two sides did not agree on a bill, he would urge the Democratic-controlled Senate to put forward a measure anyway, in essence daring Republicans in the House and Senate to block a floor vote on tax cuts.
“I believe such proposals could pass both houses with a bipartisan majority as long as both leaders will allow it to come to a vote,” Mr. Obama said. “If members want to vote no, they can.”
Senators broke from a long huddle on the Senate floor with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, to say progress had been made. Mr. McConnell, White House aides, and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, were set to continue talks on Saturday aiming for a breakthrough as soon as Sunday.
“We’re working with the White House, and hopefully we’ll come up with something we can recommend to our respective caucuses,” Mr. McConnell told reporters.
Mr. Reid also said that there had been some progress but he warned that in assembling a measure that can win support from both parties, “what we come up with is going to be imperfect.”
For all the cautious optimism, the president also expressed exasperation that four days before a looming deadline, which lawmakers have known about for a year and a half, the two sides are still far apart.
“This is déjà vu all over again,” he said. “America wonders why it is that in this time, you can’t get stuff done in an organized timetable. The American people are not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy.”
Mr. Obama took steps to keep the pressure on throughout the weekend, scheduling an appearance on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC.
The emerging path to a possible resolution, at least Friday, appeared to mirror the protracted stalemate over the payroll tax cut last year. In that conflict, House Republicans refused to go along with a short-term extension of the cut, but Mr. McConnell struck a deal that permitted such a measure to get through the Senate, and Speaker John A. Boehner essentially forced members of the House to accept it from afar, after members had left for Christmas recess.
This time, the consequences are even more significant, with more than a half-trillion dollars of tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts just days from going into force, an event most economists warn would send the economy back into recession if not quickly reversed. With the House set to return to the Capitol on Sunday, Mr. Boehner has said he would place any Senate-passed bill before his chamber — perhaps amended — and let the chips fall, with or without Republicans on board.
“I’ve got a positive feeling now,” said Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, who said a burst of deal-making talk broke out as soon as the leaders returned to the Capitol.
This was the first time in weeks that Mr. Obama met with the four Congressional leaders — Mr. Reid, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Boehner and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader.
The meeting started with the president reiterating his demand for an extension of tax cuts on incomes below $250,000.
That opening offer lowered expectations on Capitol Hill that a breakthrough could be pending, but behind the scenes, talks continued, focusing on a possibly higher threshold of $400,000. Senator Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said sentiment is “jelling” around a new offer, and a source familiar with the negotiations said the president would ask Republican and Democratic leaders what proposal could win majority support in the House and Senate.
Obama to Urge Vote in Senate if Parties Fail in Fiscal Talks
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Obama to Urge Vote in Senate if Parties Fail in Fiscal Talks
