A number of lawmakers in both chambers of US Congress have been invited to the White House for talks over the government shutdown and the consequences of a possible US default on its debt.
House Democrats are expected to hold talks with President Barack Obama on Wednesday afternoon, with Senate Democrats, House Republicans, and Senate Republicans expected to attend similar sessions in the coming days, The Washington Post reported.
The meetings come as Obama has been the target of a barrage of criticism from Republicans for refusing to negotiate over the US budget and raising the nation™s borrowing limit.
Republicans are demanding the defunding or delaying of Obama™s signature Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
However, Obama and Democrats on Capitol Hill say Republicans cannot take the country™s entire economy hostage to kill a law that has been approved by Congress, signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court.
On October 1, the US government partially shut down operations as congressmen refused to agree on a temporary spending bill that would keep the federal government funded.
As the government shutdown has stretched into its second week now, congressional Republicans and Democrats seem far from an agreement that could end the political impasse in Washington.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers face a mid-October deadline for raising the current debt ceiling of $16.7 trillion.
Under US law, the government cannot breach a certain debt limit, and lawmakers must pass legislation to authorize the government to exceed that limit. If such legislation is not passed, the government cannot pay its bills.
In a report on global financial stability on Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund called on Washington to raise its debt limit before a default damages the world economy.
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