President Obama and congressional leaders from both major parties met at the White House this morning for the first of what will likely be many negotiations aimed at averting a plunge over the so-called fiscal cliff.
We watched for news from the key players -- who include House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio -- and updated with highlights.
Just before the meeting, this message was
"Look forward to mtg w/@WhiteHouse re: plan to avert #fiscalcliff via pro-growth tax reform & spending cuts; not tax rate hikes"
The administration, on the other hand, is tweeting a "closer look at how the President's plan raises $1.6T in revenue pic.twitter.com/m7Cogl1d."
Update at 11:45 a.m. ET. Leaders Sound United Afterward:
As often happens after the first set of talks on tough issues, the lawmakers have emerged from the meeting to say the discussions were constructive, that they understand a solution needs to be reached and that they're confident they can do it.
-- Boehner: Revenues (as in more of them, from taxes) are on the table. It's also "incumbent on my colleagues to show the American people that we're serious about cutting spending. ... I believe we can do this."
-- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.: "I feel very good about what we talked about." The "cornerstones" of a deal are there. Reid said lawmakers and their staffs will work through the Thanksgiving recess and then meet with the president again after that holiday.
-- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.: "A very constructive meeting. ... Every person in America knows that we must reach agreement." And she said the outlines of a deal need to be rolled out well before Christmas so that consumers have confidence during the crucial holiday shopping season.
-- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.: "We're prepared to put revenue on the table provided we fix the real problem," which he said is the rising cost of entitlement programs.
Update at 10:35 a.m. ET. "We're Going To Get To Work," Obama says:
Saying that "our challenge is to make sure that we are able to cooperate together, work together, find some common ground, make some tough compromise [and] build some consensus," President Obama just welcomed Boehner and other leaders to the White House.
"We're going to get to work," he added, before also wishing Boehner a day-early happy birthday.
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