Congressional Leaders Vow to Avoid a Shutdown, but Remain Short of a Deal

Congressional leaders emerged from a meeting with President Biden on Tuesday saying they were optimistic about averting a partial government shutdown at the end of the week, but remained short of a plan to do so before a Friday deadline.

Speaker Mike Johnson, who is facing intense pressure from Mr. Biden, Democrats and Senate Republicans to agree to a spending deal over the fierce objections of right-wing lawmakers in his ranks, suggested he might be ready to do so in the coming days.

“We have been working in good faith around the clock every single day, for months and weeks, and over the last several days, quite literally around the clock, to get that job done,” said Mr. Johnson, who met with the president one-on-one after a group session Mr. Biden held with him and the other three top congressional leaders.

“We’re very optimistic,” he added, saying that preventing a shutdown was “our first responsibility.”