Republicans want talks with Obama
5 December 2012
Last updated at 17:44 GMT
"I'm available at any moment to sit down with the president," House Speaker John Boehner said
Lawmakers are deadlocked in efforts to avert steep spending cuts and tax rises due to take effect on 1 January.
The president told business leaders on Wednesday that a fiscal-cliff deal could pass quickly if Republicans agreed to tax rises on the wealthy.
He rejected any attempts to gain concessions from the White House through congressional brinkmanship.
"I will not play that game," Mr Obama said.
The president said he did not wish to see a replay of his 2011 standoff with Republicans that brought the US close to defaulting on its debt and resulted in an embarrassing credit-rating downgrade.
'Fairy dust' "Nothing is going on" with the negotiations, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said, following a meeting with fellow Republicans on Wednesday. "We ask the president to sit down with us."
The Republicans offered $800bn (£497bn) in higher tax revenue, without specifying how it would be raised, as well as cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits.
It countered a White House proposal for $1.6tn in new revenue, and $600bn in spending cuts, as well as an extension to a temporary payroll tax cut.
The White House has ridiculed Mr Boehner's approach as "fairy dust", while Mr Boehner said the Obama administration's offer was "not serious".
On Tuesday, Mr Obama said in an interview that he would consider eventually lowering top tax rates as part of a wider reform of the tax code in 2013.
The White House also signalled that it might agree to increase taxes for the wealthiest earners to less than 39.6%, which was the rate during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
Fiscal cliff: Republicans call for meeting with president
"I'm available at any moment to sit down with the president," House Speaker John Boehner said
US Republicans have asked for a face-to-face meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss the looming so-called fiscal cliff.
"We can't negotiate with ourselves," House Speaker John Boehner said.Lawmakers are deadlocked in efforts to avert steep spending cuts and tax rises due to take effect on 1 January.
The president told business leaders on Wednesday that a fiscal-cliff deal could pass quickly if Republicans agreed to tax rises on the wealthy.
He rejected any attempts to gain concessions from the White House through congressional brinkmanship.
"I will not play that game," Mr Obama said.
The president said he did not wish to see a replay of his 2011 standoff with Republicans that brought the US close to defaulting on its debt and resulted in an embarrassing credit-rating downgrade.
'Fairy dust' "Nothing is going on" with the negotiations, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said, following a meeting with fellow Republicans on Wednesday. "We ask the president to sit down with us."
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What is the fiscal cliff?
- Under a deal reached last year between President Obama and the Republican-controlled Congress, existing stimulus measures - mostly tax cuts - will expire on 1 January 2013
- Cuts to defence, education and other government spending will then automatically come into force - the "fiscal cliff" - unless Congress acts
- The economy does not have the momentum to absorb the shock from going over the fiscal cliff without going into recession
Speaker John Boehner added: "I'll be available at any moment to sit down with the president."
The White House rejected a Republican counter-offer on Monday, because it did not include tax rises on the wealthiest.The Republicans offered $800bn (£497bn) in higher tax revenue, without specifying how it would be raised, as well as cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits.
It countered a White House proposal for $1.6tn in new revenue, and $600bn in spending cuts, as well as an extension to a temporary payroll tax cut.
The White House has ridiculed Mr Boehner's approach as "fairy dust", while Mr Boehner said the Obama administration's offer was "not serious".
On Tuesday, Mr Obama said in an interview that he would consider eventually lowering top tax rates as part of a wider reform of the tax code in 2013.
The White House also signalled that it might agree to increase taxes for the wealthiest earners to less than 39.6%, which was the rate during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
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