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Obama, congressional leaders hold 'fiscal cliff' meetings

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    Ed Henry reports from Washington, D.C.

  • Duration 3:17
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A meeting with congressional leaders at the White House just hours from now.

They'll try to avoid across the board tax hikes for 90% of American households and deep spending cuts so far little to no progress has been reported.

Chief White House correspondent Ed Henry is -- of the White House Ed what do we expect out of this meeting if anything at all our expectations I think are a little bit low.

Greg I think -- the exact.

-- -- expectations have to be -- Lawmakers in both parties in conjunction with the president have missed one deadline after another we've been saying for a couple of weeks now that they had to get moving.

Get this really completed before Christmas in order to give both the house of the senate time do debate and end up voting.

On whatever package they come up would -- you say now that we're just days away.

From actually going off that fiscal cliff where these automatic.

Massive spending cuts as well as a large tax increases go into effect you have to have low expectations.

It appears that the White House is very confident it waiting for the Republicans to make the next move they keep saying inside the White House this is up to the Republicans they're the impediment here.

But then when you listen to the -- senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

He basically said yesterday.

That when he got a phone call for the president two nights -- it was the first time he had heard from a Democrat about the fiscal -- negotiations will there be the president senator -- -- others.

It about a month around Thanksgiving.

So with the Democrats not reaching out -- senator McConnell for about a month.

It doesn't seem like they've been pushing very hard for a deal for -- -- has the bickering between Reid and Boehner.

Sort of -- in the negotiations.

Past the point did you know maybe this meeting will help.

At all.

It may have because it's really we've seen tensions escalate ever since before.

Christmas when John Boehner was not able to get a deal through -- how also where he has a very strong Republican majority.

He had a rebellion among some of his fellow conservatives.

That's what held it up.

And senator Harry Reid as you say what it was very rough in going directly after Boehner yesterday fatalism.

The American people I don't think I understand the house represented -- operating without the House of Representatives.

It's being operated with a dictatorship.

Of the speaker not allowing the vast majority of the household.

Representatives to get what they want.

The word dictatorship not sitting well the speaker's office.

As you can imagine his spokesman Brendan buck putting out a tough statement of his own saying quote senator Reid should talk the last and legislate more.

The house is already passed legislation to avoid the entire fiscal -- Senate Democrats have not so there you go you've got that that you know about as the senator saying the house that's fact you've got the speaker's office saying no the senate -- This is why there's pressure building on the president now as he brings both the house and senate democratic and Republican leaders all four of the big leaders into the White House today.

You see whether he can put the leadership down and say look.

Time is running out -- finally come together right.

Hands.

Ads all new meetings the word elementary school.

Ed Henry.

Thanks very much we're looking by the way -- left inside your screen live acts that the floor of the US senate.

Don't you know not much happening there from.

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