Obama issues 36-hour deadline

President Obama told congressional leaders at their latest debt-limit meeting that they must come to an agreement on the way forward by early Saturday morning or else they will be called back to the White House this weekend, aides from both parties with knowledge of the meeting said Thursday evening, the Washington Post reports.

At the end, Obama told the bipartisan leaders that, over the next 24 to 36 hours, he wanted them to indicate a path forward that would be able to pass both chambers.

At a meeting that lasted 80 minutes, congressional negotiators and the White House finished their review of the work done by a group led by Vice President Biden, said the aides, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting.

No White House meeting is set for Friday. Instead, leaders are expected to go to their rank-and-file members to discuss the negotiations.

Obama told lawmakers that he and his staff would be “on call” during the time leading up to the deadline, aides said..

Congressional leaders and Obama also heard Thursday from Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling on alternative solutions, as well as on several of the administration’s proposed deficit-reduction enforcement mechanisms.