WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House
Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said
they had not reached an agreement to avert a government
shutdown in talks with President Barack Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden on Wednesday evening.
"It was very honest," Reid told reporters at the White
House after the 90-minute Oval Office meeting. "I have
confidence we can get this done. We're not there yet, but hope
lies eternal."
"We did have a productive conversation this evening. We do
have some honest differences. But I do think we made some
progress. But I want to reiterate there is no agreement on a
number and there is no agreement on the policy riders," Boehner
told reporters.
The two leaders said their staffs would work throughout the
night to try to reach an agreement, and they would meet on
Thursday morning, assess the work of their aides and continue
to talk.
(Reporting by Alister Bull, editing by Patricia Zengerle)