Congress Meets Cliff's Edge --- Senate Budget Talks Bear Little Fruit; McConnell and Biden Carry On Discussion
Senate negotiations to craft a bipartisan budget deal proceeded in chaotic fits and starts Sunday, raising new questions about whether Congress would be able to steer the country away from the fiscal cliff.</br></br>The center of gravity had shifted by day's end after talks between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) reached an impasse.</br></br>Mr. McConnell instead struck up talks with Vice President Joe Biden, a former Senate colleague with whom he has worked on bipartisan budget deals in the past. The two men planned to talk by phone into the night, a McConnell aide said. No details of their discussions were immediately available.</br></br>The Senate had set itself a goal of hatching a deal by midafternoon Sunday, a deadline that slipped by as both sides instead bickered in public and tried to apportion blame for the continuing impasse. Mr. Reid recessed the Senate until Monday at 11 a.m.</br></br>"There is significant distance between the two sides," he said. "There is still time left to reach an agreement and we intend to continue negotiations."