default, jake. before they came out and started talking about how far apart they were on the white house with negotiations, we learned president biden has already cancelled much of his upcoming overseas trip. he s still going to go to japan for the g-7 but he s cancelling everything after that. that seems to really signal that there s a crisis here, that they re nowhere near a deal. no doubt about it, jake. there s certainly a recognition that they are now getting down to brass tacks. my sources have been telling me the initial part of these staff negotiations we ve seen happen over the last week or so have been focused on just the basics of defining what they re actually negotiating about and now they re actually getting down to the finer points of the policy that is happening here and clearly there was a decision that was made that even as this white house insists, that president biden can be president anywhere, this is a deal that is going to come down to president biden and the
happening over the course of the last three days. and one thing to keep in mind about the staff negotiations is they are trying to figure out what the parameters of these talks are going to be. and we know that sounds it s in an infancy and really is, despite the fact that the president and the speaker met on tuesday. that meeting was really just a reiteration of everyone s positions that they have been publicly putting out there for the last three months. the work now of the staff is to decide what are we talking about. what are we willing to actually negotiate on. and a couple areas are potential. this is far from being finalized. they are not close to a framework. but what they are looking at is some kind of budget caps agreement. that is how much money they are going to spend over the next several years. that s potentially on the table. they are also talking about whether or not to do permitting
the white house says house republicans need to change their strategy. the house speaker says, no, it s president biden who needs a new playbook. the white house didn t cancel the meeting. all the leaders decided it s the best of our interest to let the staff meet before we get back together. if this were staff meetings happening on february 1st, i would call them productive. but i truly believe here looking at the actions of this president, he doesn t want to deal. he wants a default. on the one hand, the postponement is worrisome. congress is only scheduled to be in session for four more days. that s when the government will be unable to pay its bills. but there are some who see it as potentially a good thing. these sources say staff negotiations are polite and making at least small progress and might be best to give talks more time. our great reporters are become at the table. he says i m not going to
passengers. and that is what a lot of rail passengers. and that is what a lot of rail stock passengers. and that is what a lot of rail stock have been saying actually of rail stock have been saying actually. part of what they have been actually. part of what they have been saying is that we cannot deliver been saying is that we cannot deliver because the management are not working with us to deliver something actual we need to do, is to get something actual we need to do, is to get people around the table, get -ood to get people around the table, get good public services which you will -et good public services which you will get on good public services which you will get on under labourand good public services which you will get on under labour and now all we are seeing get on under labour and now all we are seeing for the government is blaming are seeing for the government is blaming everyone else stoking up tensions blaming everyone else stoking up tensions and they ha
targeted at the president and at his administration. but behind the scenes there is still some bipartisan action going on. i can tell you there s been some movement, some staff negotiations in that conference committee that is trying to find a way to keep the government open. this morning, i asked speaker nancy pelosi about their work. here s what she told me. i spoke with senator shelby. i told him whatever you all come to an agreement on, bipartisan agreement, i will support. i hope that the administration would have the same attitude and respect. reporter: there s been wide agreement on capitol hill, craig, that if they are left to their own devices, those negotiators could come up with a deal that could at least pass congress. whether the president will sign off on it is a another story. i asked speaker pelosi if she thought the president convinced anyone last night about the need for the wall. she gave me what can be described as a brush off and