President Barack Obama says he expects Congress to work out a budget agreement before next Friday, to avoid a government shutdown.
During his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama said he is willing to listen to Democrats and Republics on debt reduction, but not at the expense of education, innovation and the infrastructure.
Mr. Obama said he has already proposed freezing domestic spending, which would cut the deficit by $400 billion over the next decade.
He said everyone needs to be willing to sacrifice, but the country can not sacrifice its future.
Senator Rob Portman delivered this week's Republican address. He said his party wants to make sensible reductions and create a better environment for job growth. He said the Republicans' goal is not to shut down the U.S. government.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.