Readout of the President's Call with Business Leaders

This afternoon, the President spoke to nearly 150 of our nation's top business leaders about the ongoing federal government shutdown and updated them on where things stand on efforts in Congress to avoid a first-ever default in the nation's credit. The President was joined on the call by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. The President thanked the business leaders for taking the time to engage on the fiscal challenges facing the country, and briefly updated them on the conversations he's had with all four Congressional caucuses over the past three days. In the call, the President reiterated that his first order of business is to urge Congress to reopen the government and remove the threat of default, and then he is willing to engage with Congress on a long-term budget that invests in our nation's priorities, grows the economy and gets the country on a sustainable fiscal path without the brinkmanship caused by using the threat of default as a negotiating tactic.