WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With little to show after a month of posturing, the White House and Republicans in Congress dropped hints on Thursday that they had resumed low-level private talks on breaking the stalemate over the “fiscal cliff” but refused to divulge details.

A day after a phone conversation between President Barack Obama and John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, appeared to kick-start communications, both sides used similar language to describe the state of negotiations but imposed a media blackout on developments.

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) – With the clock ticking toward
an end-of-year deadline, the “fiscal cliff” showdown focused on
Thursday on a renewed fight over raising the U.S. debt ceiling
as both sides maneuvered for political and public relations
advantage.

A largely partisan procedural scuffle broke out in the U.S.
Senate when Republicans tried to provoke a vote related to the
debt ceiling, in an apparent effort to reframe the debate on
more favorable terms and gain some leverage.

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senator Jim
DeMint, an independent-minded South Carolina conservative and a
major voice of the Tea Party wing of the party, said on Thursday
he will resign from the Senate in January to head the Heritage
Foundation, an influential conservative think tank in
Washington.

DeMint, often a thorn in the side of his own leadership in
Congress, publicly criticized Republican House of
Representatives Speaker John Boehner earlier this week for
offering revenue increases in the bargaining with Democrats over
the “fiscal cliff” of tax hikes and budget cuts set for the end
of the year.

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Republicans in Congress and
President Barack Obama consumed much of Wednesday talking up
their positions on the “fiscal cliff” and though Obama and
Republican House Speaker John Boehner spoke by phone, neither
side offered any new compromises in public.

Nor was the phone call, a rarity, followed by any immediate
announcement of a face-to-face meeting that has been widely
anticipated all week and was explicitly requested early in the
day by House of Representatives Republican leader Eric Cantor.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans and Democrats dug in on “fiscal cliff” talks on Wednesday, with both sides urging quick action but offering no compromises in a political stare-down that shows no signs of breaking.

Less than a month from the onset of spending cuts and tax increases that start to take effect in January unless Congress acts, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives called on President Barack Obama to initiate face-to-face talks and blamed him for a lack of action.

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Republicans and Democrats dug
in on “fiscal cliff” talks on Wednesday, with both sides urging
quick action but offering no compromises in a political
stare-down that shows no signs of breaking.

Less than a month from the onset of spending cuts and tax
increases that start to take effect in January unless Congress
acts, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives called
on President Barack Obama to initiate face-to-face talks and
blamed him for a lack of action.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional Republicans had wanted to show a united front against President Barack Obama’s demand for tax hikes, but their tenuous coalition showed signs of strain on Tuesday.

Just a day after House Speaker John Boehner unveiled a “fiscal cliff” counteroffer with some concessions on revenues, he faced a criticism from some conservatives and what appeared to be a wait-and-see approach from others.

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – U.S. congressional Republicans
had wanted to show a united front against President Barack
Obama’s demand for tax hikes, but their tenuous coalition showed
signs of strain on Tuesday.

Just a day after House Speaker John Boehner unveiled a
“fiscal cliff” counteroffer with some concessions on revenues,
he faced a criticism from some conservatives and what appeared
to be a wait-and-see approach from others.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama held his ground on the “fiscal cliff” on Tuesday, insisting on higher tax rates for the wealthiest Americans, while Republicans showed increasing disarray over how far they should go to compromise with Obama’s demands.

With less than a month left to confront the budget cuts and tax increases that will begin taking effect in January unless Congress acts, Obama dangled the possibility of lowering tax rates as part of a broad U.S. tax code revamp in 2013.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama dangled the possibility on Tuesday of lowering tax rates in 2013 with a broad U.S. tax code revamp, but he stood firm on insisting rates for the wealthiest must rise as part of a deal to avert the “fiscal cliff,” a series of budget cuts and tax increases that will begin taking effect on December 31 unless Congress acts.

Congressional Republicans, looking at yet another poll showing most Americans would blame them for going off the cliff, showed more signs of internal stress over how far to go in compromising with Obama’s demands on tax rates.