Negotiators aim for weekend deal to avert debt default

White House and GOP negotiators are closing in on an agreement to lift the nation’s debt limit, with both sides predicting a deal could come together as soon as this weekend.

The two sides were sending drafts of legislative text back and forth late into the evening on Friday, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions — a sign that a bipartisan agreement could soon be within reach.

Yet while President Joe Biden publicly predicted that proof of such a deal could emerge before midnight, one GOP negotiator was slightly more cautious in the timeline, though he also sounded upbeat about an agreement.