Former US President Bill Clinton has urged Democrats to support a deal President Barack Obama negotiated with Republicans on tax cuts.
"I don't believe there is a better deal out there," Mr Clinton said following a private meeting with President Obama.
Mr Obama said earlier he is confident that the tax cut deal will pass.
The White House is trying to persuade Democrats to back the tax plan, which would extend Bush-era tax cuts, as well as unemployment pay.
The BBC reports Mr Obama and Mr Clinton made an unexpected appearance in the White House press briefing room on Friday afternoon after a private meeting that Mr Obama described as "terrific."
Mr Obama left before the news conference concluded, leaving Mr Clinton to field questions on partisanship, the deficit and political compromise.
Mr Clinton warned that the US cannot afford a long-standing stalemate like the one that shut down the federal government during his presidency in 1995.
"Both sides are going to have to eat some things they don't like," Mr Clinton said.
"We don't want to slip back into a recession. We've got to keep this thing going and accelerate its pace. I think this is the best available option."
Democrats in the House of Representatives voted on Thursday to reject the initial tax cut deal but Mr Obama said negotiations would continue.
However, the BBC reports he is facing a revolt within his own party. Several Senators, led by Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders, are threatening to filibuster against the bill when it comes to the Senate.
A filibuster is a procedural tactic that allows senators to talk non-stop in order to prevent a vote.
