A meeting between American president Barack Obama and congressional leaders to discuss progress toward a deal to reopen the government and raise America's debt ceiling has been postponed to give the Senate more time to reach an agreement.
Mr Obama had been due to begin a meeting at 8am Tuesday New Zealand time with the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In announcing the postponement, the White House said it should be seen as positive.
A partial shutdown of the United States government triggered by the political deadlock has now entered its third week, with officials warning of economic calamity should the US default on its debt.
Mr Obama sounded his own warning as he toured a soup kitchen for the poor in Washington DC, just before the meeting on Monday afternoon Washington time.
"This week if we don't start making some real progress, both the House and the Senate - and if Republicans aren't willing to set aside their partisan concerns in order to do what's right for the country - we stand a good chance of defaulting," he said.
"And defaulting could potentially have a devastating affect on our economy."
But Mr Obama said he saw "some progress" in the talks, with just days to go until the Thursday deadline for the US to raise its borrowing limit or risk default on its debt.
