Two White House sources confirmed that Biden was making the short journey to meet the lawmakers in a closed meeting.

The Vice President, a former veteran senator, was likely seeking to sell a tax pact he sealed with top Senate Republicans.

If a deal is confirmed, the Senate could vote on a deal to avert tax increases and slashing government budget cuts overnight to be followed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2013