Obama turns up pressure on Republicans

President Barack Obama turned up the political pressure on Republicans yesterday, saying he would be willing to negotiate on budget issues only after they agree to re-open the federal government and raise the debt limit with no conditions.

An unbending Obama said he would not hold talks on ways to end the fiscal impasse under threat from “more extreme parts of the Republican Party”.

“If reasonable Republicans want to talk about these things again, I’m ready to head up to the Hill and try,” Obama told reporters.