President Joe Biden and congressional leaders will likely resume talks on Tuesday at the White House over the debt limit, the president said Sunday, as the nation continues to edge closer to its legal borrowing authority with no agreement in sight.

The meeting was initially supposed to be Friday, but was abruptly postponed so staff-level talks could continue before Biden and the four congressional leaders huddled for a second time.

Administration and congressional officials said Sunday that a meeting has not been finalized.

Biden said he was optimistic he could reach a deal with the Republicans.

"I remain optimistic because I’m a congenital optimist," Biden told reporters while out for a bike ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. "But I really think there’s a desire on their part as well as ours to reach an agreement. I think we’ll be able to do it.”

Aides reported some progress in the discussions that carried through the weekend.

The national debt now stands at $31.4 trillion.

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