Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama spoke separately Friday with Speaker John Boehner and the top Senate Democrat to try to salvage a fiscal cliff deal by the end of year, after Republican disarray in the U.S. House put the negotiations in limbo. In a previously unscheduled statement to reporters, Obama outlined a possible agreement that he said would include protecting middle-class Americans from a tax hike, extending unemployment benefits and setting a framework for future deficit reduction steps. He called on Congress to pass the agreement after a Christmas break so he can sign it before the end of the year, when the fiscal cliff arrives in the form of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts.
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NEW: President Obama spoke with congressional leaders about a possible deal
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A Democratic source lays out possible scenarios
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House Republicans reject Speaker Boehner's tax alternative
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Everyone's taxes go up in 11 days without an agreement
"What the president has proposed so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problems," @placeholder said, noting that "because of the political divide in the country, because of the divide here in Washington, trying to bridge these differences has been difficult."