Tea Party conservatives may be the most vocal group arguing that Congress should NOT vote to raise the debt ceiling, but they’re far from alone in the American electorate.

As some of us wrote in First Read this morning, the latest NBC/WSJ poll shows that raising the debt ceiling could prove a very heavy political lift for lawmakers this summer.

Even after the arguments for (avoiding a default on the government’s current debt payments) and against (failing to exercise fiscal responsibility) were outlined to the poll’s respondents, two-thirds of voters replied that the debt ceiling should NOT be raised.

While those dissenters included over eight in 10 self-identified Tea party supporters, a majority of Republicans who do NOT affiliate with the Tea Party also argued that the debt limit should not be increased.

Of GOP voters who do not identify as Tea Party backers, only 28 percent said that the debt ceiling should be raised, with 68 percent saying that they oppose lifting the limit even if it means that the government will not be able to pay its bills.

That split is mirrored among independent voters. Just 24 percent of self-identified independents believe the cap on government debt should be adjusted upwards, with 71 percent balking at that idea.  

Even Democrats are about evenly divided on the issue, with 49 percent supporting raising the debt ceiling and 45 percent opposing.

Just moments ago on Twitter, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced the formation of his presidential exploratory committee. This allows him to begin raising money for his likely presidential race, and it takes place a week after President Obama announced his bid for re-election.

This Romney video accompanies the announcement.

*** UPDATE *** As others have pointed out, this announcement by Romney comes just one day before the fifth anniversary when Romney signed Massachusetts' health-care reform into law.

A majority of Americans approve of the budget compromise struck between President Obama, House Republicans, and Senate Democrats Friday that narrowly averted a government shutdown, according to a poll out today.

In a new CNN poll, the first since the deal, 58% say they approve of the budget agreement; 38% disapprove. The poll was conducted over the weekend -- April 9 through 10. (Oddly, however, a much lower number -- 47% -- think the agreement should be made law.) (Here's the full poll.)

An overwhelming majority believes a government shutdown would have either been a major problem or a crisis. A total of 63% said so, with 39% saying it would have been a major problem and 24% saying it would have been a crisis.

More credit President Obama and Democrats in Congress for being responsible for the agreement -- 48% credit Democrats; 35% sided with Republicans.

President Obama gets the best approval in the handling of the budget negotiations -- 54% say they approve, 45% didn’t; Republicans and Democrats were upside down in their approval rating on the matter – both with 44%/54% ratings.

Vast majorities think both sides didn’t give up too much in the negotiations -- 25% say Republicans did, but two-thirds -- 67% -- say they didn’t; Just 18% say Democrats gave up too much, but more than three-quarters -- 76% -- say they didn’t.

President Obama’s approval in the poll is 48% with 50% disapproving; House Speaker John Boehner’s is 41%/44%.

On those controversial policy riders and the health-care overhaul, solid majorities say the government should continue to provide funding -- for Planned Parenthood (65% say so), the EPA (71%), and the health-care law (58%). But a solid majority -- 61% -- also says they oppose using federal funds for abortions.

From NBC's Mark Murray and Athena Jones
While Republicans like House Speaker John Boehner are signaling to support raising the debt ceiling -- if spending cuts and entitlement reform are attached -- Democrats say they want a clean debt-ceiling vote.

"We do not need to play chicken with our economy by linking the raising of the debt ceiling to anything," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. "We should do that right away."

And in a letter to House Democrats, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) writes, "We ask you to convene a caucus to discuss and establish a Democratic position in favor of a clean extension of the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling vote is about one thing: affirming that America pays its bills. It does not authorize new taxpayer obligations; it affirms to the world our commitment to pay obligations already incurred."

Welch's office says that approximately 20 House Democrats have signed on to the letter.

When First Read asked Welch's office if there are enough votes -- in either the House or Senate -- to pass a clean bill, his spokesman responded: "We’ll have to wait and see. Peter believes the stakes are too high to play the negotiating game on this issue, especially given the economic repercussions that would result in a failure to raise the debt limit."

From NBC's Pete Williams
A federal appeals court has upheld a ban on enforcing the most controversial part of Arizona's tough new immigration law.

In its opinion, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that a district court did not abuse its discretion by enjoining some sections of the law backed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.

The court's full opinion can be read here.

There has been plenty of discussion and intrigue about former Republican Governors Association executive director Nick Ayers' decision to be Tim Pawlenty's presidential campaign manager -- instead of work for Ayers' old RGA boss, Haley Barbour.

In a lengthy email to Politico's Ben Smith, Ayers explains his decision. Here's part of the email (as Smith observes, it comes off a bit like Ayers is the one running for president.) *** Correction *** Ayers' email was to friends and associates, and Smith got his hands on a copy.

These factors and others had virtually ruled out my engagement into a presidential campaign. It was going to be much easier to sit on the sidelines in Georgia, enjoy the fruits of the private sector, and cheer on all of my friends as they jostled for the Republican nomination for president. That path would have been politically safe, financially sound, and personally very comforting. But it was not the right one.

Over the past six months, I have prayed deeply about my purpose in life and how best to utilize the talents God has given me. I wanted my decision to be wholly about how best to serve Him, not what was most politically or financially expedient for my family and me. As He often does in walks of faith, He has called me to a higher purpose. I believe that our Nation is truly on the wrong path. We need a new direction that is positive and hopeful. Simply said, we need new leadership. I believe that Governor Pawlenty is best positioned to provide that leadership. Therefore, I am pleased today to join Governor and Mrs. Pawlenty in their pursuit of the presidency.

My decision does not mean I think less of Haley Barbour, Jon Huntsman, Mitch Daniels or Newt Gingrich should they decide to run, because I do not. I know them all personally and believe in their intellect, capabilities, and principles.

From NBC's Courtney Kube
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton renewed the United States' call for Khaddafy to step down and to leave Libya.

Clinton said the U.S. believes "there needs to be a transition that reflects the will of the Libyan people and the departure of Khaddafy from power and from Libya."

Speaking after a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, Clinton said the U.S. has "made it very clear that we want to see a ceasefire; we want to see the Libyan regime forces pull back from the areas they have forcibly entered; we want to see resumption of water and electricity and other services to cities that have been brutalized by the Khaddafy forces; we want to see humanitarian assistance reach the people of Libya. These terms are non-negotiable."

Asked about a possible deal in Libya brokered by the African Union, Clinton said that she is still "waiting to get a full read out from the various participants," and that "we'll wait to get the full briefing as to what the African Union delegation determined."

Foreign Minister Stubb said he thinks the European Union should be involved in the future of Libya, especially with respect to the political dialogue. "There is going to be life after Khaddafy," he said, "and the European Union should prepare for that."

From NBC’s Jason Seher
In his first televised interview since agreeing to a crisis averting deal late Friday evening, House Speaker John Boehner said he will continue to build on a “fairly decent foundation” with President Obama in the coming effort to raise the debt ceiling. While Boehner cautioned the battles over the next 18 months will be more difficult than the one he just finished fighting, he said that he and the president understand each other better than they did five weeks ago.

“Clearly we understand each other,” Boehner said on FOX this morning. “Throughout these meetings over the last four, five weeks, we’ve been straight up with each other.”

The speaker acknowledged that he and the president have “very different visions for the role of government,” but the budget deal proved they are more than capable of compromising on the issues. Still, he got the rhetorical ball rolling in the fight over the debt limit -- by emphasizing the importance of maintain America’s financial solvency, while attacking what he said was Obama’s willingness to simply raise the debt limit without addressing spending.

“We should not default on our debt,” he said. “Just like households have personal obligations they need to meet, the government has obligations to meet as well.  But we’re just not going to do the typical Washington thing: rollover, increase the debt limit without doing anything.” 

Despite the criticisms, Boehner argued he and the president agree they have a shared responsibility to address the problems.

“Forget the next election; forget the next poll that’s going to come out,” Boehner said. “Let’s do the right thing for the country.”

The next big political fights: the debt ceiling, the FY 2012 budget, and entitlement reform… Obama to deliver speech on entitlement reform on Wednesday… The winners and losers of Friday’s spending deal… Boehner was the big winner… Obama once again played mediator… The losers: the Democratic left, Mitch Daniels and the “trucers,” and Washington, DC… NBC News -- along with National Journal, the St. Pete Times, and the Florida Council of 100 -- announce a GOP presidential debate… Ayers to Palwenty… Palin goes birther?... And New Hampshire Dems say “thank you” to Mitt Romney on eve of anniversary of MA’s health-care law.

From NBC's Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Next up: Despite all the drama and last-minute negotiating before Friday night’s budget deal, the spending fight was small potatoes compared with what’s coming. Next up will be more contentious battles over raising the debt ceiling, the FY 2012 budget, and possibly entitlement reform (now that Obama will give a speech later this week on long-term deficit/debt reduction). Raising the debt ceiling will be particularly difficult. As we mentioned on Friday, the American public doesn’t support it. In our NBC/WSJ poll, only 16% said that Congress should raise the debt ceiling, versus 46% who said it shouldn’t. What's worse for those stuck with trying to sell the need to raise it: When respondents were told that the U.S. would default on its debt payments if the debt ceiling WASN’T raised, that 16% increased to just 32%, while the anti-number jumped a tad higher, to 62%.

*** Addressing entitlement reform: Speaking of that Wednesday speech, as one of us reported on “TODAY” this morning, Obama is expected to call for cuts in defense, Medicare, and Medicaid spending -- along with letting the tax cuts expire for those making more than $250,000 a year. “We’ve got to decide -- and it’s going to be a tough fight -- how are we going to reduce the deficit, get on a more sustainable fiscal trajectory, but in a way that doesn’t compromise our ability to grow the economy or create jobs?” White House senior adviser David Plouffe said on “Meet the Press” yesterday. That the White House is going to address entitlement reform is just more evidence that everything it’s doing is with independents in mind, and that it wants to cast Obama as the rational reformer. But are we going to hear from the left on this? The White House -- once again -- is poking at his base. How long before they break? On the other hand, Paul Ryan’s own entitlement plan could give Obama the cover he needs…

*** Budget deal’s winners and losers: We were convinced that a government shutdown -- at least in the short term -- wouldn’t have benefited anyone. Democrats (and probably quite a few independents) would have blamed Speaker Boehner and the Tea Party. President Obama, meanwhile, would have taken a hit for being unable to bring together the differing parties, as he campaigned to do in 2008. But given that Boehner, the White House, and Senate Democrats were able to reach a deal on Friday night and avert a shutdown, all the principals all can claim credit. Yet some were bigger winners than others.

*** Boehner was the biggest winner: To us, the biggest winner was Boehner, mainly because his job was the hardest. As our latest NBC/WSJ poll showed, while majorities of Democrats and independents want their leaders to compromise, an overwhelming majority of Republicans prefer them to hold their ground. So perhaps the biggest takeaway from the budget agreement was that Boehner, despite his Tea Party base, could cut a deal and get credit from both Democrats and Republicans. The question is whether this gives him breathing room with his base to cut future deals with Democrats on future battles. But the process was messy, and despite the public happy talk from everyone that this proves the town can work, this wasn't a process that built up trust, especially on the staff level. Yes, the president and the speaker have more of a rapport, but there was some frustration that apparent deals agreed to by the principles were regularly unwound when the details were worked out. Not sure this was a roadmap for how these folks will work together effectively in the next few months.

*** Obama the mediator: The Obama White House was a winner, too. As he’s done before -- most notably last December’s tax-cut deal -- the president was able to bring Democrats and Republicans together. Yet unlike with the tax cuts, Obama wasn’t able to get ANY goodies in return (like the payroll tax cut and the jobless benefits). He was in the unenviable position of making a deal LESS worse for his party. (Elections have consequences, right?) Obama hopes that the agreement serves as a template for future battles. “It’s my sincere hope that we can continue to come together as we face the many difficult challenges that lie ahead,” he said after the deal was struck. The danger for Obama and the Democrats, as Politico notes, is that the GOP agenda is driving the national debate.

*** The losers: In our eyes, there were three big losers. The first is the Democratic left (the conversation isn't over whether there should be budget cuts, but rather how big should they be -- and is there a single policy that was being debated or was it all about dollars?). A second are Mitch Daniels and other "trucers" (the budget deal was a reminder how all issues, even fiscal ones like Friday night's deal, still hinge on social issues). And a final loser was Washington, DC (that the deal bars even local money from covering abortions is a reminder how DC's 500,000-plus residents remain subject to Congress' whims; the city, as it has been in the past, was tossed under the bus).   

*** Neither winners nor losers: Senate Democrats: they get their own category. Why? They had a hard time getting on the same page at the White House. It was never clear who was charged with taking point on the negotiations, Senate Democrats or the White House. And whenever Senate Democrats did PUBLICLY lay down markers, they were undercut by the White House or House Republicans or both. That said, thanks to the unifying force of the Senate Democratic women, Harry Reid seemed to successfully bring the abortion and women's health issue front and center in the debate at the last minute which helped push House Republicans to give in on the Planned Parenthood issue.

*** Time to announce another debate: NBC News, National Journal, the St. Petersburg Times, and the Florida Council of 100 are announcing today that they will co-sponsor a GOP presidential primary debate early next year. It will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, which is the site of the Republican’s 2012 convention. It would be the first time that presidential primary candidates will debate in the SAME arena where one of them will return to accept the nomination. The exact date depends on the timing of the first big three contests, but the event is expected to be the first major debate following the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. Florida has been DECISIVE in every presidential election this century, including 2008 when John McCain essentially ended the Republican primary fight with a victory in that primary. 

*** Ayers to Pawlenty: First Read has learned that Nick Ayers, who previously served as the Republican Governors Association’s executive director, will become campaign manager of Tim Pawlenty’s exploratory committee. This hire is significant for a couple of reasons. One, this is a potential fundraising bonanza for T-Paw, because Ayers has secured checks from the biggest GOP donors. Pawlenty raising his first $10 million won’t be hard; it’s the next $10 million that will be difficult. And that’s where Ayers could help. Two, this is a blow to Haley Barbour, given that Ayers was his executive director when Barbour chaired the RGA. Many insiders will read this move as potential evidence Barbour may be having second thoughts. Remember, the single worst attribute to have when running for president, according to last week's NBC/WSJ poll, was "lobbyist."

*** Palin goes birther? Last week, looking at her poll numbers, we wrote off Palin for 2012. And now she’s jumped off the cliff. "I think that [Obama] was born in Hawaii, because there was the birth announcement put in the newspaper," Palin said on FOX. "But obviously there is something there that the president doesn't want people to see on that birth certificate, that he sees going to great lengths to make sure it isn't shown. And that's perplexing for a lot of people.” In fact, Obama has provided documentation of his birth in this country. By the way, does Palin know that her 2008 running mate wasn’t born in one of the 50 U.S. states?

*** 2012 watch: Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of Massachusetts’ health-care reform becoming law, and New Hampshire Democrats are holding “thank you” events for Mitt Romney… Both Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul are in Iowa.

Countdown to NY-26 special election: 43 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 123 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 211 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 301 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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“By engaging in a protracted, often ugly partisan fight with Democrats, Boehner not only demonstrated to his Conference his commitment to spending cuts and showed his zeal for imposing conservative policies on the Obama administration, he illustrated with textbook clarity just how difficult it will be to implement a conservative agenda,” Roll Call reports. “When Boehner presented his Conference with a compromise spending bill late Friday night, Republicans largely hailed it as a success and lauded Boehner’s ability to force Democrats and the Obama administration into a historic discussion of how to cut spending. The agreement Boehner was able to cut is impressive — in addition to cutting spending by a total of $38.5 billion this year, he was able to force Democrats to accept a number of policy riders they had opposed.”

“As shutdown angst reigned across Capitol Hill on Friday, Congressional leaders worked behind closed doors while staffers and support employees, resigned to the fact that they had absolutely no role in averting a shutdown, consoled themselves with furlough humor,” Roll Call adds. “Notwithstanding the looming threat of losing pay and the dejection of being deemed nonessential, as clocks ticked toward the midnight deadline, work life went on as normally as possible.”

“Despite the tension and the glare of the media spotlight, the fledgling relationship between Boehner and Reid actually grew stronger over the last couple of months, according to sources close to both men,” The Hill reports. “That is important because the next political crisis of raising the nation’s debt ceiling is just around the corner.”

“House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s 2012 budget resolution, set to pass the House this week, may kill closed-door bipartisan negotiations in the Senate over a grand deficit bargain,” The Hill writes.

On Saturday, President Obama made a surprise visit to the Lincoln Memorial, where he told onlookers: “Because Congress was able to settle its differences, that’s why this place is open today and everybody’s able to enjoy their visit. And that’s the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward.”

After the Sunday shows, President Obama gets this headline out of the Boston Globe: “Obama, GOP look to rein in benefits.” From the story: “President Obama will call this week for new curbs on Medicare and Medicaid spending, an aide said yesterday, while a top House Republican predicted that a bipartisan deal on reducing Social Security costs is possible this summer… The comments reflect how the political environment surrounding once-sacred social benefits for the elderly and the poor is rapidly shifting, giving hope to deficit watchdogs who anticipate that the upcoming campaign season promises to feature the most robust debate in recent memory on major social programs.”

(Question: If Paul Ryan’s budget plan doesn’t Social Security, why do Republicans expect it there to be a deal on it?)

The New York Daily News on David Plouffe’s appearance on Meet the Press: “The White House stopped just short of dismissing Donald Trump as a clown Sunday - calling him a ‘sideshow’ act with ‘zero chance’ of becoming president.”

President Obama told Hearst magazine, per the New York Daily News: "I just miss - I miss being anonymous. I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk.. I just want to go through Central Park and watch folks passing by ... spend the day watching people. I miss that." As for golf: "It's the only excuse I have to get outside for four hours at a stretch," he said.

Joshua Greenman in the New York Daily News: “This budget deal is a major win for the Republicans. Like the President's concession on extending the Bush tax cuts for top-income earners, it's confirmation that the GOP currently controls the terms of this debate. They promised they'd get billions in cuts this year, and that's precisely what they delivered. Democrats never offered a clear alternative to the unsweetened tea. They'd better learn from their mistakes, because the ‘shutdown showdown’ was a spring breeze compared to the Category 5 hurricane that's on its way - a massive fight over entitlement costs.”

“Republicans argued that Obama's leadership has been largely absent -- a charge that Republicans have made before on this and other issues,” The Hill writes.

“A delegation of African leaders said Libyan leader Moammar Khaddafy has accepted their plan for a cease-fire with rebels, who will be given the proposal today,” the AP reports, adding, “The African Union’s road map calls for an immediate cease-fire, cooperation in opening channels for humanitarian aid, and the start of a dialogue between the rebels and the government. Union officials, however, made no mention of any requirement for Khaddafy to pull his troops out of cities, as rebels have demanded… The Libyan leader enjoys substantial support from countries of the African Union, an organization that he chaired two years ago and helped transform using Libya’s oil wealth. So it is not clear whether rebels would accept the union as a fair broker.”

“Union officials in Wisconsin are calling for thousands of ballots to be immediately impounded and recounted following the revelation that a county clerk’s computer error tipped the state Supreme Court election in conservative Justice David Prosser’s favor,” Roll Call reports.

“Nearly a month after the Wisconsin standoff over union rights ended, some of the fervor from that debate has shifted to recall efforts targeting lawmakers in both parties — Republicans who voted to cut back collective bargaining and Democrats who fled the state to try to stop them,” the AP says. “Now that the law has passed, organizers are focusing on signature-gathering efforts. But of the 16 state senators who were originally targeted, only six appear likely to face an election threatening removal. And before recall elections can be held, supporters need to find candidates to run against the incumbents. Still, voter outrage remains high in many places, helping to stir interest in the recalls.”

Politico: “A presidential primary favorite is emerging among the ranks of congressional Republicans: none of the above. Interviews on both sides of the Capitol have revealed widespread concern about the lackluster quality of the current crop of candidates and little consensus on who Republican senators and House members would like to see in the race.”  

BACHMANN: Michele Bachmann will make two stops in Iowa today as part of a lecture series organized by conservative group The Family Leader, the AP reports. Ron Paul will also speak at a Family Leader event at Dordt College, rescheduled from earlier due to poor weather.

BARBOUR: Speaking at the Spartanburg GOP convention, Haley Barbour praised House Speaker John Boehner’s steady positions during this round of the fight over government spending cuts, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal writes. “‘Compromises don't usually get people to stand up in their chairs and do flips,’ Barbour said. ‘I thought Boehner did very wisely. He took this as far as he could go. He made real savings, real cuts. And now, he's ready to move on strategically to the debt ceiling.’”

Barbour was mum on whether he thought Florida should be punished if it goes forward with an early primary, the St. Petersburg Times writes. “‘I'm going to run in the Florida primary whenever they have it,’ Barbour said, declining to give a yes-or-no answer. ‘And I'm going to run in the Florida primary if I run for president. I'm going to run to win the Florida primary whether they have any delegates or have as many delegates or twice as many delegates or no delegates. So it's up to Florida, what they want to do.’”

DANIELS: The Washington Post profiles Max Eden, a Yale senior who started an initiative to draft Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to run for president, and notes some of the other politicians for whom draft campaigns have been set up. “The Draft Daniels movement may be furthest along, but at least a dozen groups have set up Web sites and are circulating petitions to draft various candidates into the 2012 race, from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.).”

HUNSTMAN: Jon Huntsman has added another primary-state commencement speech to his agenda, according to Fox News. Huntsman will give the graduation address at the University of South Carolina on May 7, having already RSVP’d to Southern New Hampshire University’s commencement on May 21.

PALIN: She praised Donald Trump’s “investigation” of President Obama’s birth certificate: “More power to him. He’s not just throwing stones, you know — from the sidelines. He’s digging in there. He’s paying for researchers to know why President Obama would have spent $2 million to not show his birth certificate. So more power to him," she said on FOX, per The Hill.

PAWLENTY: “Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty won the straw poll vote of conservative activists at this year’s Pennsylvania Leadership conference,” PoliticsPA writes. “Among the 189 votes in the first ballot, Pawlenty outperformed Tea Party-linked businessman Herman Cain who came in second, and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, third.”

Pawlenty will appear at International Market Square in Minneapolis on May 18 for a “VIP event,” Fox writes, suggesting it could be the day the former Minnesota governor formally announces a presidential bid.

Republican presidential candidates like Tim Pawlenty, who became the first candidate to ever announce an exploratory committee via Facebook message, are looking to recreate, and try to surpass, President Obama’s success with online fundraising and social networking in 2008, the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes.

ROMNEY: The Hill notes that Mitt Romney has no public events scheduled for next week, and that the only engagement on his public calendar is an appearance in New Hampshire at the end of April for a summit hosted by Americans for Prosperity.

Perhaps a reason for the empty schedule: Democrats in Massachusetts and neighboring New Hampshire plan to celebrate Tuesday’s fifth anniversary of Massachusetts’ universal health care law with mock birthday parties in honor of former Gov. Mitt Romney, who passed the law in 2006, according to the Boston Globe.

SANTORUM: Santorum won the straw poll at the GOP convention in Greenville County, South Carolina on Saturday, Politico reports.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
As the debate raged in Washington over a budget to keep the government from shutting down, the issue of abortion funding was consistently in the spotlight.

Ultimately, Democrats succeeded in retaining funding for women's health organizations that also provide abortions (like Planned Parenthood), but they were not able to eliminate a controversial 'rider' related to abortions in D.C.

A senior Democratic aide says that on Thursday night at the White House, President Barack Obama told House Speaker John Boehner that the White House would include the D.C. abortion language that was in a Republican House-passed one week extension bill. That provision bans the District of Columbia from using its own local tax money to pay for abortion services.

The aide says he witnessed the president say to Speaker Boehner in the Oval Office, "John, I will give you D.C. I'm not happy about it."

But when Boehner later asked for the elimination of funds for Title X -- spending for women's health and family planning organizations that also provide abortion services, the aide said the president flatly refused.

The president replied, "Nope. Zero."

Boehner continued to push to discuss the funds, the aide recalled.

The President repeated: "Nope. Zero." 

"'John, this is it,'" the aide described the president as saying. "'This is it, John."

There was a long pause as no one spoke in the Oval Office spoke.

The Planned Parenthood issue was resolved that Thursday night.

From NBC's Mike Viquiera
After the final passage of the budget compromise to keep the government open, senior administration officials briefed reporters on the frenzied final two days of the negotiations between Democrats and Republicans.

The officials said that, at the conclusion of Thursday night's meeting between the principles -- President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker John Boehner, and VIce President Joe Biden -- Biden laid down the bottom line on the key sticking point of Title X funding.

If the GOP was going to insist on including the 'rider,' "then we are just going to have to take it to the American people," Biden said, according to White House officials. In other words, Biden and Obama were willing to see the government shut down before they allowed funding for Title X organizations -- like Planned Parenthood -- to be cut.

But that meeting also saw another breakthrough when the GOP agreed to the composition of the cuts, acceding to the White House view that changes in mandatory spending should be included (ie. non-discretionary funding like farm subsidies and some justice programs) and counted toward the total dollars slashed.

When that meeting ended, officials said, White House aides then went to the Hill, where they were surprised to find that GOP staff was not following what Democrats thought had just been agreed to by the speaker. Republican negotiators at the staff level were insisting on a higher number and more riders.

Late Friday morning, Obama called Boehner and said, per aides, "Look, I'm the president and you're the speaker." Acknowledging the respect that both had for their staffs, he added that the agreement between the two men alone must stand.

Negotiations resumed among aides at 11am ET Friday. Offer after counteroffer were proposed as negotiators went "a couple more rounds" before they arrived at the result we saw shortly before midnight last night.

There were four calls between the president and Boehner Friday, as well as several calls to Reid.

Administration officials also highlighted the president's goals and desire for compromise, saying that Obama was firm in his belief that education, infrastructure, and R&D spending be preserved but flexible on many other aspects of the budget.

"Not every dollar cut is a victory for them and not every dollar spent is a victory for us," one official said.

For their part, GOP leadership aides have emphasized how the proposed cuts became deeper over time. First, GOP aides said, the White House and Democrats said they would go $4 billion in cuts, and then another $6 billion. During further negotiations, the Democrats offered $21 billion in cuts, $30 billion, and then $33 billion.

Then, the White House and Democrats insisted that all sides had agreed to a $33 billion figure and, according to GOP sources, tried to force Boehner to accept it. He never did, and publicly insisted that there was no agreement on a number or anything else.

In the end, Republicans point out, Boehner got about 63 percent of the $61 billion in proposed cuts that the House GOP backed earlier this year.

When the clock struck 12:01 am ET on Saturday morning, only one chamber of Congress had officially approved a short term measure to keep the government running.

The House had just reconvened to briefly debate a temporary six-day measure that would officially avert a government shutdown, but had not yet voted. (The Senate earlier approved the stopgap bill by voice vote. )

So was the government technically shut down for a few minutes before the House passed the bill and the president signed it?

Nope, per the Office of Management and Budget, which issued this guidance via email at 12:01 am ET.

"We expect the House to take up the CR shortly and for the President to sign this CR no later than tomorrow," wrote Obama budget director Jack Lew wrote in a memorandum. "As a result, at this time agencies are instructed to continue their normal operations."

Moments after Congressional leaders announced a deal to prevent an government shutdown and to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year, President Barack Obama praised negotiators for reaching consensus on a budget deal.

“Tomorrow, I am pleased to announce that the Washington monument, as well as the rest of the federal government, will be open for business,” Obama said in remarks from the White House.

“Today, Americans of different beliefs came together again,” Obama said.

The president said that negotiators have reached “a budget that invests in our future while making the largest annual spending cut in our history,” adding that he  compromised on cuts that he would “not have made in better circumstances."

On the Senate floor, Senate Majority Harry Reid praised fellow negotiator House Speaker John Boehner and called the spending cuts “historic.”  

“We must get our fiscal house in order,” the Senate leader said. “We've agreed to an historic level of cuts for this fiscal year.”

Reid noted that the eleventh-hour deal reflected the difficulty of the negotiations.  

“We didn’t do it at this late hour for the drama,” he said. “We did it because it’s been very hard.”                                        

Around 11:20 pm ET, the Senate approved by voice vote a six-day stopgap measure to fund the government, sending it to the House for approval. A long-term bill is expected to be approved in the middle of next week.

With under an hour and a half to go before a midnight deadline, House Speaker John Boehner announced that there is a deal to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year and that a short-term stopgap measure will be approved tonight to stave off a government shutdown.

“I’m pleased that Senator Reid and I and the White House have been able to come to an agreement that will in fact cut spending and keep our government open,” he announced.

Boehner’s remarks came after a closed-door meeting during which the speaker presented a deal to House GOP members.  

Moments before he came to microphones to announce formally that a deal had been reached, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also tweeted “We have an agreement.”

Boehner said that a  “bridge” agreement will be approved tonight that will allow negotiators to put the brokered deal into legislative language and be presented for a vote next week.

In a joint statement, Boehner and Reid said:

“We have agreed to an historic amount of cuts for the remainder of this fiscal year, as well as a short-term bridge that will give us time to avoid a shutdown while we get that agreement through both houses and to the President. We will cut $78.5 billion below the President’s 2011 budget proposal, and we have reached an agreement on the policy riders.  In the meantime, we will pass a short-term resolution to keep the government running through Thursday.  That short-term bridge will cut the first $2 billion of the total savings.”

From NBC's Luke Russert
While a final deal is hammered out by budget negotiators, House Republicans are expected to agree to a five or six day temporary government funding bill tonight that would prevent a government shutdown, a GOP source tells NBC News.

The stopgap measure will contain $3 billion in cuts and keep the government funded while the last details of a spending bill to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year are finalized. Both sides are close to a final deal on the long-term budget measure.

"This is the best deal we could get out of them," House Speaker John Boehner reportedly told GOP members in a closed-door caucus meeting of negotiations with Democrats.

From NBC’s Chuck Todd
So the key negotiators on a budget deal now have an agreement.

What now?

Remember, just because the negotiators at the table have a deal doesn't mean that it’s assured to go forward. The fate of the compromise now goes into the hands of rank-and-file members on both sides of the Capitol and the aisle.

The crucial group: House Republicans, who are currently reviewing the plan behind closed doors.

An aide to House Speaker John Boehner underscored that nothing is set in stone late Friday, saying "There is no deal yet. At the meeting, the Speaker will talk to the Members of the Conference about the status of the talks."

If a final deal has enough support to be greenlighted for passage, legislators will also have to fast-track a short-term measure (three-day or one-week) to prevent a shutdown before midnight.

Carrie Dann contributed to this report.

Reports are beginning to indicate that negotiators have the basic outlines of a compromise on a long-term funding bill before them.

*** UPDATE 10:50 pm ET: *** A Reid spokesman tweets: "We have an agreement." Details to come...

According to National Journal, a potential deal would include up to $39 billion in spending cuts for the rest of the fiscal year, $514 billion in spending for the Pentagon, and no “riders” involving funding for Planned Parenthood or the Environmental Protection Agency.

But even if there’s a deal on a long-term spending bill tonight, writing legislation to fund the federal government for six months is a complex process – one that’s unlikely to be finalized in the three-and-a-half-or-so hours before the government runs out of authorized funding at midnight tonight.

So how could a shutdown be avoided?

It appears increasingly likely that the House and Senate could pass a three-day or one-week bridge measure that could keep the lights on until the paperwork and voting for a full spending resolution is completed.

Negotiators have made clear that a stopgap bill is contingent on a long-term agreement.

Boehner said late Friday night that he could support a short-term stopgap measure “only if there’s a deal” on a bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

That’s similar – though a step further - than what the White House said yesterday when it said it would veto a one-week continuing resolution with deep cuts and an abortion-related rider.

“If negotiations are making significant progress, the Administration would support a short-term, clean Continuing Resolution to allow for enactment of a final bill,” the White House said in a statement.  President Obama had previously indicated that he would not support any short-term measure.

How’s Speaker Boehner feeling about the possibility of a deal tonight?

“You know me - I was born with a glass half full,” he told CNN.

NBC's Luke Russert contributed to this report.

From NBC’s Chuck Todd and Mike Viqueira
At this hour, it appears that negotiators are prepared to put the fight over federal funding of Planned Parenthood aside for the moment, increasing the chances of a deal to avert a government shutdown.

One GOP source says "the issue has been resolved," while a Democratic source describes the talks as "almost there" on the so-called 'rider' that has proven to be the biggest and last stumbling block to an agreement.

Still another source says that the issue is no longer on the table.

Check out msnbc.com's slide show here.

Basically, these sources indicate that negotiators will drop the rider from the current spending bill, thus clearing the way for a deal as long as there is a basic agreement on all other spending matters.

Politico reported late Friday that some differences still remain between negotiators on the final spending numbers.

The controversy stems from the $70 million Planned Parenthood receives annually under Title X, a program that provides contraceptives, cancer screenings, and sexually transmitted disease testing at community health centers.

Republicans make it clear that they will revisit the issue soon, perhaps when the even larger battle on raising the debt limit - expected in the coming weeks - is joined.

So call it a deferral, a tabling, or simply dropping the provision. At least for now.

But a top aide to Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid appears less hopeful, tweeting, "Despite tweets to the contrary, Republicans still digging in on Title X. Negogiations continue."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Slideshow: How the battle over federal funding of family planning is being fought in Naples, Fla.

From NBC's Pete Williams
Federal law prohibits government employees from coming to work during the shutdown except for those needed in "emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property."

So how does that amount to the roughly 60 percent of the federal workforce?

A 127-year-old law, the Antideficiency Act, bans the government from spending money, or incurring debts, that Congress hasn't approved.  That means in a shutdown, federal employees cannot come to work and earn a salary, for which they would have to be paid.

Congress amended that law in 1990 to specify which federal employees would be granted exceptions and required to continue working to cover emergencies. The  new law says emergencies worthy of an exception do not include "ongoing, regular functions of government, the suspension of which would not imminently threaten the safety of human life or the protection of property."

A 1995 internal Justice Department legal memo said the law must be interpreted narrowly -- "only when a threat to life or property is imminent" and "of such a nature that immediate action is a necessary response to the situation."

It's an understatement to say the law has been read generously. "It's more a matter of custom than strict interpretation," says a former Justice Department official.

Broad exceptions are made for virtually the entire federal law enforcement, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, US Marshals, ICE, and CPB.  Roughly 80% of employees in the Department of Homeland Security will stay on the job, including the Coast Guard and the Secret Service.  Federal meat and poultry inspectors will report for duty as usual.

A White House official says the fact that more than half of all federal employees are considered exceptions is driven by "an increase in civilian DoD and DHS personnel, as well as new sources of funding outside of appropriations -- most notable, the Veterans Administration now gets advanced appropriations, so they stay open."

The Social Security Administration is also funded by an indefinite appropriation, so many of its employees will be expected to remain on the job.

Still, the fact that roughly 1.2 million of the nation's 2 million federal employees will be on the job after the shutdown seems a departure from what the Justice Department said in 1995, when it advised the White House that the emergency exception "applies only to cases of threat to human life or property where the threat can be reasonably said to be near at hand and demanding of an immediate response."

From NBC's Jason Seher
Democrats and Republicans can’t quite agree on what has been preventing them from cutting a budget deal -- ideology (riders on abortion and Planned Parenthood) or, as House Speaker John Boehner contends, the amount of spending cuts proposed.

On a conference call this afternoon, the conservative anti-abortion-rights group, Susan B. Anthony List, criticized Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for what they see as threatening a shutdown over funding Planned Parenthood.   

"It is the height of unreasonableness for this president to single out Planned Parenthood," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the group. "Why is it reasonable to shut down the government in order to protect this one organization?"

Dannenfelser, a former staff director of the Congressional Pro-Life caucus, accused Planned Parenthood of running on "an abortion-center corporate model" that would funnel the $363 million in of Title X funding in question to increasing abortion services. Federal money is already not allowed to go toward funding abortions. Planned Parenthood notes that 95% of its services are non-abortion related health services, like cancer screenings and providing birth control.

The policy rider Republicans attached to the proposed budget deal would block Planned Parenthood from receiving those funds. Dismissing Democratic claims her group and like-minded Republican lawmakers are waging a war on women, Dannenfelser and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said the rider redirects the $363 million to one of the country's other 1,700 federally qualified women's healthcare providers. 

Dannenfelser claimed Planned Parenthood only acts as a primary care provider for 19,000 of the 3 million female patients the organization sees each year and cutting their funding will not cause a reduction in women's health services. Planned Parenthood says that’s not true. Saying "come on" in response to a reporter’s assertion that Planned Parenthood cannot use federal money to pay for abortion services, Jordan insisted the money they receive is "fungible" and said he believes most of those funds do help pay for abortions.

"For them to make that claim," Jordan said, "it's just common sense that money is fungible."

Noting that Boehner did not go into specifics in the most recent Republican conference meeting, Jordan said he's not sure where negotiations stand. He still insisted, however, the primary obstacle to reaching a budget deal was savings and House Republicans remain focused on "achieving real savings for the taxpayer." Expressing his disbelief that the government is on the brink of a shutdown, Jordan made this argument: that it's unfair President Obama and Reid are prioritizing protecting Planned Parenthood's funding over the paychecks of federal employees.

"The vast majority of Americans, whether they're pro-life or not," Jordan said, "don't want their tax dollars to be used to take the lives of unborn children."

When pressed over whether Republicans would compromise on the rider, Jordan said he did not have enough details to answer the question. Jordan said that "pro-life protections" belong in the budget debate and, if it's not dealt with now, the issue will arise again in the near future.