The Hill News

Vice President Biden phoned the top Republicans in the House and Senate from Moscow on Wednesday as budget battles continue in Washington.

An aide to Biden said the vice president, who is traveling right now in Russia, called House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ahead of two failed Senate votes on measures to fund the government the rest of the year.

Biden's led negotiations in a fight over how much to cut from existing government spending the rest of this fiscal year. Republicans have demanded much more than Democrats are willing to allow, leading to a standoff that could force a shutdown on March 18 if lawmakers don't reach an agreement before then.

Biden "will continue to stay in close contact with congressional leaders on the budget negotiations throughout the week," the vice president's aide said, according to a pool report.

Biden also tried to reach Senate Majority Lead! er Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday but wasn't able to reach Reid, the pool report said.