Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “have launched discussions over a proposal to raise the debt ceiling and end the government shutdown, after talks between House Republicans and President Obama reached an impasse,” the Washington Post reports.

“The fact that the leaders are now directly engaged in talks suggest an intensifying bipartisan desire to end the fiscal impasse that has kept the government shuttered for nearly two weeks and raised the risk of a historic default later this month.”

Vice President Joe Biden, who has brokered Senate deals in the past, is at Camp David this weekend, according to the Washington Times.

“They’re trying to cut the House out, and trying to jam us with the Senate. We’re not going to roll over and take that.”

— Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), quoted by National Review, saying Senate Republicans interfered with their negotiations with the White House and suggesting they were “double-crossed.”

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told House Republicans in a closed meeting this morning “that there is no deal to reopen the government and hike the debt ceiling, and no negotiations going on with the White House,” Politico reports.

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) told The Hill: “It’s up to the Senate Republicans…the president rejected our deal.”

Roll Call: “But even as House lawmakers seemed to be throwing the ball into the Senate’s court, there was deep suspicion of the Senate Republicans’ willingness to cut an acceptable deal with the White House and Senate Democrats.”

“If I was in the Senate right now, I’d kill myself.”

— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“The House and the Senate were expected to meet on Saturday to continue parallel — and at times competing — negotiations to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling less than a week before the Treasury’s borrowing authority runs out on Thursday,” the New York Times reports.

“The mood on Capitol Hill and in the White House was one of tempered optimism, even though neither the House Republicans nor the Obama administration has yet to produce any tangible areas of agreement.”

Politico: “It’s a buyer’s market for President Obama. With House and Senate Republicans preparing competing proposals to end the government shutdown and avert a default on the nation’s debt, Obama hasn’t shown any inclination to jump at the first offer.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told the Lexington Herald-Leader that it is time for a “come together” moment on the budget and debt ceiling debate.

Said McConnell: “If you paid any attention to my recent history, I’m not opposed to reaching agreements with this administration… I brokered all three of them with Joe Biden. I do not have the view that it’s inappropriate to talk to Democrats.”

He added: “I’ve fully demonstrated that as much as I would rather have a Republican president and would rather be the majority leader of the Senate, I’m willing to work with the government we have — not the one I wish we had.”

“We can go indefinitely without hitting default.”

— Rep. Steve King (R-IA), quoted by BuzzFeed.

House Republicans “are offering to pass legislation to avert a default and end the 11-day partial government shutdown as part of a framework that would include cuts in benefit programs,” the AP reports.

“Republicans also seek changes in the three-year-old health care law known as Obamacare as part of an end to an impasse that has roiled financial markets and idled 350,000 federal workers.”

A Senate Democratic leadership aide tells Greg Sargent that Democrats “aren’t prepared to comment directly on the House GOP offer — because details involving things such as duration are unclear — but reiterated to me that the general framework underlying the offer is still not acceptable.”

Meanwhile, National Review reports House Republicans have scheduled a closed-door conference meeting for tomorrow morning.

“They’re talking about extending the debt ceiling for two months or six weeks — please. We do not believe a six-week delay of a catastrophic default is enough time to give the economy the confidence it needs.”

— Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by The Hill, rejecting the GOP proposal to extend the nation’s debt limit.