Article updated: 11/19/2012 7:05 AM

Fiscal cliff negotiators are facing high hurdles

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House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gesturing during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. It's entirely possible that lawmakers and the White House will reach a deal to avert an avalanche of tax increases and deep cuts in government programs before a Jan. 1 deadline.

Associated Press

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It's entirely possible that lawmakers and the White House will reach a deal that staves off an avalanche of tax increases and deep cuts in government programs before a Jan. 1 deadline. To do so, however, they'll have to resolve deep political and fiscal disagreements that have stymied them time after time despite repeated promises to overcome them.