According to The Wall Street Journal, the government freeze showed signs of easing Wednesday as conservative Republicans warmed to the idea of a short-term increase in the country’s borrowing limit.  House GOP leaders prepared for their first meeting with President Barack Obama, the WSJ pointed out.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), chairman of the House Budget Committee, outlined a plan Wednesday to fellow conservatives to extend the nation's borrowing limit for four to six weeks, paired with a framework for broader deficit-reduction talks, according to lawmakers briefed on the proposal. The greater the spending reduction the talks produced, the longer the next extension of the debt ceiling would be under Mr. Ryan's plan.