(AP) — President Barack Obama is hosting top House Republicans on Thursday to seek an opening in an impasse that has shuttered much of the government and threatens a catastrophic federal default.

The White House meeting comes as House GOP leaders are contemplating advancing a short-term debt limit increase designed to calm jittery stock and bond markets and allow more time to untie the knot that has the government partially shut down for a 10th day.

A short-term measure was expected to be a topic at a closed-door House GOP meeting Thursday morning. It wasn’t clear what conditions GOP leaders might seek to attach to the bill, if any, but conservatives consistently have been pushing to add conditions beyond what Obama says he’ll accept.