Video courtesy The White House | Voice of Stephanie Salazar

Federal lawmakers are working around the clock on a possible budget deal, trying to avoid a government shutdown.

President Barack Obama met with Republican House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, and Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada on Wednesday in an attempt to work through political differences and come to an agreement before Friday, when the current spending authorization measure expires, forcing parts of the government to close down.

The President held a press conference on the situation after the 90 minute meeting.

“I remain confident that if we’re serious about getting something done we should be able to complete a deal and get it passed and avert a shutdown,” said the President Obama. “But it’s going to require a sufficient sense of urgency from all parties involved. It means that people have to recognize that a government shutdown has real consequences for real people.”

“There was a interview that was done tonight on one of the nightly news networks — a man from Kentucky named J.T. Henderson. He said he’s counting on his tax rebate because his family has been scraping by, and he might not get it if the government shuts down. So J.T. said if he could speak directly to all of us in Washington he’d tell us that all of this political grandstanding has effects as it trickles down to normal, everyday Americans.”

If there is a federal government shutdown, residents in Hawaii can expect to feel the effects. The president has already said the IRS will stop processing paper tax returns, the Small Business Administration will stop making loans and federal home loan guarantees will be put on hold.

Hawaii’s national parks will also be shut down, including the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, Pu’ukohola Heiau, and Kaloko-Honokohau.