Using the presidential bully pulpit and polling data, Obama urged lawmakers to stay focused on cutting the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years, even as Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill move closer to voting on competing proposals to raise the debt limit by August 2.

“I think it’s important for the American people that everybody in this town set politics aside, that everybody in this town sets our individual interests aside, and we try to do some tough stuff,” Obama said from the podium in the White House Briefing Room.

But on Capitol Hill, Republicans were heading in a different direction — at least for the time being.