President Barack Obama is likely to cut short his traditional Christmas holiday in Hawaii to return to Washington as politicians consider how to prevent the economy from going over the so-called "fiscal cliff", the White House said, according to Belfast Telegraph.

Mr Obama could fly back to the nation's capital as early as Wednesday, December 26 just five days after arriving in Hawaii, White House officials said.

In the past, the president's end-of-the-year holiday in his native state has stretched into the new year.

Congress is expected to return to Washington on Thursday.

The White House and Congress must reach a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff", the automatic budget cuts and tax increases that are set to begin in January. So far, the president and congressional Republicans have been unable to reach agreement on any alternatives.

Politicians have expressed little but pessimism for the prospect of an agreement coming before January 1.

On Sunday, Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas said she expects any action in the waning days of the year to be "a patch because in four days we can't solve everything".