Lawmakers seemed as pessimistic as ever about averting the fiscal cliff Thursday evening despite the White House scheduling a meeting with the top four congressional leaders for Friday afternoon.

The White House announced that President Barack Obama would meet with Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The last-ditch effort to avert the cliff caps two years of false starts and failed deal-making.

Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said the speaker “will continue to stress that the House has already passed legislation to avert the entire fiscal cliff and now the Senate must act.”

And McConnell, speaking earlier on the Senate floor, ripped the president and Senate Democrats repeatedly — although he signaled he was prepared to try to reach a deal.