CEOs want some provisions included in a deal that could lead to a review of the tax system. | REUTERS CEOs seek big deal to end crises

Washington Inc. is getting in on the shutdown action.

After days of watching the government closure and debt ceiling standoff from the sidelines, companies and trade associations are jumping into the fray, hoping to seize a rare moment in D.C. when a deal has to happen. And they prefer it be a big deal, with changes to entitlement programs, the tax code and spending cuts that normally would have no chance of passing.


Senior-level executives, outside groups, in-house company lobbyists and strategists have begun calling the White House and members of Congress to impress upon them the disastrous prospect of a default on the economy and business. The message, according to sources familiar with the conversations, is that waiting until the last minute to lift the debt ceiling could cause damage to the economy. At the same time, the nation’s current level of borrowing isn’t sustainable, the business leaders are saying.

( POLITICO's full coverage of the government shutdown)

But the critical talking point to the White House and Congress is this: While they’re putting out these fires, leaders ought to deal with long-overdue tax and entitlement reform.

The action isn’t happening just behind the scenes.

The group “No Labels” is planning a Thursday morning Capitol Hill event to urge leaders to find a solution. It is expected to draw a few dozen Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.).

The group is also running a national cable ad dubbed “Ceasefire”, which asks Americans to call and sign a petition to tell lawmakers to end the shutdown.

( WATCH: 10 great quotes on debt ceiling fight)

The pressure campaign is also focused outside the Beltway. CEOs from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Marriott and Reputation.com have posted blogs on LinkedIn Influencers reaching 40,000 people, and companies including Morgan Stanley are communicating with employees.

“It is time to resolve differences and come to a sensible agreement to keep the government functioning and pay our obligations,” Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said in a “call to action” to his 50,000 employees. “I encourage everyone who is a U.S. citizen to contact your representatives in Washington and let them know that failure to raise the debt ceiling will have unacceptable consequences and cannot be allowed to happen.”

Many advocates concede that prospects for a so-called grand bargain — which had been under consideration as recently as last year — aren’t great, especially with President Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) seemingly far away from any kind of deal.

And it’s unclear whether the lobbying campaigns will have any real effect on the negotiations.

Still, they are hoping to get some initial fiscal provisions included in any deal that could lead to a larger review of the country’s tax system and deficit problems.

Former Rep. Dan Glickman (D-Kan.), who served as secretary of Agriculture during the 1995 shutdown, said he hopes the conversations develop into a bigger discussion on long-term deficit reduction.

“We’re in totally uncharted territory,” Glickman said, positing that one possible scenario includes lawmakers moving to approve a short-term funding package that raises the debt ceiling to buy time to work out a bigger deal. “It’s pretty hard for me to see a grand bargain by Wednesday.”

Even if a smaller package is ultimately passed, many advocates argue that Republicans shifting the focus away from Obamacare to a broader discussion of other issues is a positive sign.

“There has to be a serious effort from the White House to reform entitlements, Medicare and Medicaid because that’s the biggest driver of our debt,” said Beau Allen of the Republican political action committee Concord 51. “People have to come together with an open mind and not be stuck on both sides digging their heels in. We’re pushing folks to have an open mind.”

Of course, not everyone is looking to make waves. Some interested parties are keeping a low profile, including many of the big tax reform-specific coalitions, because they don’t want to be seen as giving up on the efforts of House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

The “Fix the Debt” campaign in particular has ramped up its efforts.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said the group is working Capitol Hill to try to take advantage of this moment when a deal of some sort must be struck.

“We’re spending a tremendous amount of time on the Hill with members talking about what kind of fiscal reforms could be part of the effort to get past all of these potentially damaging moments,” MacGuineas said. “It’s one of those windows of possible opportunity.”

The group composed largely of CEOs sent a letter Monday urging party leaders to act swiftly and use the moment to enact a grand bargain. It also corralled 120 former senators and congressmen to sign an open letter to Congress and later this week will announce the formation of a governor’s leadership council with 40 former state executives. The former governors have united around the belief that the mounting national debt must be addressed.

Fix the Debt is also placing opinion pieces in newspapers in Arizona, Florida, Maryland and Georgia. The op-eds are co-authored by CEOs and small-business leaders and focused on the need for comprehensive tax reform. The group also had 10,000 supporters in targeted states send letters to Congress and has plans to do advertising in the near future.

The group “Can Kicks Back” is also pressing the case for what it calls a “Grand Generational Bargain.” The millennial-focused organization said that it has done SMS polling after events in a multistate tour that shows more than 70 percent of young people support the idea of increased federal investment in the short term, decreased entitlement spending over the long term and tax reform that raises additional revenue.