The Congress comes back on Monday without a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" and with only a few hours of actual legislative time scheduled in which to act if an agreement materializes.Negotiations involving Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell appeared to offer the last hope for avoiding the across-the-board tax increases and draconian cuts in the federal budget that will be triggered at the start of the New Year because of a deficit-reduction law enacted in August 2011.A Republican Senate leadership aide described discussions between McConnell and Biden as "good talks," saying they lasted late into Sunday evening.Meanwhile, some Republicans said progress could be better served by open debate rather than "backroom" discussions."What we ought to do is put a bill on the Senate floor and let people actually offer amendments and vote on it. We shouldn't be here waiting for people to cut deals in backrooms," Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said on "The Early Show" on CBS."The American people ought to be able to watch the discussion and debate and how people vote on various issues," he said.