The official added that "the reality is, we have a way to go."

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The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday night.

"We're optimistic right now," Shelby, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters on Wednesday.

Pelosi, after the phone call on Wednesday, told reporters that she wants the House to pass a combined budget-debt ceiling deal by next Thursday, when they are scheduled to leave for the August recess.

To meet that timeline Pelosi said she wants the budget deal written by Friday night, giving negotiators less than two days to hash out the final details of an agreement.

"So if we are talking about next Thursday being on the floor, we have to back up almost to this Friday to have an agreement reached so that we can duly note it because under the new rules we don't count weekends in the 72-hour notice," Pelosi said during a press conference.

The administration sent a warning shot Wednesday amid growing optimism about the chances of a quick budget deal, saying that the negotiations have "a way to go."