"Congress, I think, has to act to prevent it. It's not an easy call, but I think we have to do it. The economy is at risk."

Biden had warned Monday of a catastrophic economic impact if railroad service grounds to a halt, saying up to 765,000 Americans could be put out of work in the first two weeks alone.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers will vote on Wednesday to impose a tentative contract deal struck in September, telling reporters a strike must be avoided:

PELOSI: "I don't like going against the ability of unions to strike, but weighing the equities, we must avoid a strike. Jobs will be lost, even union jobs will be lost, water will not be safe, product will not be going to market. We could lose 750,000 jobs, some of them union jobs - that must be avoided. So tomorrow morning in the House we will bring up the legislation, send it over to the Senate..."

SCHUMER: "And leader McConnell and I agreed we will try to get it done asap."

Many workers are against a government intervention.

Workers in four unions have rejected the tentative deal, while workers in eight unions approved it.

Labor unions have criticized the railroads' sick leave and attendance policies. There are no paid sick days under the tentative deal. Unions asked for 15 paid sick days and the railroads settled on one personal day.

But a rail strike could freeze almost 30% of U.S. cargo shipments by weight, stoke already surging inflation and cost the American economy as much as $2 billion per day by unleashing a cascade of transportation woes affecting U.S. energy, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and retail sectors.

After the White House meeting, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized the haste with which the vote is going to the floor:

"I think it will pass, but it's unfortunate that this is how we're running our economy today. This has all got to stop and change. We need an economy that is strong."

On Monday, more than 400 groups - including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - called on Congress to intervene in the railroad labor standoff that threatens to idle shipments and strand travelers.