President Obama's schedule for Wednesday

HONOLULU, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama heads back to Washington from Hawaii Wednesday, cutting his Christmas vacation short.

First lady Michelle Obama and his daughters will not accompany him when he boards Air Force One at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu for a red-eye flight.

The president is returning to Washington, hoping to reach agreement with Congress to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff," the combination of automatic tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to kick in Jan. 1.

Both the president and Congress arrive in Washington early Thursday.