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Marchers With 'Occupy the Highway' To Reach DC After 240-Mile Trek From NYC

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- About two dozen Occupy Wall Street protesters are expected to arrive in Washington after a two-week trek from Zuccotti Park.

The group left New York City on Nov. 9. The 240-mile march dubbed "Occupy the Highway" went through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

The group says they even picked up some extra participants along the way.

The marchers are hoping to arrive at the Occupy D.C. encampment in McPherson Square sometime Tuesday.

Their goal was to arrive in D.C. by the Nov. 23 deadline for the Congressional "supercommittee" to come up with its deficit reduction plan.

But now organizer Kelley Brannon says the failure of the supercommittee to reach a deal only strengthens the protesters' message that Congress is not addressing the concerns of middle and lower-income Americans.

President Barack Obama is promising to keep pressure on Congress to work harder at deficit reduction.

He's threatening to veto any attempt to derail automatic spending cuts that are set to kick in 2013. Everything from the Pentagon to domestic programs will be affected.

But even with all the partisan bickering over taxes and entitlement programs, there is a glimmer of hope.

"The only way these spending cuts will not take place is if Congress gets back to work and agrees on a balanced plan to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion," Obama said. "Hopefully, Congress can move forward on some of those specific initiatives from the committee to address the very big and real problems that we face."

The president is also calling on Congress to extend payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits that are set to expire at the end of the year.

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(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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