White House officials have quietly lobbied Wall Street and the business community over the last several months to support President Barack Obama's plan to impose higher taxes on the wealthy to cut the deficit and avert going over the fiscal cliff.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, Jeff Zients, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, as well as Chief of Staff Jack Lew and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling were key administration officials dispatched before the election to meet with top business and finance leaders, according to people familiar with the meetings.

With corporate executives among those expressing concern that the $607 billion in automatic tax increases and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff risks tipping the economy into another recession, the administration has been working to enlist their support before negotiations with Congress begin.