Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that House Republicans remain the major impediment to any deficit reduction deal, and anyone thinking otherwise lives on “fantasy island.”

“Even if they get something done in the Senate, there is, by no means, any guarantee that [House Speaker John Boehner] will even be able to put it on the floor because of his caucus,” Gibbs said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe. “I mean, this is crazy. I mean, we’re on fantasy island if we think somehow Speaker Boehner is poised outside the door ready to make a deal and somehow somebody won’t come talk to him. This is la-la land.”

Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made progress Sunday night toward a deal to avert the package of tax hikes and spending cuts dubbed the fiscal cliff. Negotiations to avert the cliff originally focused on President Barack Obama and Boehner, but have shifted to the Senate in the past week.

Any deal would have to pass the House, and would likely require the support of the majority of the GOP conference.