Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner finds himself in afamiliar position: eager to resume life outside government andfacing contentious negotiations with Congress over raising thefederal debt ceiling.

The last time he was in this predicament, in June 2011,President Barack Obama persuaded him to stay. This time, Geithnerhas indicated to White House officials he wants to carry throughwith his plan to leave the administration by the end of this month,even if a deal on the debt limit isn't in place, according to twopeople familiar with the matter

Geithner's departure would increase pressure on the president toname his successor at Treasury. White House Chief of Staff Jack Lewremains the leading contender for the Treasury job, according tothe people, who requested anonymity to discuss the privatetalks.