Washington
CNN
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President Joe Biden wrapped up a meeting with his Cabinet on Friday, his first high-profile gathering of advisers in a year as he tries to shape his post-presidency legacy.

Before the meeting, a White House official said Biden would instruct Cabinet members to “sprint to the finish line” as he tries to polish old agenda items and ensure as much of his agenda as possible is implemented before a possible second Trump presidency.

“He will direct his cabinet to do as much work as possible – whether that is releasing funding, announcing new programs or policies or implementing programs and policies that we have already announced,” the official said.

Nearly a year after he last convened his Cabinet and exactly four months before the next president is inaugurated, Biden’s position at Friday’s meeting was dramatically different from when he last spoke to his top officials.

He is no longer a candidate for president and is now looking ahead to his final months in office. His unexpected withdrawal from the race in the summer prompted White House officials to rush to assemble his final months’ schedule, which had not been considered before his decision.

Biden wants to make sure Americans know what he has accomplished, but also wants to undo as much of his achievements as possible should former President Donald Trump return to the White House.

“He will be clear about demonstrating to the American people what the Biden-Harris administration has done for them. And he will tell his Cabinet to report directly to him on any obstacles or hurdles that they face in getting things done,” the official said ahead of the meeting.

The official pointed to significant progress made in recent weeks, including economic milestones such as a cut in interest rates and the “largest and most complex prisoner swap in U.S. history.”

Still, key items on Biden’s to-do list remain unresolved, notably a ceasefire and a hostage deal in the Middle East. Administration officials have serious doubts that a deal can be struck before Biden leaves office, and tensions in the region are only rising.

Ahead of the meeting, Biden called on Congress to pass a short-term funding bill before the government runs out of money next week, saying the “only way forward” was to “work across the divide.”

“Before I begin this Cabinet meeting, I want to talk very briefly about the need for Congress to pass a continuing resolution,” the president said. “It’s critical.”

He noted that Congress had just 10 days to pass a bill on short notice, “which would give them more time to deliver on our national defense, veterans, hardworking families, what we’ve already appropriated.”

Noting that his administration would last four more months, the president said he would “keep running the tape because the vice president and I are committed to ensuring that democracy delivers what the American people demand.”

“We need to continue to implement the historic laws that we passed,” Biden said. “They allowed us to invest in America, rebuild our infrastructure, and implement our historic laws.”

The president was also asked about current events, such as Israel’s recent attacks in Lebanon.

Biden did not directly answer a question about what the Israeli strikes mean for the Middle East peace process, saying only that the administration wants to get people home safely and that he is optimistic that a ceasefire and hostage deal can be reached.

The president said the administration wanted “to ensure that both the people of northern Israel and southern Lebanon could return home safely.”

“The secretary of state, the secretary of defense, our entire team is working on it — and the intelligence community is trying to get it done,” Biden said. “We’re going to keep working on it until we get it done.”

Asked if that was realistic, Biden replied: “If I ever said it’s not realistic, we might as well leave.”

“A lot of things, a lot of things don’t seem realistic until we do them,” he added. “We have to keep going.”

During Friday’s meeting, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden shared an update on a White House women’s health survey, the first time she has participated in such a session. Previous first ladies have sat in on their husbands’ Cabinet meetings.

“The president will direct his Cabinet to get to work and make the next four months as productive as any other period of our administration,” the official said. “Much of the Cabinet has been with President Biden since Day One, and this meeting will be an opportunity for all of them to assess the tremendous progress they’ve made together and figure out how they’re going to continue making history in the remaining months of the Biden-Harris administration.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.