"We had a frank discussion," Reid said. "I'm disappointed...but I'm pleased we are still working" toward a deal.
Boehner said Republicans will still press for the largest spending cut that they can get. He characterized the discussions as "polite" and "to the point."
"We can get to an agreement but we are not there yet," Boehner said.
The measure passed by the House today would fully fund the Pentagon through Sept. 30, when fiscal year 2011 ends, but pay for operations in the rest of the government for one week while Congress and the White House try to reach a budget deal. The bill also included $12 billion in additional spending cuts.
Obama has said he would only sign another short-term budget bill while a deal is being worked out if it came to him "clean" -- meaning without any GOP-sought policy changes or additional spending cuts. One hangup in the budget negotiations is the insistence by House Republicans on issues such as blocking funding for overseas family planning clinics that provide abortions.
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