Republicans on Thursday poked congressional Democrats for their failure to pass a budget -- already two months overdue -- and used a meeting at the White House to pressure President Obama and his allies to focus on cutting spending this year.

"The failure of the Democrats in Congress to move a budget really misses a significant opportunity to cut spending now," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said after the meeting, which touched on a wide range of topics.

"I pushed them hard to get serious about cutting the spending. It's important for the future of our country. Needless to say, it was little agreement," he said...