Speaker John Boehner said President Barack Obama must accept entitlement cuts and no tax increases in order to obtain a debt-ceiling increase from Congress, once again taking a hardline as GOP and Democratic congressional leaders head to the White House for talks on averting a U.S. debt default. 
 
 Boehner’s comments came after Obama repeatedly praised Boehner in his own press conference this morning for being willing to explore a “grand bargain” that would cut spending on popular entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in return for as much as $1 trillion in new revenue. Boehner pulled out of those one-on-one discussions with Obama on Saturday after coming under criticism from conservative lawmakers and activists, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). 
 
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 reset VIDEO: Boehner firm on taxes Echo Chamber: Digging in on debt POLITICO 44 
 
 “Our disagreements are not personal, they never have been,” Boehner told reporters on Monday afternoon. “The gulf between the two parties now is about policy. It’s not about process, it’s not about personalities.” 
 
 Boehner added: “The president and I do not agree on his view that the government needs more revenues through taxes on job creators. The president and I also disagree on the extent of the entitlement problem and what is necessary in order to solve it.” 
 
 Boehner insisted that “the House cannot pass a bill that raise taxes on job creators. The House can only pass a debt-limit with spending cuts larger than a hike in the debt limit, as well as real restraints on future spending.” 
 
 The Ohio Republican also called for passage of a balanced-budget amendment. That proposal will be taken up by the House next week. 
 
 “This boil downs to two things - the president insists on raising taxes, and they’re just not serious enough fundamental entitlement reform to solve the problem for the near and intermediate future… It takes two to tango, and they’re just not there yet.” 
 
 Boehner denied ever discussing any tax increases during his private talks with Obama, a position that he and his aides have repeatedly stated since pulling the plug on those negotiations last weekend. Boehner said his idea was to simplify and reduce tax rates, which would result in new economic growth and more revenue for the federal government. Boehner clearly would prefer that alternative, but opposition from Cantor and Senate Republicans forced Boehner to retreat on such an agreement. ||||| The leader of the House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner, says he agrees with President Barack Obama that the U.S. borrowing limit must be raised to avoid a government default but insists that House Republicans will not back any deal with tax increases. 
 
 Talking to reporters shortly before a White House meeting, Boehner said there is a way to increase revenues without raising taxes. He embraced the idea of significant tax reform. But he said it cannot be done without serious changes to the major social benefit programs. 
 
 He said Obama insists on raising taxes but the White House is not serious enough about reforming the benefit programs. 
 
 Obama and congressional leaders are laboring to complete a deal to slash spending and raise the government's borrowing limit before an Aug. 2 deadline.
– John Boehner stuck to his guns in a press conference today, offering precious little hope that a debt ceiling deal was anywhere close to getting done. He thanked Barack Obama for praising his "good-faith effort," but said it mattered little. “Our disagreements are not personal,” he said, according to Politico. “They never have been. The gulf between the two parties now is about policy.” “This boil downs to two things: The president insists on raising taxes, and they’re just not serious enough [about] fundamental entitlement reform,” Boehner said. “It takes two to tango, and they’re just not there yet.” Boehner said he did fundamentally agree that the debt limit needed to rise, the AP reports. But he said the bill could only pass the House if it included an even larger amount of spending cuts.