Barack Obama's Lunch Date With Paul Ryan 'Constructive'

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) met with President Barack Obama at the White House this afternoon to talk about the federal budget and tax bills, a meeting that one White House staffer called 'constructive.'

According a story in the Washington Post:

Topics included tackling the deficit and the president’s proposal to replace the sequester with a deficit reduction package that includes tax increases, the official said. Obama “expressed his desire to continue a dialogue with them in the weeks ahead.”

Ryan, chairman of the House budget committee, has been . He's also expected to unveil the House GOP budget next week.

According to the Washington Post, Ryan's support is key to getting the budget passed:

“This whole thing will come to a crescendo this summer, and we’re going to have to talk to each other to get an agreement about how to delay a debt crisis,” Ryan said Wednesday, adding that the need to raise the debt limit should give both parties incentive to cut a deal.

“Our goal is to get a down payment on this problem for America,” Ryan said, “to get cuts and reforms that get us on a path to a balanced budget so we can prevent a debt crisis from taking down our economy.”

Obama also dined with 12 Republican Senators Wednesday night, after which several of them voiced 'optimism.' But a budget agreement won't likely get hammered out until this summer, which is when Congress will need to decide on whether to raise the country's borrowing limit.