WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met at the White House Sunday for budget talks, the first face-to-face meeting between the two men in weeks as both sides attempted to speed up negotiations heading into a crucial period.

The coming week could prove pivotal for Washington to engineer a deal that does more than merely patch up the problem caused by a pending package of tax increases and spending cuts. If serious negotiations don't start, there is likely little time left between now and the end of the year to seal a more ambitious deal.

"This afternoon, the president and Mr. Boehner met at the White House to discuss efforts to resolve the fiscal cliff," both sides said in identical written statements that were carefully coordinated, according to an administration official. Aides declined to provide details, but the statement added, "The lines of communication remain open."

As with previous one-on-one talks between the president and speaker, neither side would discuss the content of the conversation.

On Friday, Mr. Obama met with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and spoke with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.). After weeks of sometimes heated back-and-forth, both parties appear to be trying to inject some urgency into the talks two weeks before the Christmas holiday that usually marks the end of Congress's work year.


Of the four congressional party leaders, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) is the only one Mr. Obama hasn't met with individually. An administration official didn't rule out such a meeting but suggested it is unlikely. Instead, the president and Mr. Boehner have agreed to bring their respective parties along as a deal is hammered out, the official said, with Mr. Boehner conferring with Mr. McConnell and the president keeping Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid in the loop.

If Congress doesn't take action by year's end, taxes will rise for almost all Americans as Bush-era tax rates expire, and automatic spending cuts would start kicking in.

"It's a very unique time and I hope the president soon will see the light," Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) said on Fox News Sunday.

Sen. Richard Durbin (D., Ill.) said it was probably too late to make significant changes to safety-net programs as part of the talks. "I just don't think we can do it in a matter of days here before the end of the year," he said on NBC's Meet the Press.

There were fewer signs Sunday of movement on Capitol Hill. Democrats say they are waiting for Republicans to agree to raise tax rate on the highest-earning households, and Republicans say they are waiting for Democrats to agree to cuts in safety-net programs.

Mr. Corker on Sunday joined a small but growing number of Republicans who say there is a political advantage for the GOP in agreeing to Mr. Obama's demand for tax increases for top earners.

"A lot of people are putting forth a theory, and I think it has merit, where you go ahead and give the president … the rate increase on the top 2%, and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements," he said on Fox News Sunday.

Mr. Corker and Republicans who have taken a similar line, such as Rep. Tom Cole (R., Okla.), are responding in part to polls suggesting the public supports raising taxes on wealthier Americans. A Quinnipiac University poll released Friday showed that 65% of voters support higher taxes on families making more than $250,000 per year, while 31% oppose such increases.

If the GOP concedes on tax rates, these GOP lawmakers say, Republicans could then demand cuts to safety-net programs, and they would have leverage when Mr. Obama must ask Congress to raise the nation's debt limit, around February.

—Julian E. Barnes contributed to this article.

Corrections & Amplifications
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois is a Democrat. An earlier version of this article identified him as a Republican.

Write to Naftali Bendavid at naftali.bendavid@wsj.com and Carol E. Lee at carol.lee@wsj.com