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Obama, Boehner talk fiscal cliff at White House

'Lines of communication remain open,' spokesman for the House speaker says.

President Obama and Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, met on Sunday at the White House to discuss efforts to resolve the so-called "fiscal cliff," according to Boehner's spokesman.

"We're not reading out details of the conversation but the lines of communication remain open," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement identical to one released by the White House.

This is the week that the House had initially scheduled to wrap up its lame-duck work and the 112th congressional session.

Instead, congressional Republicans and the White House have been at loggerheads over striking a deal that could delay or stop year-end automatic spending cuts and tax-rate hikes that many fear would harm the nation's already-fragile economic recovery.

(Image via Orhan Cam/Shutterstock.com)