WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says President Barack Obama is slow-walking talks to avoid the fiscal cliff, and hasn't outlined spending cuts he's willing to support as part of a compromise.

The Ohio Republican said Tuesday that without spending cuts, there can be no balanced plan to reduce deficits and avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in at the turn of the year.

In a downbeat assessment of negotiations to date, the speaker said the longer the president drags the talks, the closer the economy gets to the fiscal cliff and the threat of a new recession.