Obama met with Republican leaders to discuss the Bush-era tax cuts (Creative Commons).

“Today we had the beginning of a new dialogue that I hope—and I’m sure most Americans hope—will help break through the noise and help produce gains,” Obama said.

Republicans are looking to extend the tax cuts for all income brackets and have said they won’t be happy with any other arrangement. Obama and the Democrats also want to extend the cuts, but only for those who make less than $250,000 a year, saying cuts across the board would be too big a strain on the deficit.

The President said he wants a deal to be reached before the cuts expire at the end of the year and that he was encouraged by the “extremely civil” atmosphere at the meeting.

“And as we all agreed, that should begin today because there’s some things we need to get done in the weeks before Congress leaves town for the holidays,” Obama said.

Obama has appointed Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jack Lew to work with representatives from both parties to reach a solution.

The GOP said the meeting was a positive step, but they’re unsure if it will translate into any progress towards reaching a bipartisan agreement.

In an op-ed piece in the Washington Post, incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote, “The White House and Democratic leaders in Congress first will have to prioritize. It’s time to choose struggling middle-class families and small businesses over the demands of the liberal base. It’s time to get serious.”

After the meeting, Boehner said, “We had a very nice meeting today. Of course, we’ve had a lot of very nice meetings. The question is, can we find the common ground that the American people expect us to find?”

Obama and congressional leaders will meet again in January at Camp David.

Reach Reporter Brooke Matthews here.