House Speaker John Boehner: 'Hard to imagine' budget agreement

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker John Boehner says "it's hard to imagine" the Republican-led House and Democratic-controlled Senate reaching a budget deal.

Boehner spoke in an interview with The Associated Press the day after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Despite his pessimism, Boehner says Congress must find a way to reconcile its disagreements over fiscal matters in order to address the nation's long-term spending problems.

Boehner also dismissed Obama's proposal for universal preschool for all 4-year-olds. Boehner said getting the federal government involved in that process would be "a good way to screw it up."