WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican congressional leaders on Wednesday declined to say whether they will participate in budget talks led by the White House to overcome a bitter partisan divide on federal spending.

House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that Senate Democrats must offer a counter-proposal to a package passed by the Republican-led House of Representatives that would cut $61 billion from domestic programs in the current fiscal year that ends September 30.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Editing by Sandra Maler)