The White House has informed House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that it will miss the legal deadline for sending a budget to Congress.

Acting Budget Director Jeff Zients told Ryan (R-Wis.) late Friday that the budget will not be delivered by Feb. 4, as required by law, a House aide said.

"Late Friday evening, Deputy Director Zients confirmed that for the fourth time in five years, the president's budget will not be submitted in compliance with the law," the aide said.

"Zients did not indicate how late the administration will delay its submission, simply noting 'We will submit it to Congress as soon as possible,'" the aide said.

Under the law, Obama must submit a budget by the first Monday in February, but he has met the deadline only once. The annual budget submission is supposed to start a congressional budgeting process, but that has also broken down. The Senate last passed a budget resolution in 2009.

It may also be the case that the administration does not want the budget to be taken as an opening offer in the coming fight over raising the nation's $16.4 trillion debt ceiling.

Republicans are demanding Obama propose sharp spending cuts to offset any increase in the ceiling.

Obama in a press conference Monday though reiterated his stance, pressing lawmakers to raise the debt limit without tying it to cuts or entitlement reform.