White House says no excuse for budget deal not being completed quickly

Reuters

15 December 2015 at 2:35 pm

Security fencing is seen at the White House in Washington November 27, 2015. A man who jumped the White House fence on Thursday, triggering a lockdown of the presidential mansion, was quickly caught and now faces criminal charges, the U.S. Secret Service said. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There is no excuse for not quickly completing a spending bill being negotiated by U.S. lawmakers to finance the government through September 2016, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday. Republican congressional leaders said earlier on Tuesday that important progress had been made towards agreement on a deal for a $1.15 trillion spending bill ahead of a Wednesday deadline, but Democrats said energy provisions were still outstanding. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Diane Craft)

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