Updated: Long-term budget talks ahead for Obama, Republican lawmakers

WASHINGTON — Having dodged the immediate threat of a government shutdown, congressional Republican leaders are looking ahead to talks with President Barack Obama on a long-term budget pact.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday that he and House Speaker John Boehner spoke with Obama recently and that he expects talks to get underway soon.
McConnell spoke as the Senate wraps up a debate he engineered on a temporary spending bill that would keep the government open whil