Top lawmakers reach agreement on spending as deadline nears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiations on a package of spending bills to fund the federal government have produce a key breakthrough, though considerably more work is needed to wrap up the long-delayed measures.
Top lawmakers of the House and Senate Appropriations committees on Saturday confirmed agreement on allocations for each of the 12 spending bills, a step that allows negotiations on the $1.4 trillion budget bundle to begin in earnest to try to pass the measures by a Dec. 20 deadline.
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