U.S. talks to ease spending cuts, avert shutdown at critical stage: aides

[riky]

U.S. talks to ease spending cuts, avert shutdown at critical stage: aides

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/u-budget-negotiations-enter-final-stage-congress-aides-172513023--business.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RLn_ttl_iLfFvhlxJpJOgw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-12-05T172513Z_1_CBRE9B41CE900_RTROPTP_2_USA-DEBT-SUPERCOMMITTEE.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Murray speaks to reporters after meeting with the Democratic members of the 'super committee' at the U.S. Capitol in Washington" align="left" title="Murray speaks to reporters after meeting with the Democratic members of the 'super committee' at the U.S. Capitol in Washington" border="0" /></a>By Richard Cowan and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. budget negotiators were down to the final, most difficult items in a two-year deal to avoid another federal shutdown next month and ease some across-the-board spending cuts set to hit military and domestic programs, congressional aides said on Thursday. The small-scale agreement being negotiated by Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat, and Republican Representative Paul Ryan would lead to less than $100 billion in new savings, aides familiar with the talks said. Ryan, the chairman of the House of Representatives budget committee and Murray, who chairs the Senate budget committee, are expected to continue their talks on Friday with the aim of a deal that can be passed next week, before the start of a House recess on December 13. But any deal's fate in Congress could hinge in part on whether it includes an agreement to extend long-term federal unemployment benefits due to expire later this month for some 1.3 million Americans.</p><br clear="all"/>

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