Federal budget deal close, report says

Federal budget deal close, report says

 U.S. budget negotiators are near a deal in which Democrats would accept fresh revenue from user fees and Republicans would agree to more federal spending, steps that could avoid another government shutdown next year, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday. Instead of ending some corporate tax breaks, as Democrats prefer, revenue would come from raising user fees including for airline passengers. Republicans would have to accept higher spending levels than slated under current law, according to congressional aides, the report said. The emerging deal gives them a framework to reach an agreement on government spending -- either by the budget panel's Dec. 13 deadline or before federal spending expires Jan. 15, the report added. The news gave a bit of a lift to U.S. stocks