By AP
Undated – The fight: Tax cuts, jobless benefits and pipeline
WASHINGTON (AP) Senate officials say negotiators are close to a deal for a two-month extension of Social Security payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. Both are due to expire at the end of the year.
The same package is also expected to require the Obama administration to make a speedy decision on the fate of a proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas that promises thousands of jobs.
If nailed down, the deal would come up for a vote in the Senate as soon as Saturday.
Majority Republican leaders in the House were not involved in the negotiations.
The developments came after the White House backed away from a veto threat that centered on the pipeline.