McConnell says starting talks with Obama on two-year budget deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that he and departing House Speaker John Boehner will soon launch negotiations with the White House to try to reach a two-year budget deal that covers the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years.

"We'd like to settle the top line (spending level) for both years so that next year we can have a regular appropriations process," McConnell told reporters in the Capitol. "The president and Speaker Boehner and I spoke about getting started in the discussions last week and I would expect them to start very soon."

(Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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