McConnell: Congress seeking deal for permanent tax 'extenders'

Reuters
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during an event at the U.S. Capitol in Washington December 9, 2015. McConnell said on Tuesday he has told lawmakers to plan to work this weekend to wrap up legislation to fund the government and extend expiring tax provisions. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that congressional negotiators are aiming to complete a deal to make several expired tax provisions permanent, rather than simply extending them for another year or two. McConnell, speaking to a breakfast hosted by Politico, declined to offer details of the deal in the works with Democrats, a companion bill to a $1.15 trillion spending measure needed by Wednesday to avoid a government shutdown. McConnell also said he is personally "not decided yet" on the merits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, but said the negotiated trade deal could have been better and faces political difficulties in an election year. (Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Doina Chiacu)