Obama urges Congress to pass budget deal soon

CHICAGO (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Tuesday called on U.S. lawmakers to quickly pass a two-year budget deal to fund the federal government through 2017, saying he was happy there was an agreement that would avert another fiscal crisis.

Obama, speaking at a law enforcement conference in Chicago, said he hoped Republicans, who lead the House of Representatives and the Senate, and Democrats can “come together to pass this agreement without delay.” He also urged lawmakers not to “get sidetracked by ideological debates that have no place in America’s budget process.”

(Reporting by Julia Edwards; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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