Congress nears deal on disaster aid, funding patch to avert pre-Christmas shutdown

Politico.com - For more and to sign up click here Congressional leaders are closing in on a deal to fund the government into early next year, along with tens of billions of dollars in disaster aid, as they work to avoid a holiday shutdown. The burgeoning agreement comes after weeks of House and Senate leadership negotiations, which included top appropriators, ahead of the Dec. 20 deadline. Text of the funding…