Comment on White House, Hill leaders unable to reach spending deal

WASHINGTON — Negotiators were unable to reach an agreement on spending caps and the debt limit Tuesday, hours after a two-year deal seemed possible.“Deals like this take time,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said after leaving an afternoon meeting between congressional leaders and administration officials.Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said one of the biggest questions remaining was how to fund the “needs of the middle class on the domestic side.”The developments came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a two-year budget deal to raise spending limits and possibly the debt ceiling could be reached as early as Tuesday.If leaders had struck an agreement on the same day talks began, it would have broken with recent history.