Conservatives concede they can't block budget deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative Republicans in the House concede that there's not much they can do to stop a two-year budget deal that was agreed to by congressional leaders and the White House.

In his final days as speaker, John Boehner is trying to get the measure approved, in order to avoid a debt crisis next week and a government shutdown in December. The deal would take budget showdowns off the table until after the 2016 presidential and congressional elections.

One House Republican critic, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, accuses Boehner of being "in league with the Democrats." But he also says he thinks conservatives are winning in the long run, since they have forced Boehner to resign.

The man who's in line to be the next speaker, Paul Ryan, isn't offering an opinion on the deal itself -- but says the "process stinks" and that it's "not the way to do the people's business." He says it won't be done that way "under new management."

The budget vote slated for tomorrow in the House comes on the same day the GOP caucus nominates its candidate for speaker -- widely expected to be Ryan.