Senate GOP leader says he asked Trump to back Keystone

The top Republican in the Senate says he asked President-elect Donald Trump to move swiftly in approving construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters on Friday that he made the request during his Capitol Hill meeting with Trump a day earlier.

President Barack Obama had vetoed legislation that would have moved ahead with construction of the pipeline projected to carry 800,000 barrels a day of crude from Canada and North Dakota to Nebraska, where existing pipelines would bring the oil to Gulf Coast refineries.

Environmentalists had opposed the project, but the prospect of an all-Republican government next year boosts the chances for Keystone.

McConnell also said he expect a major overhaul of the tax system next year.