Reid scolds Gang of Six, seeks legislation

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Tuesday chastised the Gang of Six for not producing a deficit-cutting agreement in writing.

"I'm stunned by the Gang of Six," Reid said of the bipartisan group of senators, which has agreed to cut $4 trillion in spending but has not yet produced any legislation, The Hill reported.

"Put it in bill form, other than that, it's happy talk," Reid said.

The spotlight has turned to the Gang of Six after the supercommittee failed last week to reach an agreement on the deficit.

Alan Krueger, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, said at a White House news briefing Tuesday the government needs to get a handle on public debt.

"I think it's very important that we get on a sustainable fiscal path," Krueger said.

"The president has proposed -- in September gave a proposal to the supercommittee or joint committee of Congress to help put us on a fiscally sustainable path. And I think that as we strengthen the economy in the short run, we need to do two things at once: We need to strengthen the economy in the short run, and we need to return to a fiscally sustainable path."