Obama says sees no need for new committee to settle budget drama

U.S. President Barack Obama discusses the continuing government shutdown during a news conference from the White House Briefing Room in Washington, October 8, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday rejected the idea floated by Republicans to form a bipartisan panel as a way to resolve an impasse over the budget and avoid a possible debt default because he is skeptical it would create any new momentum. "There is already a process in place called the budget committees that could come together right now," the president said at a press conference. "That's a process that's worked reasonably well for the last 50 years. I don't know that we need to set up a new committee for a process like that to move forward." (Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Jeff Mason, Mark Felsenthal and Matt Spetalnick,; Editing by Vicki Allen)