Boehner calls U.S. budget deal a 'modest' yet 'positive step forward'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the U.S. Congress said on Tuesday that while the bipartisan budget deal is "modest in scale," it represents a positive step forward." Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner also said the agreement crafted by Democratic Senator Patty Murray and Republican Congressman Paul Ryan would help cut the record budget deficit "without tax hikes that would hurt our economy." (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; editing by Christopher Wilson)