Bush pushes Congress on economic issues

U.S. President George W Bush on Saturday assured the U.S. public that he shared their economic worries and urged lawmakers to respond by approving his trade, energy, and tax-cut agenda.

"Many Americans are worried about the health of our housing and job markets. I share these concerns about our economy. Yet there have been some recent signs that our economy is beginning to improve," he said in his weekly radio address.

Bush said he saw "welcome signs" that the $150 billion stimulus the Congress passed and he approved was priming the economic pump, citing second-quarter growth and improving data from the housing market.

And the unpopular president also warned the Congress, in the hands of his Democratic foes, not to "try to score political points instead of getting work done for the American people" with the Nov 4 elections around the corner.

Bush pressed for lawmakers to lift a ban on drilling for oil on the outer continental shelf, which polls have found to be a popular notion amid soaring gasoline prices, and enhance tax credits for alternatives to fossil fuels.

He also pushed for passage of U.S. free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea "so that we can create more opportunities for American farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs."

And he urged lawmakers to make permanent the giant tax cuts that he pushed through in 2001 and 2003.

© Wire reports