WASHINGTON, Sept 24: US President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he was optimistic about the strength of the US economy but recognized that “we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

With consumer confidence lower for the fourth straight month in September, Bush said the economy has the ingredients for growth with low interest rates and low inflation.

“You bet I’m optimistic but I understand that we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Bush told reporters after a meeting of his Cabinet.

He said a good start would be for the US Congress to approve a terrorism insurance bill to free up $8 billion in construction projects, make permanent the tax cuts he pushed that expire in a decade, and make sure lawmakers do not overspend.

“I’m optimistic about America in general. The American people are resilient, they’re strong,” Bush said. He urged Congress to resist the temptation to overspend as a way to avoid deeper deficit spending. He said it was “very important for those up there who keep talking about budget and the balanced budget and all that to not overspend.—Reuters