WASHINGTON - THE United States Senate should quickly approve a US$150 billion (S$216 billion) proposal to boost the sagging economy and resist the urge to add new benefits to the package, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said.

In television interviews on Sunday, Mr Paulson said he did not believe lawmakers would jeopardise 'a carefully crafted' agreement by raising issues that could undermine what he characterised as 'a rare bipartisan moment' and delay the measure.

Republican President George W. Bush and leaders in the Democratic-led House of Representatives last week unveiled a package of tax rebates and business investment tax breaks aimed at stimulating spending and giving a boost to an economy that many fear may be heading for a recession.

'I believe we're going to continue to grow and I also believe that our currency, the dollar, is going to reflect these fundamentals,' he said on CNN's Late Edition.

Mr Paulson said the sooner Washington approved the stimulus plan, the faster federal checks could be issued to try to counter the impact of the US housing crisis, a credit crunch and record energy prices.

He said the goal was to have cheques in the mail in May with the economy feeling the impact of a boost in consumer spending by mid-year.

'I don't think the Senate is going to want to derail that deal, and I don't think the American public is going to have much patience for anything that slows down this process of getting money into our economy,' Mr Paulson told Fox News Sunday.

Some senators, including Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana, have suggested the chamber examine possible additions, including an upgrade for food stamps and an extension of unemployment benefits.

But Mr Paulson said the plan was carefully crafted to be temporary and should be kept simple to get the money out as fast as possible so the public can decide how to spend it.

'I believe what we've got here is something that will work and will work quickly,' Mr Paulson told CNN. 'Once you start considering additions - the food stamps, unemployment insurance and so on - it's a slippery slope. There's a real danger we'll bog down and screech to a stop.'

Fears of a US recession triggered a global sell-off in stocks last week, resulting in a cut in interest rates by the Federal Reserve and movement on the stimulus package in Congress.

Mr Paulson also said financial markets would welcome signs of bipartisanship in Washington's response to the stimulus. -- REUTERS