US President George W. Bush on Tuesday called on the Congress to divert more money to the relief efforts in the aftermath of two hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.

"Congress needs to pay as much of the hurricane relief as possible by cutting (other) spending," he told a press conference at the White House, noting that he will work with the lawmakers to identify offsets to free up money for the reconstruction efforts.

Bush said his government and the Congress "must do so in a fiscally responsible way" for hurricane relief, even with "deeper reductions in the mandatory spending programs that are already planned".

He said as the Congress completes the debate over the 2006 appropriations bills, he will call on lawmakers to "make real cuts in non-security spending".

One of the top priorities in the federal relief efforts is to ensure students displaced by the hurricanes to continue their studies, Bush noted.

He said that aside from federal response, he hopes the private sector to act as an engine to drive the recovery of the Gulf Coast.

Bush also defended his latest nomination of Harriet Miers, a White House counsel, for a Supreme Court post, claiming that the 60-year-old female law expert is the "best-qualified candidate".

It was Bush's first press conference in over three months after a series of major events in the country, including his nomination of two Supreme Court justices, two massive hurricanes, and the lowest approval ratings of his presidency.

Source: Xinhua