WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush sought to calm Americans' fears about the economy on Monday night while charting a course he hopes will keep him relevant in his final year in office.

With the specter of recession supplanting the Iraq war as the top US concern, Bush acknowledged in his final State of the Union address that growth is slowing but insisted the country's long-term economic fundamentals are sound.

He prodded Congress to act quickly on a $150 billion economic stimulus package laid out last week.