The White House, buffeted by a stronger than expected drop in monthly US retail sales, urged US consumers Thursday to shop and said they should be confident in long-term US economic health.
"We do want to see the consumer spend, and that's one of the reasons for the rebate checks," spokesman Tony Fratto said, referring to a key component of a stimulus package valued at 152 billion for 2008 and 16 billion next year.
"The big message is that you can have confidence in the long-term future of our economy," Fratto told reporters amid growing fears that the world's wealthiest country may be facing a recession.
He spoke after the US Commerce Department reported that US retail sales fell an unexpected 0.6 percent in February from the prior month as consumers coped with rising oil and food prices.
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