Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said the U.S. economy faces “catastrophe” without swift enactment of his economic stimulus plan, and he urged lawmakers to set aside “gamesmanship” and finish the legislation.

Obama, speaking to House Democrats at their annual retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia, went on the offense against Republican critics of the spending and tax cut legislation being debated in Congress, saying they aren’t offering anything new.

“I value the constructive criticism that is a foundation of American democracy,” Obama said tonight. “But what I have also said is don’t come to the table with the same tired arguments and worn ideas that helped create this crisis.”

Obama took his first trip as president out of the Washington area tonight to keep pressure on Congress to get done by the end of next week legislation intended to create jobs and revive U.S. economic growth. While the House passed an $819 billion version of the bill Jan. 28, the Senate bogged down in its effort to vote on the measure tonight.

“The answers aren’t here tonight,” Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said on the Senate floor. They will resume work tomorrow, he said.

Republican Votes

While Democrats hold majorities in both chambers, Republicans have enough votes in the Senate to hold up passage. Some congressional Republicans say they want a bigger portion of the stimulus dedicated to tax cuts and have attacked some of the spending measures.

The Senate is considering a package of spending and tax cuts of about $900 billion and a bipartisan group of senators is trying to come up ways to pare that down.

Without directly criticizing Republicans, Obama argued in a campaign-style speech that the policies pursued by former President George W. Bush and his allies in Congress weren’t the answer in the current crisis.

“We’re not going to get relief by turning back to the very same policies that in eight short years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin,” Obama told the House Democrats. “We can’t embrace the losing formula that offers more tax cuts as the only answer to every problem we face.”

Spending and Deficits

Referring to complaints about spending levels in the legislation, Obama said, “That’s the whole point” of a stimulus. He said the federal government’s budget shortfall wasn’t of his making.

“I found this national debt doubled, wrapped in a big bow waiting for me when I stepped into the oval office,” he said.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has forecast the deficit will double this year to at least $1.18 trillion, driven up by the government’s bailout of the financial industry.

Obama told reporters traveling with him tonight that the legislation must be “of sufficient size to do what’s needed to create jobs,” and both the House and Senate versions are “in the range” of what’s needed.

The two measures will have to be reconciled before Obama can sign legislation into law. The potential fight ahead may determine whether Obama can fulfill his campaign pledge to find bipartisan consensus on important issues.

Obama plans to hold a news conference at 8 p.m. Washington time on Feb. 9. Also that day, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will unveil the administration’s strategy to shore up the nation’s banks and unlock credit for individuals and businesses.

To contact the reporter on this story: Edwin Chen in Williamsburg, Virginia, at echen32@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 5, 2009 21:54 EST