But, he noted, "You wouldn't have had that scene there, believe me, if there had been any outstanding issue that we hadn't felt as though we had resolved" -- a reference to the bipartisan gathering before the TV cameras after the long negotiating session.
House Minority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said he would present the proposed agreement to his rank and file members, who had been the loudest critics of the plan.
The House and Senate could vote on the proposal as early as Monday.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said early this morning, "We're pleased with the progress tonight and appreciate the bipartisan effort to stabilize our financial markets and protect our economy."
Even with a few hitches, negotiators reached agreement with unusual speed for Congress, coming together just nine days after Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke came to Capitol Hill to warn about dire consequences for the economy if lawmakers failed to act.
While some lawmakers argued against Congress setting an artificial timetable, Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) warned Saturday that delay would be deadly.
"What will they say come Monday if another major bank fails?" he said. )"What will they say Monday if the international markets refuse to buy any American paper? One of the reasons you cry wolf is because there is a wolf actually at the sheepfold."
As negotiators considered the Wall Street bailout, Congress on Saturday sent to Bush a spending measure that includes a $25-billion loan program for another distressed segment of the U.S. economy -- the auto industry.
"This is an important first step to providing access to capital for important investments in the future at a time when the capital markets are distressed," Ford Motor Co. said in a statement.
The loan program is designed to help the companies speed up production of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
It was included in a stopgap funding bill needed to keep the government running beyond the end of the fiscal year -- Sept. 30 -- into early next year after a new president takes office.
It was approved by the Senate 78-12, following House approval earlier in the week.
The measure does not include an extension of the long-standing ban on new oil drilling off much of the U.S. coast. The ban is set to expire Tuesday night, but supporters hope to renew all or part of it next year.
