WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. called on Congress Tuesday to give him wide authority to rescue the nation’s financial system, urging lawmakers “to enact this bill quickly and cleanly, and avoid slowing it down with other provisions that are unrelated or don’t have broad support.” In remarks prepared for testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, Mr. Paulson said that “this troubled asset purchase program is the single most effective thing we can do to help homeowners, the American people, and stimulate our economy.” He noted that Congress had moved quickly earlier this year to pass an economic stimulus program. The challenge this time, he said, was greater and demanded “bipartisan discipline and urgency.” With global financial stresses and uncertainties continuing to play out, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, warned in his testimony prepared for the hearing that “if financial conditions fail to improve for a protracted period, the implications for the broader economy could be quite adverse.” President Bush, speaking in New York before the markets opened, expressed confidence that Congress would agree on a financial bailout plan and left open the possibility of accepting amendments being proposed by Democrats. “Now there’s a natural give and take when it comes to the legislative process,” Mr. Bush said in brief remarks with the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari. “There are good ideas that need to be listened to in order to get a good bill that will address the situation. But I’m confident, Mr. President, as I’ve told you and other leaders, that there will be a bipartisan bill. That the Republicans and Democrats will come together to get this legislation passed, which is necessary to address the financial situation and provide a rescue plan to make sure that there’s some stability in the markets.” In a statement released earlier in the day, Mr. Bush said he had reassured worried world leaders that the United States had the “right plan” to deal with the crisis. Mr. Paulson noted in his prepared remarks that Congress had moved quickly earlier this year to pass an economic stimulus program. The challenge this time, he said, was greater and demanded “bipartisan discipline and urgency.” The Treasury secretary, who was scheduled to testify alongside Mr. Bernanke and other officials, was expected to encounter questioning from lawmakers about the scope of the program. Democrats and Republicans are eager to include legislation that would protect mortgage holders, and cut the salaries of executives at Wall Street firms. The testimony came as the Bush administration and Congressional leaders moved closer to agreement on an historic $700 billion bailout for financial firms, including tight oversight of the program and new efforts to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure. But Congress and the administration remained at odds over the demands of some lawmakers, including limits on the pay of top executives, and new authority to allow bankruptcy judges to reduce mortgage payments for borrowers facing foreclosure. Congressional leaders and Treasury officials also said they were close to an agreement over a proposal by some Democrats in which taxpayers could receive an ownership stake, in the form of warrants to buy stock, from firms seeking to sell distressed debt. Lawmakers want to require an equity stake, while the administration wants flexibility on that matter, a Treasury official said. In his prepared remarks, Mr. Bernanke said the Fed was reluctant to intervene in the market, saying it should be done “only when the stability of the financial system and, consequently, the health of the broader economy is at risk.” Such conditions applied in the deteriorating financial situation at the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Mr. Bernanke said. He also said that the government tried to let market forces handle the problems at the investment bank Lehman Brothers and the insurance giant American International Group, but the rapid sequences of events caused “extraordinarily turbulent conditions in global financial markets.” Even after the actions of the Fed and the Treasury, Mr. Bernanke said, “global financial markets remain under extraordinary stress. Action by the Congress is required to stabilize the situation and avert what otherwise could be very serious consequences for our financial markets and our economy.” Mr. Bernanke’s testimony was exceptionally brief, considering the enormous stakes involved in Congressional action a mere nine paragraphs, much of it devoted to a recapitulation of the growing crisis and how it took shape. It seemed to reflect the way Mr. Paulson and the administration have presented the bailout legislation, in bare-bones fashion, but with a clear tone of urgency. But the chairman of the committee, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, said in his prepared remarks that Mr. Paulson’s proposal was “stunning and unprecedented in its scope and lack of detail.” He criticized the plan for doing nothing to prevent Wall Street executives from unloading troubled loans and “walking away with a bonus and a golden parachute.” Saying that the plan would allow Mr. Paulson to act with “absolute impunity,” Senator Dodd said, “After reading this proposal, I can only conclude that it is not our economy that is at risk, Mr. Secretary, but our Constitution, as well.” Despite the minimalism of the two officials’ prepared messages, both were certain to be pressed for greater detail by lawmakers concerned about the huge amounts involved and what many consider the inadequate oversight being provided. Mr. Bush, who released a written statement on Monday before departing for New York to attend the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, said that world leaders had questioned him about the turmoil and the administration’s response, “wondering whether or not the United States has the right plan to deal with this economic crisis.” “And I’ve assured them that the plan laid out by Secretary Paulson is a robust plan to deal with a serious problem,” he went on. “And now they’re wondering about our Congress, and I’ve assured them as well, having spoken to the leaders of Congress from both political parties, there is the desire to get something done quickly.” The White House has begun intensive lobbying to persuade nervous lawmakers to support the plan. Vice President Dick Cheney, the White House chief of staff Joshua B. Bolten and Keith Hennessy, the chairman of Mr. Bush’s National Economics Council, were all headed to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Tony Fratto, Mr. Bush’s deputy secretary, told reporters there is a “great sense of urgency” to get the legislation passed this week.