The White House is trying to assure anxious Americans that the United States is working aggressively to stabilize the nation's financial system despite the continuing plunge in the stock market.

President Bush will make a statement on the economy Friday in the Rose Garden.

White House press secretary Dana Perino says the Treasury Department is moving quickly to use new tools to improve liquidity, which is the root cause of the problem. She said that "Americans should be confident that every effort is being taken to stabilize our markets."

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