Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke called for a temporary fiscal stimulus that would help support economic growth in testimony to the House Budget Committee today, Bloomberg reported.

“Fiscal action could be helpful in principle, as fiscal and monetary stimulus together may provide broader support for the economy than monetary policy actions alone,” he said.

His remarks reinforce the idea that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates by at least a half point this month, after having already reduced the benchmark rate by 1 percentage point since September. It could also encourage the Bush administration and Congress to take action more quickly, analysts said.

In the past, Bernanke has usually avoided recommending any particular tax measure, unlike his predecessor, Alan Greenspan, who got involved in shaping tax policy, recommending tax cuts over spending increases in 2001. Bernanke endorsed a temporary measure, if enacted quickly and “structured so that its effects on aggregate spending are felt as much as possible in the next 12 months,” he said. He did not present any specific plan.

Bernanke also reiterated that the outlook for economic growth in 2008 has “worsened” and “the downside risks to growth have become more pronounced.” Though the Fed is not predicting a recession this year, Bernanke noted that banks’ efforts to tighten lending may restrain economic growth.