The U.S. Congress could take a series of measures to help the recovery of the nation's housing sector and the broader economic revival, PresidentBarack Obamasaid on Monday.

At an impromptuWhite Housenews conference, Obama said the nation's housing sector started to pick up but was not where it needs to be, while lawmakers should help underwater homeowners to refinance their loans and improve their household financial situations.

"I do think that there's some specific things they could do that would make a big difference," Obama told reporters.

"We're going to be pushing Congress to see if they can pass a refinancing bill that puts 3,000 U.S. dollars into the pockets of the average family who hasn't yet refinanced their mortgage," he added.

He also urged lawmakers to take a balanced approach on government budget deficit cuts so as to raise new revenue and avoid hampering the nascent economic recovery.

"I think that it makes a lot more sense and have put out a detailed plan for a balanced approach that combines tough spending cuts with asking people like me-- millionaires and billionaires -- to do a little bit more," he said.

Obama criticized U.S. Republican Party's presumed presidential nomineeMitt Romney's stance of cutting taxes by another 5 trillion dollars to benefit Americans including the wealthiest.

With less than three months to go before the election day and his economic records under attack, Obama was endeavoring to shift the focus of discussions to economic fairness and portray himself as the defender of the middle class families and supporter of popular spending programs including education and transportation.