The White House and key senators have reached a tentative agreement on the stimulus package, US media reported on Friday.

Officials were quoted by major TV networks as saying that the tentative agreement was for a bill with a US$780 billion price tag, lower than the original roughly US$935 billion stimulus plan.

Many Republican senators have said they want the total package' s cost down to about US$800 billion.

Democrats, who have 58 of the 100 seats in the Senate, will need at least two Republican votes to avoid procedural roadblocks which could stymie the measure.

The House passed a US$819 billion version of the stimulus plan last week, but no Republican voted in favor of it.