Washington  - US president-elect Barack Obama on Friday called for urgent action to stem the country's economic decline, lending his backing to a 825-billion-dollar stimulus package introduced by lawmakers a day earlier.

But Obama warned that even with a massive injection of public cash into the world's largest economy "things could get worse before they get better."

"I want everybody to be realistic about this," Obama said in a speech at a factory in Ohio.

Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives on Thursday unveiled the details of the 825-billion-dollar stimulus, which includes 550 billion dollars in public spending and 225 billion dollars in tax relief.

Obama, who takes office on Tuesday, said the year-long recession in the US was "unlike any we've seen in our lifetime." It had "never been more urgent" to act to halt the economic slide. (dpa)