Bernanke to brief Senate Republicans next Tuesday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will address the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee next week, a committee official said on Tuesday.

Bernanke will speak to the committee over lunch on Tuesday, committee spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher said. The discussion topic was not disclosed, but results for critical U.S. bank stress tests are due next week.

Chaired by Senator John Ensign, the committee hosts a weekly lunch whenever the Senate is in session and invites speakers from a variety of backgrounds. Previous guests have included President Barack Obama.

Bernanke, who has been criticized by some in Congress for the Fed's role in the country's financial crisis and subsequent severe recession, met with Senate Democrats in a similar policy forum last week.

(Reporting by Alister Bull; Editing by Dan Grebler)