US leaves Patriot Act unchanged

1.00pm - By ANNA WILLARD

WASHINGTON - The Republican-led US House of Representatives, under pressure from the White House and its own leadership, narrowly refused on Thursday to weaken the Patriot Act, a centrepiece of the administration's war on terror.

On a tie vote of 210-210, the chamber rejected a proposal that carried a White House veto threat and would have limited federal monitoring of library records and bookshop orders. A majority vote was needed to pass the measure.

It initially appeared the measure would prevail, but House Republican leaders mustered the votes to defeat it after giving themselves more time to line up support for their position.

"I resent bitterly on behalf of the American people that the Republican leadership rigged the game," said Rep. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent and chief sponsor of the measure. "That's wrong."

The Patriot Act was approved overwhelmingly by Congress after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Opponents say it has given federal agents too much power, including the ability to examine what Americans read at the library and order from bookstores.

The White House said on Wednesday the proposed changes would weaken the law and that President George W Bush would veto the US$40 billion ($61.69 billion) bill that funds the Departments of State, Justice and Commerce if the measure was attached.

Bush's efforts to fight terrorism are one of the key themes of his re-election campaign.

Opponents of Sanders' proposal argued the measure would have given terrorists a helping hand.

"The Patriot Act is not designed to be a draconian assault on our rights," said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Porter Goss, a Florida Republican. "It is an effective communication tool between law enforcement and intelligence agencies."

Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer said the vote was held open for 38 minutes, instead of the normal 15-minute period in which he said the measure had enough support to be approved.

"House leaders were unable to persuade enough of their colleagues to oppose the amendment on the merits and instead needed to resort to violating their own rules," said Laura Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington Legislative Office.

The overall spending bill easily won House support in a 397-18 vote. The bill includes a measure approved on Wednesday to overturn new Bush administration rules banning items, including clothing, seeds and soap, from being sent in parcels to Cuba.

- REUTERS