Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush and Senate Republican leaders stepped up pressure on dissenting senators to renew the 2001 USA Patriot Act that expanded the FBI's power to investigate suspected terrorists.

Faced with a bipartisan attempt to block a Senate vote on renewing the law without adding more civil liberties protections, Bush and Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist rejected a proposal to extend the current statute three months behind its Dec. 31 expiration. That would allow more time for negotiations to change the legislation.

Presidential spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters in Washington that Bush wouldn't sign a short-term extension sought by senators who trying to mount a filibuster to force changes in the legislation. Frist also objected to an attempt by Democratic Leader Harry Reid to bring up the extension.

``I absolutely oppose a short-term extension of the Patriot Act,'' Frist said. ``The House of Representatives opposes such an extension and the president will not sign such an extension.''

The White House and Frist ratcheted up the pressure on Senate Democrats and four Republicans as the Senate prepared to vote on a so-called cloture motion to end a filibuster, the unlimited debate that can kill legislation and requires 60 votes to overcome. Republicans control the Senate by a 55-45 margin and need the votes of nine Democrats to end debate.

``The vote on cloture is very, very close,'' Reid told reporters yesterday. ``It's no better than even money.''

Expanded Powers

Some of the expanded anti-terror powers that Congress gave the Federal Bureau of Investigation after the Sept. 11 attacks expire at year's end. By a vote of 251-174 yesterday, the House approved a compromise version of the legislation reached by Republican leaders of both chambers.

``Our goal is to amend the Patriot Act. None of us want it to expire,'' Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy said today in floor debate. ``The debate is not about whether the government should have to protect the American people.'' Rather, he said, the debate is about ensuring ``a government of checks and balances.''

Seven Democrats -- Senators Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Bill Nelson of Florida and Tom Carper of Delaware -- said they were undecided.

The four Republican senators who support a filibuster are John Sununu of New Hampshire, Larry Craig of Idaho, Lisa Murkowski and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.

Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he was leaning toward backing s filibuster, and Senator Olympia Snowe, a Maine Republican, said she was inclined to vote for ending it. ``It's open to question if we'll get a better product'' by postponing passage, Snowe said.

Carper and Snowe said they had received calls from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales asking them to approve the legislation. Leahy predicted that Republicans wouldn't have the votes to shut off debate and pass the legislation in its current form.

Three-Month Extension

The proposal to extend current law by three months would give House and Senate negotiators more time to address concerns the legislation doesn't protect businesses and individuals from unreasonable FBI demands for records.

Opponents of the House-passed measure say it gives the FBI unchallenged authority to request business, library or medical records for counterterrorism investigations. They are also seeking more judicial review of so-called national security letters, which the FBI can issue to request records.

Fourteen provisions in the original 2001 legislation that are due to expire at year's end would become permanent in the proposed renewal of the law.

In Senate debate, Pennsylvania Republican Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said there was no guarantee the House would reconsider the issue if the Senate rejected the leadership's compromise. ``This bill may well expire,'' Specter said. ``That is an alternative that has to be considered by every senator.''

Such a fear has ``no basis,'' Sununu said. ``How would that happen? That would only occur if there were members of Congress who thought Americans would be better off with no bill at all than with a three-month extension.''

Future Attacks

The Patriot Act ``will prevent future acts of terrorism unless we allow it to expire,'' said Arizona Republican Jon Kyl. Those who support a filibuster ``will have to answer for'' future attacks.

Feingold, a leader of the filibuster effort, said Republicans are trying to ``use phony fears'' by suggesting Democrats would suffer politically by blocking the legislation.

``For us to show weakness on civil liberties at this time would be another sign to people the Democratic Party is not standing up for what it believes in,'' he said.

Democratic New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said she opposes the legislation because it doesn't guarantee her state a large enough share of money for anti-terrorism. A formula earmarking the most money for places at most risk of attack -- such as New York City -- was scrapped in the compromise.

To contact the reporters on this story: James Rowley in Washington at jarowley@bloomberg.net; Jeff Bliss in Washington at jbliss@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: December 16, 2005 11:30 EST