US President George W. Bush will renew pressure on Congress to reach agreement on intelligence reforms this year, after a weekend deal collapsed in the face of Republican opposition, the White House said on Sunday. "It remains a high priority for the president. He will continue to talk to congressional leaders about how to get it done as soon as possible," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
"We remain hopeful that Congress will continue to work to get it done," he said in Santiago, Chile, where Bush was attending a leadership summit hosted by the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum.
At stake is a plan to overhaul US spy agencies to address weaknesses identified by the bilateral commission that investigated the September 11, 2001, hijack attacks on America.
McClellan said Bush wants Congress to create a new national intelligence directorship with "full budget authority" over the United States' $40 billion annual intelligence budget.
But a Senate bill granting far-reaching fiscal powers hit a brick wall of opposition from Republicans in the House of Representatives who want budgetary authority retained by the Pentagon.
House and Senate negotiators worked out a compromise after weeks of talks. But the deal fell victim on Saturday to unyielding House Republican opposition despite backing from House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, the White House and members of the September 11 commission.
One opponent of the compromise was House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican who wants reforms to include House immigration and law enforcement provisions that were dropped during negotiations.
Civil liberties groups have raised objections to some of them, saying they denied immigrants due process.
Asked about the immigration provisions, McClellan said: "We want to make sure that we move forward on the intelligence reforms. That's the most important."
Meanwhile, the White House echoed Hastert's assertions that a reform deal could still be worked out in early December.
"Speaker Hastert indicated they are just recessing, not adjourning," McClellan said.
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