The White House said on Monday a deal was near with key Republicans after a months-long political wrangle over legislation to overhaul the nation's intelligence agencies. President George W. Bush told reporters that efforts were under way to address the concerns of key Republicans, and White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "We're close to getting this done."
The legislation would create a national intelligence director, overhaul the nation's 15 spy agencies and strengthen the ability to arrest those who aid and train terrorists.
Last month, Congress was on the verge of passing the reforms, in part recommended by a commission that investigated the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, but objections by key House Republicans stalled that effort.
Officials involved in the final negotiations said the White House was pushing for last-minute changes to the legislation to address concerns raised by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter about ensuring that the military chain of command is preserved.
"I certainly hope the bill gets to my desk soon," Bush said at the White House. "I believe we've addressed the concerns of by far the majority of members of both the House and the Senate. As we speak, we're working with the key members to address concerns."
"I call upon on the Congress to pass the intelligence bill. It is a good piece of legislation. It is a necessary piece of legislation. It is a piece of legislation that is important for the security of our country."
Hunter, a California Republican, expressed concerns that the legislation as written could harm the military chain of command and create obstacles to real-time intelligence reaching troops in battle.
On Friday, Senator John Warner, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services, raised similar concerns.
But White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters on Monday: "We're close to getting this done... The discussions we believe are very much moving forward and are very positive."
"It's important to preserve the chain of command," McClellan added.
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