GOP Battles to Save Legislation on Patriot Act, Arctic Drilling

But the nation's business lobby, usually a close ally of the administration and GOP leaders, is pressing to kill the House measure because it would require businesses to verify that all of their workers are in the United States legally and would increase penalties for hiring illegal employees.

Adding a new twist, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said he would renew a long-standing bid to allow oil drilling in his home state's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Stevens has informed colleagues that he will add the drilling measure to the 2006 defense bill, produced by the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that he chairs.

Opponents of Arctic drilling include Democrats and some moderate Republicans, but Stevens hopes to win their support by stuffing the defense bill with Iraq war money, hurricane recovery aid, investments in pandemic flu research and subsidies to help low-income people pay their heating bills.

House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-Iowa) said that shifting the Arctic drilling provision to the $453 billion defense spending bill from pending budget cuts could help to break a logjam on that measure. Senate negotiators said yesterday that Stevens would not allow the budget bill to move forward until the Arctic issue is resolved, a decision that could doom for the year around $45 billion in mandatory spending cuts, including to Medicaid, food stamps, the student loan program and agricultural subsidies.

But Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) said Democrats would filibuster the defense spending bill if necessary, to block the drilling provision. "The defense appropriations bill -- the bill to take care of the fighting men and women of the United States -- is being held up because they can't figure out a way to grovel and satisfy the oil companies," Reid said.

Stevens conceded last night he was well short of the 60 votes needed to cut off a filibuster. He and other GOP allies predicted that support ranged from about 52 to 55 votes. "We'll just have to build from there," Stevens said.

Reid said he would urge Democrats to align against Stevens's maneuver as an affront to Senate rules.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) also sharply criticized Stevens's effort as "disgusting." But asked how he would vote on such a bill, McCain said: "That's the dilemma. I'd have to look at the whole bill. I think it's disgraceful that I have to be put in that position."

Staff writer Charles Babington contributed to this report.