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Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said Monday he is considering offering amendments to a border security bill pending on the Senate floor, including one concerning the structure of the office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge.

However, Byrd also indicated in floor comments that he may soon allow the bill to pass, even though it is "not the final answer to what ails our border defenses."

Meanwhile, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Jeffords, I-Vt., asked Ridge Monday to testify before the committee early next month on homeland security legislation. In a letter to Ridge, Jeffords said he hoped Ridge would testify at a May 7 hearing.

The move could allow the White House to sidestep a growing dispute with Byrd and other lawmakers, who have grown frustrated with Ridge's refusal to testify on Capitol Hill.

The legislation, the First Responder Initiative, would devote $3.5 billion to assist local police and firefighters in responding to future terrorist attacks.

In his letter to Ridge, Jeffords said the committee plans to mark up legislation that would "effectively prepare this nation to respond to acts of terrorism. [A]s the president's point person on these issues, this process must involve you."

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