WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, for a second straight day, frustrated Democratic lawmakers today by declining to say whether it backs their demands for more civil liberties safeguards in anti-terrorism surveillance and property seizures.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee kept pressing Assistant Attorney General David Kris to go beyond previous administration statements that it supports continuing provisions of the USA Patriot Act that will expire at year's end.

"We don't have an official administration position" on any proposed legislation, Kris said.

Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., had asked whether the administration would back his proposal to continue the expiring sections for four years with revisions and increase audits of the government's actions.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sought a commitment to protect libraries from unreasonable requests for information on people using the facilities.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairman of the Intelligence Committee, asked, "Is there anything (in Leahy's bill) that would impede or affect" a current terrorism investigation in New York and Colorado?"

"The cards are rather stacked" in favor of the government, Leahy said.