The Republican-led US Senate has voted to extend, for just six months, key provisions of the controversial USA Patriot Act which was set to expire at the end of this month.
The temporary extension provides time to try to resolve differences with the opposition Democrats over safeguards for civil liberties.
Initially passed after the 11 September attacks in 2001, the USA Patriot Act expanded the authority of the federal government to intercept phone calls and take other action in the effort to track down suspected terrorists.
The full and official title of the act is 'Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001'.
Democrats and other critics have complained the law gave the government too much power to pry into the private lives of US citizens, and that proposed changes were inadequate.
The battle over the act has been complicated by recent disclosures that, shortly after the 2001 attacks, Mr Bush authorised spying on US citizens without a warrant.
The president brushed aside criticism of his aggressive tactics and accused Senate Democrats of putting the US at risk by blocking renewal of the Patriot Act.
