The U.S. Senate approved a bill Friday to temporarily expand President George W. Bush's program which spies on foreign terrorism suspects without court warrants.
The measure, passed by the Senate on a 60-28 vote, updates the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and acts as a compromise between Senate Democrats and the Bush administration.
Current FISA requires a court review of Bush's spying program targeting foreign terrorism suspects before it could proceed.
After Bush promised to veto a Democratic alternative that would have required a court review for the spying program, Senate Democrats backed off their initial demand and agreed to allow the program to proceed without court warrants.
However, the bill limits that authority to only six months so that the Congress can have enough time to work out a more comprehensive plan.
The House is likely to take up the Senate bill on Saturday, the last working day before the congressional summer recess.
Source: Xinhua
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