U.S. Senate Extends Anti-Terrorism Patriot Act Until March 10
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate voted to extend the USA Patriot Act until March 10, narrowly averting the expiration of the anti-terrorism law and giving lawmakers more time to negotiate revisions.
The 95-1 Senate vote late yesterday follows the approval of the same extension by the House on Feb. 1. The extension needs the approval of President George W. Bush, who in December signed legislation to extend the law until today.
``The president thinks it's important to have the Patriot Act in place, and we should not go a single day without it,'' White House spokesman Trent Duffy said yesterday.
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``I hope this will allow us to make the final improvements necessary,'' said Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. Senator Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, was the only lawmaker to vote against the extension yesterday.
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