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The bill now goes to the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representative where the debating on it could begin as early as Saturday
reports say. The House is attempting to take a month-long recess and have to clear their slate before hand.
the Senate defeated a Democrat version of the bill that would have tighter controls on the spying and provided for independent assessments of the attorney general's implementation of the measure.
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid criticized the Senate-passed bill, saying it "authorizes warrantless searches and surveillance of American phone calls, e-mails, homes, offices and personal records for however long (it takes for) an appeal to a court of review."
What does this bill mean to the citizens of the United States?
Nothing unless you are considered a possible threat to the United States. But who says who is and who isn't? The government doesn't have to give reasons for the wiretapping. It has the right for interception without warrants of communications between people in the United States and others overseas if one had suspected ties to terrorists.
In January, Bush put the program under the supervision of the FISA court. Terms of the oversight have not been made public.
