Washington, December 23, 2005 (PTI)

The US Congress has finally given its consent for the extension of the Patriot Act, the controversial anti-terror law that gives sweeping surveillance powers to the administration, but only for five weeks ending February next.

The Senate had first voted to give a six-month extension for the Act but the House of Representatives, after threatening to derail the whole thing, agreed yesterday to only a five-week extension through February 3, 2006.

The White House, which was at one time holding the high moral ground of "all or nothing", reluctantly agreed to the Senate's six months and later scrambled its officials to the House to ensure that this was not thrown off track and eventually settled for five weeks.

James Sensenbrenner, Chair of House Judiciary Committee, was not too pleased that Senate did not agree to the conference report and voted for a six-month extension.

Stressing that time cannot be wasted, the Republicans pushed for a five-week extention so that the Senate had the time to "fully debate and consider the conference report." With Christmas around the corner, Capitol Hill saw only a few law makers in both the House and the Senate who were on hand to clear major bills.

The House also cleared the US$ 453 billions defence spending bill without the contentious provision of allowing oil drilling that was stripped in the Senate.

But the House did not act on the US$ 40 billions budget deficit cutting bill which will not be taken up next year. The Senate passed it but made changes in the conferee report mandating yet another House vote.