The US Congress, taking the lead from President George W. Bush, is likely to back the establishment of a permanent cabinet-level "homeland security agency" to co-ordinate US efforts to prevent terrorist attacks.

The creation of such an agency, which would have broad powers to oversee domestic anti-terrorism measures, would mark one of the most significant restructurings of US defence priorities since the early days of the cold war.

In the wake of the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, the administration and Congress have focused intensively on how to muster intelligence, law enforcement, border patrol and disaster relief measures to prevent and, if necessary, respond to future attacks.

While US defence planning has concentrated on fighting wars far from US territory, the new agency would be charged with defeating the terrorist threat at or inside US borders.

Senator Joseph Lieberman, the former Democratic vice-presidential candidate, said the US must recognise that defending its own territory against attack has become the highest priority in the country.

"For the future, as far as we can see, we're going to have to be prepared to protect the American people as they live and work in the 50 states," he said.

Senator Bob Graham, who heads the Senate intelligence committee, introduced legislation on Friday that would create a permanent agency to carry out that task.

The congressional moves come following Mr Bush's announcement in his speech to Congress last Thursday that he would immediately create a cabinet-level homeland security agency to be headed by his close political ally, Tom Ridge, the Pennsylvania governor.

Mr Ridge, who had been among the top contenders as Mr Bush's running mate in the 2000 election, will be given broad but as yet unspecified powers to lead US efforts to prevent further attacks.

The administration has not lobbied Congress for the statutory authority to create a permanent new agency. Instead, the White House appears to be modelling the agency after the National Security Council, the cabinet-level White House group created by President Harry Truman in 1947 to lead the cold war struggle against the Soviet Union. The NSC, which has its own director and a modest but powerful White House staff, is charged with co-ordinating important US diplomatic, military and intelligence policies.

Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said Mr Ridge's agency would not replace any existing agency but would be responsible for co-ordinating efforts to "combat domestic terrorism [and] strengthen our homeland preparedness and security at all levels of government".

While Mr Ridge will not have direct authority over intelligence-gathering or over law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he will have the ability to shape their actions in fighting terrorism.

But some in Congress envision an even wider mandate. Mr Lieberman said he favoured placing all border patrol agencies, including the customs service, the coast guard and border police, under the authority of the new agency. In addition, the federal emergency management agency, which usually responds to natural disasters rather than wartime emergencies, could be brought under the same umbrella.

* Congressional Democratic leaders said on Sunday the federal government should temporarily take over all airport security as a way of restoring public confidence.

Passenger air travel is down sharply since the terrorist attacks. Criticisms over lax airport security have focused on security screening, currently carried out by low-wage contract workers.