Obama signs USA Freedom Act to officially rein in NSA surveillance powers

President Barack Obama has signed legislation reviving and reshaping surveillance laws that expired temporarily on Sunday night.

The White House says Obama signed the USA Freedom Act late on Tuesday evening, hours after the Senate gave its final approval. 

Obama says in a statement that he's gratified Congress finally approved the bill.

He says his administration will move quickly to restore the lapsed surveillance tools.

The law eliminates the National Security Agency's (NSA) bulk phone-records collection program and replaces it with a more restrictive measure to keep the records in phone companies' hands.

Obama had blamed Congress for needless delays and an 'inexcusable lapse' in national security tools. 

However, he also praised some senators and House members for working in bipartisan fashion to come up with a compromise.