WASHINGTON – Democrats and Republicans called separately yesterday for congressional investigations into President Bush’s decision after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to allow domestic eavesdropping without court approval.

“The president has, I think, made up a law that we never passed,” said Senator Feingold, a Democrat of Wisconsin.

Senator Specter, a Republican of Pennsylvania and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he intends to hold hearings.

“They talk about constitutional authority,” Mr. Specter said. “There are limits as to what the president can do.”

Senate Democratic Leader Reid of Nevada also called for an investigation, and House Democratic leaders asked Speaker Hastert to create a bipartisan panel to do the same.

Mr. Bush said Saturday that since October 2001 he has authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on international phone calls and e-mails of people within America without seeking warrants from courts.

The New York Times disclosed the existence of the program last week. Mr. Bush and other administration officials initially refused to discuss the surveillance or their legal authority, citing security concerns.

Administration officials said congressional leaders had been briefed regularly on the program. Senator McCain, a Republican of Arizona, said there were no objections raised by lawmakers who were told about it.

“That’s a legitimate part of the equation,” Mr. McCain said on ABC’s “This Week.” But he said Mr. Bush still needs to explain why he chose to ignore the law that requires approval of a special court for domestic wiretaps.

Mr. Reid acknowledged he had been briefed on the four-year-old domestic spy program “a couple months ago” but insisted the administration bears full responsibility. Mr. Reid became Democratic leader in January.

“The president can’t pass the buck on this one. This is his program,” Mr. Reid said on “Fox News Sunday.” “He’s commander in chief. But commander in chief does not trump the Bill of Rights.”

House Minority Leader Pelosi, a Democrat of California, said in a statement Saturday that she had been told on several occasions about unspecified activities by the NSA. Ms. Pelosi said she expressed strong concerns at the time.

Secretary of State Rice said on “Fox News Sunday” that Mr. Bush “has gone to great lengths to make certain that he is both living under his obligations to protect Americans from another attack but also to protect their civil liberties.”

Several lawmakers weren’t so sure. They pointed to a 1978 federal law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which provides for domestic surveillance under extreme situations, but only with court approval.

Mr. Specter said he wants Mr. Bush’s advisers to cite their specific legal authority for bypassing the courts. Mr. Bush said the attorney general and White House counsel’s office had affirmed the legality of his actions.

Appearing with Mr. Specter on CNN’s “Late Edition,” Mr. Feingold said Mr. Bush is accountable for the program regardless of whether congressional leaders were notified.

“It doesn’t matter if you tell everybody in the whole country if it’s against the law,” said Mr. Feingold, a member of the Judiciary Committee.