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WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate on Tuesday narrowly defeated a bill designed to overhaul the National Security Agency by halting the collection of phone records of Americans who are not suspected of a crime.

The bill was two votes shy of getting the 60 it needed to pass the USA Freedom Act.

Minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., supported the defeat of the bill.

"This is the worst possible time to be tying our hands behind our backs," he said prior to the Tuesday vote.

Under the potential legislation, the NSA would not have been able to collect phone records of Americans not suspected of a crime. Instead, phone companies would hold on to the records only as long as they currently do under the normal course of business.

The USA Freedom Act isn't likely to pass the next time Congress convenes now that Republicans have control of both houses. It is likely to come up for debate though, as part of discussions about parts of the Patriot Act anti-terrorism law, which are set to expire in June.

The NSA came under fire in 2013 after former CIA worker Edward Snowden leaked classified information about the agency's widespread practice of collecting phone records.

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NSA reform bill dies in the Senate