Senior US Democrats have urged President Bush to help end the "historic crisis" over Paul Wolfowitz's leadership of the World Bank.
In a late night statement, the 24-nation bank board said it had agreed to delay until Friday the deadline for Mr Wolfowitz to respond to a bank panel report. That report found he broke rules in a pay and promotion deal in 2005 for his companion, Shaha Riza, a bank Middle East expert.
The board had planned to meet on Friday to decide on Wolfowitz's future, but it said it would now make a decision on Tuesday, May 15, when Mr Wolfowitz could explain himself in person if he wished to.
The board is divided over its support for Mr Wolfowitz - European countries are pushing for him to step down, while the United States is shoring up support for the former US deputy defence secretary among allies like Canada and a few Asian and African countries.
In a letter to Mr Bush last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic senators Patty Murray, Richard Durbin and Charles Schumer warned that the crisis was damaging the institution and undermining US interests, especially its traditional role in choosing the bank's president.
"We urge you to take decisive action quickly to bring this crisis to a close," they told Mr Bush. The Democratic senators said the bank's board may be compelled to vote on Mr Wolfowitz's fate, an unprecedented step.
There are no rules for the dismissal of a World Bank chief because it has never happened in the bank's 62-year history. It could either be put to a vote or decided by consensus.
The senators questioned the manner in which the crisis had been handled and in part blamed Mr Wolfowitz, who has always been controversial because of his leading role in the Iraq war.
"The current situation is complex and unfortunately may be fuelled in part by views toward Mr Wolfowitz unrelated to his tenure at the bank," the senators said.