Cornyn was keen on the importance of the FISA spying program, saying, FBI Director Chris Wray said allowing 702 to expire would be, quote, an act of unilateral disarmament in the face of the Chinese Communist Party, close quote. So the stakes are extremely high.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) also stressed the urgency of reauthorizing of Section 702, claiming that sixty percent of the presidents daily brief comes from material collected through the surveillance program.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) objected to a warrant requirement for Americans communications on the basis that many terrorists like the 2015 San Bernardino shooters or the Boston Marathon bombers are American.
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced an amendment that would have struck language in the House bill that expanded the definition of electronic communications service provider.
The expansion, Wyden has claimed, would force ordinary Americans and small businesses to conduct secret, warrantless spying. The Wyden-Hawley amendment failed 34-58.
Both Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced separate amendments imposing warrant requirements on surveilling Americans. A similar amendment failed in the House on a 212-212 vote. Durbins narrower warrant requirement wouldnt require intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant to query for those communications, though it requires one to access them.
Mike Lee introduced an amendment would expand the role amicus curiae briefs play in FISA court proceedings. Lees amendment failed 40-53.
Mr. President, in the nick of time, bipartisanship has prevailed here in the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, as the final amendment was defeated. We are reauthorizing FISA, right before it expires at midnight twenty minutes before midnight.
Aren't democrats supposed to be fighting against this sort of thing? I was told they would stand up for us.I don't remember if any of the linked articles mentioned it, but apparently Biden has been pushing for the re-authorization, and the bill was bipartisan. So no, both parties broadly agree on our lack of rights, though there was serious opposition from both sides.
Shameful.The only bipartisanship is screwing over the citizens.