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Patriot Act reform: Senate debates NSA surveillance – live updates Patriot Act reform: Senate debates NSA surveillance – live updates
(39 minutes later)
The Senate public gallery is getting filled up as people come in to watch the show, including a number of Rand Paul fans, while two of Paul’s most stalwart allies in the House are watching from the floor.
In the Senate at the start of the #PatriotAct debate: Rep. Tom Massie, Rep. Justin Amash, 6 young guys wearing STAND WITH RAND shirts.
Rand Paul’s presidential campaign is still ferociously fundraising over the NSA debate in the Senate.
His campaign sent out a fundraising email with the subject line “I’m forcing the Patriot Act to expire”
Interestingly, the email is targeted at Obama, not Mitch McConnell.
Paul’s campaign writes:
“The showdown over illegal NSA spying is today.
President Obama has declared “…I expect them to take action and take action swiftly.”
But Rand is standing up to President Obama’s demands by forcing illegal NSA spying to expire.
He won’t allow Congress to rush a bill through the Senate that extends the NSA’s bulk data collection program.
And the attacks are sure to escalate now that Rand stood up to President Obama.
So he’s counting on you to be in his corner as this fight continues.
Please take a few moments to read the email below for more details about Rand’s showdown with President Obama and add your name to Stand with Rand.”
Obama supports the compromise USA Freedom Act which fell three votes short of the necessary supermajority last week while Mitch McConnell has been opposed.
Harry Reid is now on the floor slamming Mitch McConnell for “not having a plan” and creating this crisis via a strategy of brinksmanship.
Reid says “I’m a little bit flummoxed” by McConnell’s plans or lack thereof. While he is insisting that extension of some of the Patriot Act’s powers are “vitally important,” he’s not taking any shots at Rand Paul. Reid says “I disagree with the junior senator from Kentucky but we’re not in the mess we’re in today because of the junior senator from Kentucky, we’re in the mess that we’re in today because of the Majority Leader.”
And the Senate is now in session with Mitch McConnell delivering a tribute to Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, who passed away last night.
So far, there are only a handful of senators on the floor. McConnell and Dan Coats of Indiana representing the GOP and Minority Leader Harry Reid and Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee representing their party.
Speaker John Boehner issued a statement this afternoon urging the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act.
Boehner said ““Al Qaeda, ISIL and other terrorists around the globe continue to plot attacks on America and our allies. Anyone who is satisfied with letting this critical intelligence capability go dark isn’t taking the terrorist threat seriously. I’d urge the Senate to pass the bipartisan USA Freedom Act, and do so expeditiously.”
The Speaker of the House has played his own understated role in this debate. By refusing to call his chamber back into session before Monday, he’s made things much more difficult for Senate Republicans by greatly limiting their options as any compromise besides USA Freedom would require a vote in the House.
Will the surveillance state turn into a pumpkin at midnight?Will the surveillance state turn into a pumpkin at midnight?
Controversial provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire tonight if the Senate doesn’t reach a compromise on government surveillance in a rare Sunday session. We are inside Congress with all the latest updates on the fate of the first major reform package since the Edward Snowden revelations – and what another marathon legislative session could mean for the future of intelligence.Controversial provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire tonight if the Senate doesn’t reach a compromise on government surveillance in a rare Sunday session. We are inside Congress with all the latest updates on the fate of the first major reform package since the Edward Snowden revelations – and what another marathon legislative session could mean for the future of intelligence.
The USA Freedom Act, a bipartisan compromise that would ban the bulk collection exposed by Snowden and is overwhelmingly backed in the House of Representatives, fell three votes short of advancing in another marathon nine days ago. A two-month extension of government surveillance proposed by supporters of the status quo also fell short of the 60-vote supermajority needed to start debate on a bill in the Senate.The USA Freedom Act, a bipartisan compromise that would ban the bulk collection exposed by Snowden and is overwhelmingly backed in the House of Representatives, fell three votes short of advancing in another marathon nine days ago. A two-month extension of government surveillance proposed by supporters of the status quo also fell short of the 60-vote supermajority needed to start debate on a bill in the Senate.
That night ended when Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, a stalwart opponent of government surveillance and what he perceives to be the weak compromise language of the USA Freedom Act, successfully blocked even a short-term extension of the Patriot Act by just one day.That night ended when Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, a stalwart opponent of government surveillance and what he perceives to be the weak compromise language of the USA Freedom Act, successfully blocked even a short-term extension of the Patriot Act by just one day.
Tonight, Paul plans to get to take the spotlight again. The presidential candidate has since pledged to do all he can to delay any legislation that doesn’t meet his goals. “I will force the expiration of the NSA illegal spy program,” he has promised. Under Senate rules, the result is that – barring a deal – no vote would occur until Tuesday morning at 2am.Tonight, Paul plans to get to take the spotlight again. The presidential candidate has since pledged to do all he can to delay any legislation that doesn’t meet his goals. “I will force the expiration of the NSA illegal spy program,” he has promised. Under Senate rules, the result is that – barring a deal – no vote would occur until Tuesday morning at 2am.
The question now is whether that deal can be reached. While Senate Republicans have long been wary of the USA Freedom Act, its approval by the House means that it is the only vehicle to avoid a total shutdown of these government surveillance powers. Any other legislation approved by the Senate would require a vote by the House, which is not scheduled to convene until Monday afternoon, after the controversial provisions of the Patriot Act expire.The question now is whether that deal can be reached. While Senate Republicans have long been wary of the USA Freedom Act, its approval by the House means that it is the only vehicle to avoid a total shutdown of these government surveillance powers. Any other legislation approved by the Senate would require a vote by the House, which is not scheduled to convene until Monday afternoon, after the controversial provisions of the Patriot Act expire.
It’s looking to be a long night in Washington, but opponents of any extension or compromise have one big advantage: If nothing happens, these provisions expire – and nothing comes more naturally to Congress than doing nothing.It’s looking to be a long night in Washington, but opponents of any extension or compromise have one big advantage: If nothing happens, these provisions expire – and nothing comes more naturally to Congress than doing nothing.