Post by Mech on Nov 20, 2005 4:08:27 GMT -5
Group foils renewal of Patriot Act
GOP, Democratic lawmakers object.
Chicago Tribune
Published Saturday, November 19, 2005
WASHINGTON - A near-agreement to extend the controversial Patriot Act was blocked yesterday by an odd-bedfellows coalition of liberals and conservatives who protested that it did too little to protect Americans’ civil liberties.
The Patriot Act, which gives law-enforcement officials significant power to wiretap and search suspects in the United States, was Congress’ main response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But critics have always complained about the powers it gives police to invade the privacy of citizens, including the right to examine library records and search homes without residents knowing it.
As a result of such continuing concerns, an unusual coalition of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and House was sufficiently upset at the latest proposed revisions in the Patriot Act that leaders yesterday agreed to drop the immediate consideration of it, partly to avoid a threatened filibuster in the Senate over the weekend.
Congressional leaders still plan to finalize reauthorization of the Patriot Act by year’s end, but the delay was a disappointment to the White House and at least a temporary victory for civil libertarians on the right and left.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., one of the leaders of the insurrection against the immediate renewal of the Patriot Act and the lone vote against the original legislation, said, "I remain committed to doing everything I can to stop any bill that does not contain adequate protections for our rights and freedoms."
With such staunch opposition in the Senate, the bill is likely to be changed in some small way to break the logjam and beat the law’s year-end expiration date. Most likely, a change will be made to the length of time the revised law would be in effect, but less clear is whether the measure will be modified to address other concerns.
The failure to adopt the Patriot Act conference report in the House and the Senate comes on the heels of other recent legislative disappointments for the Bush administration, such as the inability of Congress to agree this week on the annual spending bill for education, labor and health programs. And it adds to the sense that Republicans who control Congress and the White House are struggling to govern.
Lawmakers said they had raised specific concerns about the Patriot Act with administration officials more than a year ago but that those concerns had gone unheeded in the last-minute push to renew the law.
"I don’t think that a number of key advisers have served the president well, because this is important," said Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., a member of the coalition that upended the bill yesterday. "We can protect civil liberties and still fight the war on terrorism."
The main sticking point to emerge between the House and Senate is what’s known as the sunset provision, which places an expiration date on the law. Senators insisted that the law should expire in four years, but the House had sought a 10-year expiration. A draft agreement put the sunset provision at seven years.
But House members and senators worried about the erosion of civil liberties insisted upon the four-year timetable.
"On issues as important as the civil liberties of fellow American citizens, you review it and review it on a constant basis, no matter who is in the White House or who is in the Justice Department," said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. "It is fundamental to the strength and the character of our country."
GOP, Democratic lawmakers object.
Chicago Tribune
Published Saturday, November 19, 2005
WASHINGTON - A near-agreement to extend the controversial Patriot Act was blocked yesterday by an odd-bedfellows coalition of liberals and conservatives who protested that it did too little to protect Americans’ civil liberties.
The Patriot Act, which gives law-enforcement officials significant power to wiretap and search suspects in the United States, was Congress’ main response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But critics have always complained about the powers it gives police to invade the privacy of citizens, including the right to examine library records and search homes without residents knowing it.
As a result of such continuing concerns, an unusual coalition of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and House was sufficiently upset at the latest proposed revisions in the Patriot Act that leaders yesterday agreed to drop the immediate consideration of it, partly to avoid a threatened filibuster in the Senate over the weekend.
Congressional leaders still plan to finalize reauthorization of the Patriot Act by year’s end, but the delay was a disappointment to the White House and at least a temporary victory for civil libertarians on the right and left.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., one of the leaders of the insurrection against the immediate renewal of the Patriot Act and the lone vote against the original legislation, said, "I remain committed to doing everything I can to stop any bill that does not contain adequate protections for our rights and freedoms."
With such staunch opposition in the Senate, the bill is likely to be changed in some small way to break the logjam and beat the law’s year-end expiration date. Most likely, a change will be made to the length of time the revised law would be in effect, but less clear is whether the measure will be modified to address other concerns.
The failure to adopt the Patriot Act conference report in the House and the Senate comes on the heels of other recent legislative disappointments for the Bush administration, such as the inability of Congress to agree this week on the annual spending bill for education, labor and health programs. And it adds to the sense that Republicans who control Congress and the White House are struggling to govern.
Lawmakers said they had raised specific concerns about the Patriot Act with administration officials more than a year ago but that those concerns had gone unheeded in the last-minute push to renew the law.
"I don’t think that a number of key advisers have served the president well, because this is important," said Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., a member of the coalition that upended the bill yesterday. "We can protect civil liberties and still fight the war on terrorism."
The main sticking point to emerge between the House and Senate is what’s known as the sunset provision, which places an expiration date on the law. Senators insisted that the law should expire in four years, but the House had sought a 10-year expiration. A draft agreement put the sunset provision at seven years.
But House members and senators worried about the erosion of civil liberties insisted upon the four-year timetable.
"On issues as important as the civil liberties of fellow American citizens, you review it and review it on a constant basis, no matter who is in the White House or who is in the Justice Department," said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. "It is fundamental to the strength and the character of our country."