Representative Justin Amash, a Michigan Republican and USA Freedom Act supporter, is warning that he may attach an amendment to defund domestic bulk collection to critical legislation, to include the annual defense authorization bill, known as the NDAA. An earlier version of that amendment, last summer, came surprisingly close to passing, giving the Obama administration a near-death experience on surveillance. NSA supporters are also rumored to be considering adding their own amendments to the NDAA in order to check privacy advocates. The House leadership wants the NDAA to go for a floor vote the week of May 19. But both civil libertarians and NSA defenders are concerned that amending unrelated bills could introduce rancor and volatility to an already arduous process of surveillance reform. “If leadership on both sides decide that they want to push through pseudo-reforms through the NDAA or through another piece of legislation, than we’re certainly prepared to offer an amendment like we offered before to any piece of legislation that requires it,” Amash told the Guardian. “We have to keep all options on the table, and my goal is to protect the American people and do it as soon as possible. We can’t keep waiting. At the same time, I’m willing to sit down and talk with leadership and others, and if I feel that they are moving in the right direction, then certainly, we’re happy to work with them on more comprehensive legislation, like the USA Freedom Act.”
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 16:11:00 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015