OTI STATEMENT: Senate Votes to Block Consideration of USA FREEDOM Act, But the Fight for Surveillance Reform Continues

WASHINGTON, DC – Tonight, the Senate failed to agree upon a motion to proceed with consideration of the USA FREEDOM Act (S. 2685). The failure of the motion, which required sixty votes and failed by a vote of 58 yeas to 42 nays, effectively prevents the surveillance reform bill from reaching the Senate floor durin¬g this Congressional session unless it is introduced as an amendment to another bill. The following statement can be attributed to Kevin Bankston, Policy Director of New America’s Open Technology Institute:

“It is shameful that the Senate has voted to block consideration of the USA FREEDOM Act’s sensible reforms, after those reforms have been debated, negotiated, and renegotiated for over a year and have the support of the White House and the Intelligence Community, leaders on both sides of aisle in both chambers, and the entire Internet industry allied with dozens of privacy and advocacy groups from across the political spectrum. Rather than take this opportunity to move forward on meaningful reforms that would rein in the NSA, the Senate has instead demonstrated its inability to do the people’s work while leaving the surveillance issue unresolved as the Republican Party is about to take over both houses of Congress in 2015.

“Senate Republicans are sharply divided on USA FREEDOM, ranging from those who believe its reforms are too weak, to those who believe its reforms go too far, to those who think the bill strikes a reasonable compromise. Rather than bridging those differences and coming together to pass this broadly supported reform bill, Senate Republicans have instead set up the GOP for an ugly intra-party fight over surveillance reform next year when parts of the USA PATRIOT Act are set to expire. However, there’s still a chance to avoid that fight, by passing USA FREEDOM in this Congress as an amendment to another piece of must-pass legislation, or first thing in the next Congress. So we look forward to working with our bipartisan allies both on and off of Capitol Hill to make that happen.

“Some have claimed that USA FREEDOM’s sensible reforms will make us less safe, but the Director of National Intelligence himself has called the bill a reasonable compromise that won’t weaken the government’s ability to protect us. Others are opposing USA FREEDOM by arguing its reforms don’t go far enough, but have completely failed to offer any plausible strategy for getting a stronger bill passed in the next session. USA FREEDOM is our last, best hope at meaningful surveillance reform in the foreseeable future, and there are no more excuses left—Congress, it’s time to get this thing done.”

Expert Contact

Kevin Bankston
Policy Director, Open Technology Institute, New America
(202) 596-3415
bankston@opentechinstitute.org

Media Contact

Jenny Mallamo
Media Relations, New America
(202) 596-3368
mallamo@newamerica.org