Republicans Block Overhaul of NSA Surveillance Reform

Republicans Block Overhaul of NSA Surveillance Reform

Reuters:

The “USA Freedom Act” was supported by an unusual coalition of Democrats and conservative Republicans concerned about Americans’ privacy, but failed 58 to 42, falling short of the 60 votes needed to move ahead.

The measure is unlikely to become law anytime soon, as Republicans will hold a majority of seats in the Senate after Jan. 1.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the future Senate Majority Leader, came out strongly against the bill in a Senate speech on Tuesday morning, concerns matched by several hawkish Republicans including former government officials.

“If our aim is to degrade and destroy ISIL, as the president has said, then that’s going to require smart policies and firm determination. At a minimum, we shouldn’t be doing anything to make the situation worse,” McConnell said.

First of all, that’s a terrible name for a bill.

Second, it would seem like a surprising move for Republicans to kill such a bill, but clearly they’ll kill anything in the name of “terrorism”.