Via The Washington Post:
The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government’s terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily give U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order.
The 60 to 28 vote, which was quickly denounced by civil rights and privacy advocates, came after Democrats in the House failed to win support for more modest changes that would have required closer court supervision of government surveillance. Earlier in the day, President Bush threatened to hold Congress in session into its scheduled summer recess if it did not approve the changes he wanted.
The legislation, which is expected to go before the House today, would expand the government’s authority to intercept without a court order the phone calls and e-mails of people in the United States who are communicating with people overseas. Read more…
Democratic leaders expressed disappointment about the result, but they pointed to language that would require lawmakers to reconsider the key provisions in six months.
"My Republican colleagues chose to rubber-stamp a flawed administration proposal that fails to provide the accountability needed in the light of the administration's past mismanagement of key tools in the war on terror," said Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).
CONGRESS' RECORD THIS YEAR:
Laws passed, actions accomplished:
Federal minimum-wage increase, to $7.25 an hour.
New ethics restrictions on lawmaker-lobbyist relations and pet project spending.
Challenging oversight of Iraq war and on several domestic issues.
9-11 commission recommendations.
Pay-as-you-go budget rules.
A $2.9 trillion federal budget.
Emergency troop funding.
Hurricane Katrina relief money.
Reporting requirements for benchmarks of progress in Iraq.
Poised to pass:
Expansion of children's health-insurance coverage, though President Bush threatens a veto.
Six-month patch to allow administration's surveillance of suspected overseas terrorists to continue.
Blocked, vetoed or uncertain:
Withdrawal deadline from Iraq for U.S. troops.
Increased rest time for troops between deployments.
Immigration overhaul.
Lifting restrictions on federal money for embryonic stem-cell research.
Reduced college-loan rates.
Alternative energy initiative.
Global-warming bill.
Requiring Medicare to negotiate cheaper prescription drugs.
Broader powers for labor unions to organize.
McClatchy Newspapers 2007
The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government’s terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily give U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order.
The 60 to 28 vote, which was quickly denounced by civil rights and privacy advocates, came after Democrats in the House failed to win support for more modest changes that would have required closer court supervision of government surveillance. Earlier in the day, President Bush threatened to hold Congress in session into its scheduled summer recess if it did not approve the changes he wanted.
The legislation, which is expected to go before the House today, would expand the government’s authority to intercept without a court order the phone calls and e-mails of people in the United States who are communicating with people overseas. Read more…
Democratic leaders expressed disappointment about the result, but they pointed to language that would require lawmakers to reconsider the key provisions in six months.
"My Republican colleagues chose to rubber-stamp a flawed administration proposal that fails to provide the accountability needed in the light of the administration's past mismanagement of key tools in the war on terror," said Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).
CONGRESS' RECORD THIS YEAR:
Laws passed, actions accomplished:
Federal minimum-wage increase, to $7.25 an hour.
New ethics restrictions on lawmaker-lobbyist relations and pet project spending.
Challenging oversight of Iraq war and on several domestic issues.
9-11 commission recommendations.
Pay-as-you-go budget rules.
A $2.9 trillion federal budget.
Emergency troop funding.
Hurricane Katrina relief money.
Reporting requirements for benchmarks of progress in Iraq.
Poised to pass:
Expansion of children's health-insurance coverage, though President Bush threatens a veto.
Six-month patch to allow administration's surveillance of suspected overseas terrorists to continue.
Blocked, vetoed or uncertain:
Withdrawal deadline from Iraq for U.S. troops.
Increased rest time for troops between deployments.
Immigration overhaul.
Lifting restrictions on federal money for embryonic stem-cell research.
Reduced college-loan rates.
Alternative energy initiative.
Global-warming bill.
Requiring Medicare to negotiate cheaper prescription drugs.
Broader powers for labor unions to organize.
McClatchy Newspapers 2007
1 comment:
It's sad the American people don't read just wait for someone to tell they what a bill says. This bill have been hanging around for over two years. The only problem with it is Gonzales. Gonzales can't be trusted to do an honest job. That's the only problem with this bill. If we had an honest Attorney General it would be fine. I read other blog sites and people are as dumb as Karl Rove wants them to be. I really think some Americans are so dumb they would buy the Brooklyn Bridge.
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