Final FISA Amendment Fails

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The Senate defeated the final — and least-divisive — of three amendments to the new federal wiretapping bill it’s considering today.

It was closer than the other two votes today — this one shot down 56-42. Rules required 60 votes to approve the amendment.

The third and final amendment called for Congress to wait until after reviewing a pending inspector general’s report about the White House’s surveillance program before determining whether to grant immunity to telecom companies. It was sponsored by Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).

The defeat of those amendments all but guarantees that the broader FISA law will pass when the Senate takes it up, probably later this afternoon.

The senators broke for lunch.

Latest Muckraker
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: