WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation extending a government program established to gather information from foreigners overseas has cleared a key Senate hurdle.
The Senate voted 60-38 to limit debate on the six-year reauthorization of the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program.
Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill’s vote to limit debate got supporters to the threshold needed for the Senate to move to a final vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had pushed Democrats to oppose limiting debate, saying lawmakers from both parties should get an opportunity to offer amendments.
Schumer says the legislation will stand for six years and “that is too quick for too much.”
The House has already passed the measure, which includes a new restriction on when the FBI can dig into the communications of Americans swept up in foreign surveillance.
Claire McCaskill disappoints the fuck out of me once again. .
Section 702 reauthorization is profoundly important, and I’m faintly reassured the Trump stank won’t screw it all up.
I’m puzzled by McCaskill. While I realize she is only nominally a Democrat, what advantage can she possibly think she will get from closing debate, in today’s world? Seems to me she is going to get a lot of negative press over this. Why would she do this?
Oh, I suppose she wants to check off the “tough on terrorists” box.
I can understand the thinking behind supporting this bill but there’s a reality about it that seems to escape the likes of the good Senator. The bill’s name covers it ass by implying the surveillance will be directed at foreigners. It’s defenders say that if in doing that they snare the communications of Americans they don’t look at it. That would be the FBI speaking.