Senate Blocks Renewal of Expiring Provisions of the USA Patriot Act
By Damon McCullar
According to Reuters, the Senate has block renewal of the expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act On a vote of 52-47, the resolution fell 8 votes short of the the 60 needed to end debate and bring the measure to a vote.
Senate Democratic and Republican foes of the proposed renewal said the law could be swiftly reauthorized if lawmakers agreed to better balance national security with civil liberties.
"None of us wants it to expire, and those who threaten to let it expire rather than fix it are playing a dangerous game," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.
Proponents of the legislation warned that much of sweeping anti-terror law was to expire at the end of the month, and if it did, the nation could be placed at increased risk.
"We have a clear choice before us today: Do we advance against terrorism to make America safer or do we retreat," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, said shortly before the vote.
It seems that the tide is turning in at least one of our houses of Congress. It's ironic that "The People's House", otherwise known as the House of Representatives can't do the will of the people but the Senate can. Hopefully that will change in November.
Posted by Damon McCullar at December 16, 2005 01:14 PM
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