FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2017
Media contact: Mark Stanley, [email protected], 202.681.7582
Today, the House of Representatives delayed plans to move forward on the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, a deeply unpopular and dangerous bill that would expand government surveillance capabilities. The following is a statement from Demand Progress Policy Counsel Sean Vitka:
“The FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act has been harshly criticized from all corners, from progressives and conservatives alike, because it poses an existential threat to civil liberties. The bill would have codified the government’s illegal practice of searching Americans’ information collected under Section 702 without a warrant. Further, it would have permitted information collected to be used in criminal cases without a warrant. These surveillance abuses would be particularly dangerous in the hands of the Trump administration, which has made regular practice of threatening vulnerable communities and engaging in authoritarian behavior that endangers our democracy.
“We are heartened this surveillance-expansion bill has been delayed. We call on all members of Congress to support real surveillance reform that protects their constituents’ basic freedoms, like the USA RIGHTS Act, instead of expanding and codifying illegal spying.”
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