WASHINGTON, DC — This Morning, Representative Jayapal (WA-07) and Representative Davidson issued a joint statement on the dire need to end the warrantless surveillance of Americans.
In response, Demand Progress Senior Policy Counsel Sean Vitka issued the following statement:
“This may be the most bipartisan issue in America. At a time of great division in our country, protecting the privacy of people in the United States unites us toward a common goal. Last week alone, the FBI admitted to warrantlessly buying location information, and we learned which Congressman’s name was used to unlawfully search through countless Americans’ communications that the government warrantlessly swept up under Section 702. Representatives Davidson and Jayapal’s leadership comes at a time of critical and unique opportunity, in the balance of which American privacy hangs.”
The original statement from Reps. Jayapal and Davidson can be found online, and below:
“Three years ago, we were proud to lead bipartisan efforts fighting warrantless surveillance of Americans under Section 215. As we recognize the anniversary of this victory, we remain committed to working together to end warrantless surveillance programs. Today, programs operating under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and claims of inherent executive authority remain a threat to Americans’ constitutional right to privacy.
“Since the last reauthorization of Section 702 in 2018, we’ve learned that the FBI conducts backdoor searches about Americans at an alarming scale. We cannot stand by while Section 702 surveillance and other spying programs carelessly violate Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. We are pleased to hear our colleagues on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence say a clean reauthorization of Section 702 is a non-starter. We must take this opportunity to reform Section 702 and overhaul privacy protections for Americans so that they truly protect the civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy rights that are foundational to our democracy.”