USA FREEDOM Act to Get a Vote in the Senate

Today Majority Leader Reid announced that the USA FREEDOM Act (S. 2685) – which restricts NSA bulk collection, enhances transparency, and enacts a number of other key surveillance reforms – will go to the Senate floor for debate and a vote. If passed, the bill may then be voted upon by the House of Representatives, and passed into law before the end of the year. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) calls on the Senate to pass the USA FREEDOM Act without weakening it.

“Passage of the USA FREEDOM Act would be an important step forward for restoring Americans’ privacy and rebuilding trust in our government,” said CDT President Nuala O’Connor. “The specter of surveillance has hung over this Congress for the last year and a half. Congress should seize the opportunity to act in a decisive, bipartisan manner to bring about the surveillance reform Americans have been calling for.”

“If Congress fails to act now, it ensures that the new session will be overshadowed with a contentious debate over NSA bulk collection, with the possibility that provisions of the PATRIOT Act will sunset altogether,” added O’Connor.

The USA FREEDOM Act has broad support from tech companies, the intelligence community, and public interest groups from across the political spectrum.

See CDT’s statement of support for the USA FREEDOM Act.

See CDT’s chart analyzing the USA FREEDOM Act.