GOP Block of USA Freedom Act Debate 'Really Wrong,' Reid Says
The USA Freedom Act (S-2685) surveillance overhaul died before proceeding to Senate floor debate or the amendment process Tuesday night. A cloture vote fell short of the required 60, coming to 58-42 and mostly divided across party lines. Sen. Bill…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Nelson, Fla., was the only Democrat to vote against advancing the cloture motion. Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas; Dean Heller, Nev.; Mike Lee, Utah; and Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, were the four Republicans voting in favor of cloture. A companion measure, widely considered by privacy advocates to be watered down, had passed the House earlier this year. “Yesterday a bill that was bipartisan in nature and came out under the auspices of the chairman of the Judiciary Committee after years of consternation, debate and just worked by so many different people came to the floor,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the floor Wednesday. “That was blocked yesterday -- blocked from even having a hearing here in the Senate floor. That’s really wrong. … Shouldn’t we at least be able to debate the issue here on the floor?” Wednesday, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., author of the provision, slammed “some of the worst fear-mongering I’ve heard in 40 years” on the floor. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had urged senators to oppose the USA Freedom Act, saying it would increase U.S. vulnerability to terrorist groups. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a surveillance critic, voted against the measure and framed it as “renewal of the Patriot Act,” not doing enough to revamp surveillance law. Several supporters of the bill have issued statements saying they want to continue the overhaul efforts in the next Congress.