Thursday, September 28, 2006                                                                   Printable Version (PDF)   

 

 

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-5) issued the following statement in opposition to H.R. 5825, which would govern President Bush’s secret surveillance program run by the National Security Agency (NSA).  Instead, the Congresswoman urged the Rules Committee to adopt the bipartisan substitute introduced by Congressman Jeff Flake and Adam Schiff, which reiterates that FISA is the sole authority by which domestic electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes may be conducted, while updating the program to adjust for changes in technology.

 

“No one disagrees about the need to do all we can to protect the American people.  However, we need to do so in a manner that protects the rule of law and that balances national security with civil liberties.  Fortunately, we have a system in place that works – FISA. 

 

“The FISA process works.  And with the updates provided by the bipartisan substitute to account for technological advances like cell phones, it could continue to do so. 

 

“And importantly FISA preserves the system of checks and balances as enshrined in the Constitution.  This administration does not have unlimited powers and FISA is critical to ensuring the oversight of their actions.  We are a nation of laws, and no one is above those laws.”

 

###