Washington, Jul 21, 2005 - U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland voted to reauthorize the USA PATRIOT Act.

"It’s fitting that as we take on this legislation today as our ally in the War on Terror, Britain, is dealing with a second terror attack in as many weeks," Westmoreland said. "Our efforts to fight terrorism must continue to evolve as the threats against our homeland change. We face an enemy unlike any that we’ve ever faced before. The enemy isn’t a nation-state and it doesn’t have a uniform. They are an undetected cancer living in this country, and we have to use every weapon in our arsenal to fight them. Congress has no more important purpose than eradicating that disease, while protecting the civil liberties of law-abiding citizens.

"Since Sept. 11, we have taken the battle to the terrorists. We will continue to fight them in their safe havens across the world and we will fight the terror cells here in this country, as well. The PATRIOT Act has provided law enforcement officials with the tools they need to protect us from terrorism as best they can.

"The PATRIOT Act allows law enforcement to use tactics that have been allowed for many years against organized crime and drug cartels in their efforts against terrorists. The law updates our laws to keep up with the ever-changing technology used by terrorist organizations and it allows federal agents to investigate suspects without tipping them off that there’s a probe into their behavior. This is common-sense law enforcement.

"We can’t guarantee that there won’t be another terrorist attack in this country, but we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’re going to strike again and strike hard. I want to make sure that we’ve done everything in our power to assure that they fail."