Thompson Statement on USA FREEDOM Act
May 22, 2014 (WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the below statement on H.R. 3361, the USA FREEDOM Act, which passed the House today:
“Today, I reluctantly voted against H.R. 3361, the USA FREEDOM Act, which I cosponsored at introduction. I am troubled by the changes that were made to the bill behind closed doors that stripped key protections and open the door to bulk collection. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board found that the NSA’s bulk collection of metadata is illegal and called for it to be stopped. Proponents of these programs have been unable to provide evidence that these NSA programs have been effective at preventing terrorism. With the passage of this measure, I now call on the Senate to work expeditiously and approve legislation that leaves no room for bulk collection to continue.”
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