‘My strong recommendation to our colleagues is that we avail ourselves of the opportunity to pass this measure, which is already the product of substantial bipartisan compromise’



Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement on the Senate floor Thursday before filing a procedural motion to expedite passage of the bipartisan Rockefeller-Bond FISA legislation. A cloture vote is now set for Monday afternoon.



“I’m sure any of those watching C-SPAN2 are probably thoroughly confused with all of the parliamentary discussion back and forth and all the parliamentary nuances attached thereto.



“Obviously there are two sides to every story.



“In fact, in April of 2007, the D.N.I., the Director of National Intelligence, asked for this FISA bill to be passed. Our good friends on the other side of the aisle delayed. In June and July of 2007, the D.N.I. actually pleaded -- pleaded -- for help. Our friends on the other side delayed right up until the August recess, at which time we did pass the Protect America Act, which was a 6-month authorization.



“Now, during September and October, the Select Committee on Intelligence in a bipartisan way produced the Bond-Rockefeller compromise, which is the pending proposal before the Senate. It was, I gather, a painful series of compromises that brought the two sides together 13-2 on this extraordinarily important piece of legislation to protect our homeland. And that is the pending issue before us.



“Now, we all know that on an issue as important as protecting the homeland, we don't get the job done unless we get a presidential signature, and we do know that the President of the United States will sign the Rockefeller-Bond proposal that is before us.



“And so my strong recommendation to our colleagues is that we avail ourselves of the opportunity to pass this measure, which is already the product of substantial bipartisan compromise between the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and also the members who approved it 13-2. A way to do that, obviously, would be to invoke cloture on that proposal indicating that 60 or more members of the Senate felt that this bipartisan compromise, which we know will get a signature by the President of the United States and go into effect, would be a good bipartisan accomplishment for the Senate, ultimately for the House and for America. So bearing that in mind, Mr. President, I send a cloture motion on the substitute amendment -- that the Rockefeller-Bond proposal -- to the desk.”



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