Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is not the only member of Congress concerned about renewing the Patriot Act. Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash and Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis signed a bipartisan letter Wednesday — along with 58 other House members, currently — criticizing the USA Freedom Act, the same bill Paul is currently filibustering on the Senate floor.
Referencing the lower chamber’s passage of the USA Freedom Act (H.R. 2048) last week, the 60 House members point out their opposition to the measure, “because its reforms do not adequately or appropriately reform surveillance practices or address privacy concerns.”
The USA Freedom Act extends the National Security Agency’s surveillance program but adds some restrictions. Section 215, an area of the NSA program relating to the collection of metadata from phone calls, is the most controversial part lawmakers and the judiciary is tackling. A federal court recently ruled section 215 to be unconstitutional.
The letter to the Senate leaders also notes that a number of House members were also opposed to the legislation, but supported it because of “concern the Senate would be unwilling to engage in more comprehensive reform.”
Despite Paul’s filibuster and the letter, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised the vote on the USA Freedom Act will happen.