May 25, 2015

Senate fails to resolve standoff over Patriot Act

Senate fails to resolve standoff over Patriot Act


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants the government's authority to collect bulk data on Americans' phone records to go unchanged. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)
By Brian Bennett and Lisa Mascaro contact the reporters

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nsa-vote-20150522-story.html#navtype=outfit

Scrambling to prevent a shutdown of a program used to track terrorists, the Senate pulled an all-nighter but failed early Saturday to resolve a standoff over the National Security Agency system of collecting and storing U.S. telephone records.

Lawmakers had hoped to leave town for a weeklong Memorial Day recess, but were stuck in Washington to figure out a way keep the spy program running past its June 1 expiration date after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) forced the midnight votes.

Unable to reach an agreement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it quits early Saturday and told senators to return to work May 31, hours before the program shuts down.

“We’ll have one day to do it,” said McConnell, who declined to answer questions as he left the building. “So we better be ready next Sunday afternoon to prevent the country from being endangered by the total expiration of the program.”
NSA

Senators had rejected two bills that would have continued the program, including one overwhelmingly approved by the House and backed by the White House that would put limits on the government’s ability to acquire phone data. On a vote of 57 to 42, it fell short of the 60 needed to advance.

A measure from McConnell to continue the program for two months as is, with no reforms, was also prevented from advancing, by a 45-54 vote. McConnell then tried to hold votes on four other stopgap measures that would allow the program to continue collecting telephone data for one week, a few days or even just 24 hours until lawmakers could return and launch a full debate. Paul objected to those measures, as did two Democrats, further sign of bipartisan opposition to extending the program without changes.

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brian.bennett@latimes.com

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com
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