House narrowly votes down move to defund NSA surveillance program

[Cali_Democrat]

After a fierce public debate over balancing national security interests with the privacy of Americans, the House narrowly voted down an proposal to end the ability for the National Security Agency to collect phone record 'metadata' from Americans who are not subject to an investigation.

The vote on the amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill was 205-217.

The charge to defund the NSA surveillance program was led by 33-year old conservative lawmaker Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., whose push forged unlikely alliances on both sides of the issue.

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/24/19658896-house-narrowly-votes-down-move-to-defund-nsa-surveillance-program?lite

[ucrdem]

1. They can't be bothered to pass a budget or end the sequester,

but they sure can vote on the Pauloney. What a bunch of useless sods.

[flamingdem]

4. Too true n/t

[HardTimes99]

18. More Dems (111) than Repubs (94) voted for the amendment. More Repubs

than Dems voted against the amendment. So I'm not sure the vote counts support your ire.

[ucrdem]

35. Thanks, I noticed that earlier.

Doesn't make it any less political theater which is something both houses occasionally engage in but the lower House is more prone to, especially under its current useless leadership.


BTW welcome

[joshcryer]

36. Yeah 55% of Dems voted for it while only 40% of Repubs.

Group Yes No No vote Total Yes% No%
Republican 94 134 6 234 40.2% 57.3%
Democratic 111 83 6 200 55.5% 41.5%
(all) 205 217 12 434 47.2% 50.0%

[randome]

2. Congress voting to defund something they don't have the details on.

What geniuses. Good thing it failed. They can do what they need to do, including defunding parts of the NSA, but it should be done with knowledge of what they are doing away with.

Maybe they could be bothered to attend some of those national security briefings before they engage in political posturing.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[DCBob]

3. Not surprising.

I suspect nothing substantial will change because they know its legal and necessary.

[mick063]

17. I find your comment repulsive

Honestly, I do.



With a quiet whimper from Congress, the big brother reaches adolescence.

Now it is just a simple matter of watching him grow in to maturity.

[DCBob]

37. I find your comment revolting.

[mick063]

39. Of course you do

All Authoritarian Gatekeepers do.

Here is to the Tea Party calling the shots for the surveillance state, because you think it is necessary.

[HardTimes99]

19. Neither legal, necessary nor effective. Just a big Keynsian jobs program for a bunch

of defense industry parasites.

[KittyWampus]

24. Oh, it's legal & necessary AND a way to funnel huge chunks of our money into a few pockets...

but it's never going to be totally defunded.

Congress needs to grow up and start providing real, meaningful oversight.

[HardTimes99]

27. We can debate from here to eternity whether the program is legal or necessary. We are

not going to convince one another.

I would simply note, though, that you disagree with John Conyers (who co-sponsored the amendment in question) and not just with me. Conyers said the NSA's program (specifically its implementation of Section 215) prima facie violates the Fourth Amendment. If Conyers is correct, you can't get much more illegal than that.

[KittyWampus]

28. I just found a description of the Amendment & it sounds reasonable:

Amash's measure, offered as an amendment to the Department of Defense appropriations bill, would have prevented the government from invoking Section 215 of the Patriot Act to scoop up phone call metadata -- information about whom people are calling and when, but not the content of the calls -- unless the government had a reasonable suspicion that a specific target was involved in terrorism.

[bahrbearian]

5. If Bohner wants to repeal something, he could have started there.

spelling error don't freak out.

[rhett o rick]

6. Which side of this issue do you stand?

I stand on the people's side.

[Cali_Democrat]

8. I stand with the people as well. n/t

[rhett o rick]

9. You think the NSA should be investigated? nm

[Cali_Democrat]

11. I have no problem with NSA programs being investigated. n/t

[rhett o rick]

12. Very interesting way to put it. nm

[Cali_Democrat]

15. Why is that? n/t

[rhett o rick]

30. I heard you say that you dont have a problem if the NSA is investigated, but you are not pushing for

that. Did I misunderstand?

[Cali_Democrat]

32. Yes, you did. I'd support an investigation. n/t

[rhett o rick]

33. You'd support an investigation, but you wont commit to asking for an investigation? nm

[Cali_Democrat]

34. Ask? Who do I ask? Should I write a letter?

[rhett o rick]

40. You are very clever with your words, but still transparent. nm

[Cali_Democrat]

43. In what way am I being "clever" with my words? n/t

[KittyWampus]

26. Here's what I could find regarding amendment.Sounds reasonable.

Amash's measure, offered as an amendment to the Department of Defense appropriations bill, would have prevented the government from invoking Section 215 of the Patriot Act to scoop up phone call metadata -- information about whom people are calling and when, but not the content of the calls -- unless the government had a reasonable suspicion that a specific target was involved in terrorism.

[rhett o rick]

41. The President and most of the Republicans opposed it. Strange bedfellows. Just sayin'. nm

[damnedifIknow]

7. I find it ironic that

most Republicans are against NSA spying but all in favor of butting in when it comes to gay and women's rights. Yeah Republicans, not very fun having your personal life intruded upon, now is it?

[HardTimes99]

20. Um, more Dems than Republicans voted for the Amash amendment. More Republicans

than Dems vote against the amendment. But don't let those silly specifics get in the way of your rhetoric.

[rhett o rick]

31. The NSA spying is a Republican project started under Bush. Republicans

are still running the programs same as under Bush. Obama appointed the same guys to run the programs that they ran under Bush. In essence the spy programs of Obama are the same as Bush. Some Republicans have come out against the spying only because they think they can get one on Obama, but if you notice, the REpublicans havent been making the objections that the Democrats have.

Pres Obama and the REpublicans love the spy programs.

[ProSense]

10. Surprised that no one

is yelling "kabuki theater."

[Union Scribe]

13. Heritage Foundation, Boehner, and Obama win, yay!

[HardTimes99]

21. And Cheney and Yoo - double yay! :sarcasm: (in case it's needed)

[RobertEarl]

14. Progress is good to see

It looked for the longest time that congress would never do anything to control the freedom to spy network. They passed the Pat Act and didn't even entertain one bill that a few progressive congresspeople offered up.

All of a sudden they almost pass a bill that puts limits on nsa?

What the heck happened to make them alter course so fast?

[HardTimes99]

23. Technical note: it was an amendment (the so-called 'Amash Amendment') to the 2014

Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 2397) in the House that was narrowly defeated.

Still, the closeness of the vote is an encouraging sign that the long reign of (global war of) terror may finally be nearing an end, along with all its attendant horrors and depravities.

[Rex]

16. LOL!

Wow, they almost did something. Good try really! Almost did something besides sit around and suck. A special occasion to be sure.

[railsback]

29. Yeah, let's loosen the lug nuts

and see what happens when a tire flies off careening down the freeway.

Either they're that stupid, or political grandstanding with no intention of carrying through..

[DCBob]

38. They went for too big of a chunk..

they should have narrowed the amendment to a more specific aspect of the program that was identified as the most troubling.