Senate, Rebuffing Privacy Concerns, Clears Path to Extend Surveillance Law
Source: New York Times
WASHINGTON The Senate cleared the path on Tuesday for Congress to extend the National Security Agencys warrantless surveillance program for six years with minimal changes, rejecting bipartisan calls to first vote on amendments that would have imposed significant new privacy protections when the program sweeps up Americans emails.
The vote, 60 to 38, narrowly overcame a procedural obstacle to an up-or-down vote on the surveillance extension bill, showing that there is probably sufficient support in the Senate to give it final approval and send it to President Trumps desk this week.
Republicans who broke party ranks to oppose Mr. McConnells effort to move forward on the bill without amendments included Ted Cruz of Texas, Steve Daines of Montana, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Dean Heller of Nevada, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mr. Paul.
Democrats who supported Mr. McConnells move included Tom Carper of Delaware, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Dianne Feinstein of California, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Doug Jones of Alabama, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Ms. McCaskill, Bill Nelson of Florida, Gary Peters of Michigan, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Mark Warner of Virginia and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. Angus King, independent of Maine, also voted to move forward on the bill.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/16/us/politics/senate-vote-section-702-fisa-amendments-surveillance.html
Was really surprised this hadn't been reported earlier. Watched the vote last night and thought John McCain was casting the last vote. It appears it was instead Claire McCaskill and McCain did not vote.
KWR65
(1,098 posts)The government is evil.
When it comes to feeding the poor or providing healthcare to the population = unconstutional within the republican mind.
BUT! This and kicking your door down over a leaf is perfectly fine.
The republican party is insane.
vi5
(13,305 posts)....Can't pin this one all on the Republicans.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)vi5
(13,305 posts)...Clearly just listening to her red-state constituents needs.
Oh wait.
regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)...so this is no surprise. Several other Democrats on the list are, however. And does allowing Trump to spy on your e-mails help convince you to vote for them for "change" this November?
I know several ex-Democrats who now try telling me that "the Democratic Party is just as corrupt as the Republicans." This vote certainly doesn't make it easier for me to rebut them.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)done can say there is no difference...than let's call them what they are... Republicans.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)it should be noted that this could have been ended when the Dems had control of the Senate. They chose not to. So, here we are. Trump's loyal NSA people are free to surveil anyone they want without warrants.
The Repubs have previously hacked the Democrats, if you recall. I think it's likely the administration has been surveilling Dems in 2017. And now it will continue. We'll never know for sure.
The Mouth
(3,164 posts)24601
(3,962 posts)Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---65
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Capito (R-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Cassidy (R-LA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Cotton (R-AR)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Duckworth (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Ernst (R-IA)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hassan (D-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (R-WI)
Jones (D-AL)
Kaine (D-VA)
Kennedy (R-LA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Lankford (R-OK)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Nelson (D-FL)
Perdue (R-GA)
Peters (D-MI)
Portman (R-OH)
Reed (D-RI)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rounds (R-SD)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sasse (R-NE)
Schumer (D-NY)
Scott (R-SC)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Shelby (R-AL)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Tillis (R-NC)
Toomey (R-PA)
Warner (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wicker (R-MS)
Young (R-IN)
NAYs ---34
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Booker (D-NJ)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Coons (D-DE)
Daines (R-MT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Gardner (R-CO)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harris (D-CA)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heller (R-NV)
Hirono (D-HI)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lee (R-UT)
Markey (D-MA)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Paul (R-KY)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Smith (D-MN)
Sullivan (R-AK)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-NM)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Warren (D-MA)
Wyden (D-OR)
Not Voting - 1
McCain (R-AZ)