Congress Approves Patriot Act Extension
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WASHINGTON – The House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to extend the USA Patriot Act, the nation’s main anti-terrorism tool, just hours after televisions in the Capitol beamed images of a new attack in London.
As similar legislation worked its way through the Senate, House Republicans generally cast the law as a valuable asset in the war on terror. Most Democrats echoed that support but said they were concerned the law could allow citizens’ civil liberties to be infringed. Following hours of debate, the House approved the measure 257-171.
The bulk of the back-and-forth centered on language making permanent 14 of 16 provisions that had four-year sunset, or expiration, provisions under the original law, which Congress passed overwhelmingly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The bill also proposed 10-year extensions to the two other provisions set to expire on December 31, one allowing roving wiretaps and another allowing searches of library and medical records. They were the focus of most of the controversy as members plowed through the main legislation and 18 amendments.
“While the Patriot Act and other anti-terrorism initiatives have helped avert additional attacks on our soil, the threat has not receded,” Rep. James Sensenbrenner, a Republican of Wisconsin and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said.
Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the committee, said that while “I support the majority of the 166 provisions of the Patriot Act,” the extensions could lessen accountability. “Ten years is not a sunset; 10 years is semi-permanent,” he said.
The Bush administration hailed the vote. “After measured deliberation and a public debate, the House has again provided the brave men and women of law enforcement with critical tools in their efforts to combat terrorism and protect the American people, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in a statement.
As the House debated the legislation, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved its own extension of the bill, though it included only four-year extensions for the roving wiretap and records search provisions. A competing bill also has been approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which would give the FBI expanded powers to subpoena records without the approval of a judge or grand jury.
