FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed
disappointment with the failure of the House to protect the liberty and freedom
of innocent Americans when that body adopted flawed legislation to reauthorize
the Patriot Act. The White House and its allies had placed enormous pressure on
lawmakers to adopt the proposal that now heads to the Senate.
On a vote of 251 to 174, the House passed a bill to reauthorize the Patriot
Act that fails to put needed checks and balances against abuse into the law. The
ACLU noted that the reauthorization bill ignored growing calls to reform this
law to focus on suspected foreign terrorists while protecting the privacy and
civil liberties of Americans. A motion to recommit, which would have permitted
lawmakers to correct the bill, failed on a close vote of 202 to 224.
The following can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU
Washington Legislative Office:
"Some members of Congress capitulated to White House pressure and failed the
American people. We applaud those Representatives who voted against this flawed
bill--they have honored their oath to uphold the Constitution. With a vote
likely later this week, we urge Senators to stand firm in their commitment to
our fundamental freedoms and reject this unsound bill. Our Founding Fathers were
rightly skeptical of the government’s search powers, powers that the Patriot Act
vastly expanded without adequate checks against abuse and cloaked in secrecy. We
call on the more deliberative Senate to reject the false premise that this
legislation is the best that Congress can do.
"Despite the misguided rhetoric from proponents of the faulty bill, the
modest changes called for by the ACLU and its allies from across the political
spectrum do not undermine the ability of our law enforcement to secure our
nation. The Senate recognized that when they adopted legislation that better
balanced security and freedom. Our federal government has limited resources, and
these corrections would have helped focus those powers on individuals connected
to a suspected terrorist or terrorist organization. Our legacy of liberty
demands that we can, and must, keep America both safe and free."
To read the ACLU’s letter to Congress on the conference report,
go to:
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/22394leg20051207.html
For more on the ACLU’s concerns with the Patriot Act, go
to:
http://www.reformthepatriotact.org
