Approval of the amendment marked a legislative victory for privacy-focused lawmakers who have struggled lately to maintain the gains they had achieved after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked details about the government’s most secret spying programs. The amendment provides additional civil liberties and privacy protections into the FISA system.
The vote also means the amended bill will go back to the House, where it’s unclear if the change will satisfy privacy advocates enough for a quick approval. House Republicans, who have spent weeks demanding the chamber return to normal business, could also push to reopen debate over FISA reforms.
Lee, who previously lobbied President Donald Trump to veto the House bill, said that “it makes sense to expand” the provisions that were included in the 2015 USA Freedom Act and that the bipartisan measure struck the “proper balance.”
Final passage is expected Thursday, but first senators will vote on an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would prohibit the FISA court from authorizing surveillance of a U.S. citizen.
That measure is expected to fail.
Source: politico.com
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