NSA Reform Battle of 2015 Begins
The Congressional Libertarian-Progressive Coalition Is Leading It
Today, Rep. Thomas Massie (pictured above left) (R-KY) and Rep. Mark Pocan (on the right) (D-WI) formally unveiled their Surveillance State Repeal Act (HR 1466). My colleague Sascha Meinrath of the X-Lab and I each had op-eds out today as well (which you can read here and here) discussing both the bill and the coming legislative battle over NSA reform. The Hill also had a story on the press event/staff briefing, as did US News and World Report, PoliticusUSA, and the Daily Caller, among others.
The coalition supporting the bill ranges from FreedomWorks, Campaign for Liberty, and R Street on the right to CREDO Action, Demand Progress and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee on the left.
The debate is no longer simply about whether to let the PATRIOT Act’s Sec. 215 metadata collection program expire on June 1, as it will absent Congressional action. The debate now is about whether we want our children to live in a nation in which all of us are watched, categorized, and declared innocent — or guilty — of associating with people government officials claim are threats, or whether we intend to restore the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, as determined by courts who have authorized genuine criminal investigations based on warrants issued on the basis of probable cause — and in a system where the government’s allegations can be challenged openly in court. In other words, this is a battle for the very soul of the nation and all hundreds of thousands of Americans have fought and died for since 1775. The stakes could not possibly be higher.
