For Immediate Release
June 20, 2008
Media Contact: Ray Yonkura
(202) 225-2676
Jordan Hails Passage of Terrorist Surveillance Bill
Washington, DC -- Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) welcomed today’s House passage of critical intelligence-gathering legislation.
“At long last, Congress is doing the responsible thing by passing a surveillance bill that ensures our continued ability to listen in on terrorist communications,” Jordan said.
The legislation modernizes and extends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows our intelligence services to monitor communications from foreign terror suspects to points inside the United States. It passed the House today on a 293 to 129 vote.
Jordan noted that House Democrats had blocked FISA legislation since last year, refusing to bring up a bipartisan bill that passed the Senate by a two-to-one margin. The intelligence community has cautioned that failure to pass a FISA bill before August could result in the loss of valuable intelligence that could help prevent terrorist attacks.
“The threat posed by terrorists doesn’t end in August, and neither should our ability to track their communications,” Jordan said. “While I am disappointed with the 2012 sunset attached to this bill, it nonetheless avoids another short-term fix.”
The bill now heads to the Senate, where its passage is not certain due to opposition from members of the Democrat leadership.
“The Senate took the lead in passing FISA modernization legislation last year. I encourage Senate Democrats to recognize that we cannot afford to interfere with the collection of intelligence that will save American lives.”
