03.11.20

McConnell, Thune, Graham, Burr, and Cornyn “Strongly Support” FISA Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD), Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC), and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) issued the following statement on the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020:

‘A wide bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives has passed important legislation to reauthorize critical national security tools under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. We strongly support this legislation and urge all of our Senate colleagues to join us.

‘Our nation’s national security professionals and intelligence community work every day to confront grave threats, protect American lives from foreign terrorism, and counter espionage by hostile powers such as China and Russia. They are not complacent, and Congress must not be either. The safety and security which these regularly-used authorities have helped preserve should not be misunderstood as evidence they are no longer needed. To the contrary, it is evidence of their necessity.

‘This legislation balances the need to reauthorize these critical authorities with the need for tailored reforms to increase accountability. The 2016 election made it abundantly clear that the FISA process is not perfect. We commend House Republicans for working closely with Attorney General Barr to craft a bill that contains concrete changes to address the abuses of 2016 without jeopardizing the resources that keep Americans safe.

‘We applaud the bipartisan House passage of this legislation and look forward to voting to pass it in the Senate as soon as possible.’