Rep. Jimmy Gomez Statement on GOP’s Rejection of Privacy and Civil Liberties Amendment to Controversial Surveillance Law
Washington,
January 9, 2018
Under the guise of national security, Republicans are going down a slippery slope towards privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties violations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D – Los Angeles), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement after the Republican-controlled Rules Committee ruled his privacy and civil liberties amendment to the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 (S. 139), out of order. The amendment would have required the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to report how privacy and civil liberties are affected by FISA 702 and whether race, religion, political affiliation, or activities protected by the First Amendment play a role in surveillance decision-making. “I am disappointed that Republican leadership rejected my amendment to protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. My amendment is simple. It merely calls for a report analyzing whether Section 702 surveillance targets any specific community based on race, religion, or political affiliation. Under the guise of national security, Republicans are going down a slippery slope towards privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties violations. Our country’s leaders have a responsibility to ensure and safeguard transparency, open government, and democracy. As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I will work with my colleagues to protect national security without trampling on the Constitutional rights of Americans.” Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows for warrantless searches of Americans' calls, emails, texts and other communications that are routinely swept up under a program designed to monitor foreign nationals outside of the U.S. ### |
