House approves another five years of warrantless wiretapping

House approves another five years of warrantless wiretapping

The House of Representatives easily passed legislation on Wednesday to re-authorize the FISA Amendments Act, the 2008 law that allows the federal government to intercept the international communications of Americans with minimal judicial oversight. The vote was 301 to 118.

“I think that the government needs to comply with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution all the time,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) in a floor speech opposing the bill. “We can be safe while still complying with the Constitution of the United States.”

But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, (R-TX) disagreed. “Foreign terrorists continue to search for new ways to attack America,” he said before the vote. “Foreign nations continue to spy on America, to plot cyber attacks, and attempt to steal sensitive information from our military and private-sector industries.”

But not all Republicans supported the legislation. One opponent was Rep. Tom McClintonck (R-CA). “We’re told, don’t worry, the law requires that any irrelevant information collected in this manner be disregarded,” McClintock said. “But here’s the problem: the enforcement of this provision is itself shrouded in secrecy, making the potential for abuse substantial and any remedy unlikely.”

The American Civil Liberties Union also blasted the legislation.

“Yet again, the House has rubberstamped a law so broad and vague that, despite its passage four years ago, we still have little idea how the government is using it,” said Michelle Richardson, ACLU legislative counsel. “It is at the very heart of the Fourth Amendment that Americans and their communications are fiercely protected from government intrusion.”