The White House urged the Senate to make sure recently expired key provisions of the Patriot Act are not immobile for long.
“We call on the Senate to ensure this irresponsible lapse in authorities is as short-lived as possible. On a matter as critical as our national security, individual Senators must put aside their partisan motivations and act swiftly,” the White House said in a statement.
The Senate advanced the USA Freedom Act 77-17 late Sunday to bring the bill to the floor for debate. The bill extends surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act — though with reforms — but because the movement was done so late, the provisions expired at midnight.
Under Senate rules used by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a staunch opponent of the bill, final passage of the bill won’t be until at least Tuesday.
The White House criticized the Senate for waiting so long to approve the USA Freedom Act, which was bipartisanly created in late 2013 and introduced into the House in 2014.
“National security professionals, civil libertarians, and 338 members of the House of Representatives—both Democrats and Republicans—agreed that the legislation allowed our intelligence and law enforcement professionals to retain key tools while strengthening civil liberty protections,” the White House statement said, reminding senators how much support the USA Freedom Act has received.
