NSA amendment draws White House fire

The amendment by Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., to limit the National Security Agency’s authority to collect metadata and phone records from individuals not under investigation has prompted the White House to release a statement of opposition.

“We oppose the current effort in the House to hastily dismantle one of our Intelligence Community’s counterterrorism tools,” the statement said. “This blunt approach is not the product of an informed, open, or deliberative process. We urge the House to reject the Amash Amendment, and instead move forward with an approach that appropriately takes into account the need for a reasoned review of what tools can best secure the nation.”