With just hours before a controversial federal surveillance law expires, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Sunday took a veiled swipe at Sen. Rand Paul for threatening to block its extension.
“Al Qaeda, [the Islamic State] and other terrorists around the globe continue to plot attacks on America and our allies,” Boehner said. “Anyone who is satisfied with letting this critical intelligence capability go dark isn’t taking the terrorist threat seriously.”
Boehner, R-Ohio, called on the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act, which extends the law but makes reforms that bolster privacy, including the elimination of bulk domestic data collection by the National Security Agency.
The House passed the measure by an overwhelming bipartisan vote earlier this month, but it fell three votes short in the Senate.
Paul, R-Ky., is threatening to delay a second vote on the USA Freedom Act, as well as any vote to extend for a few days the law in its current form. He’s expected to withhold consent to quickly move on the bill, forcing the Senate to take several more days before it can take up the measure.
Paul, who is running for president, has made his opposition to the law a focal point of his campaign and is using it to raise money.
