Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Democrats in 'Full-Scale Retreat' on FISA Bill

WASHINGTON -- House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement this evening subsequent to the decision by Democratic leadership to hastily pull its ill-conceived attempt to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) from the House schedule:

"The Democrats' full-scale retreat on FISA this evening was spurred by
a single amendment -- a provision that would've made clear that nothing in
their bill could be used to prevent U.S. agents from tracking al Qaeda and
other foreign terrorists abroad. But rather than taking that vote and
joining with Republicans to send a clear message of intent with this bill,
the majority decided that plan carried too much political risk. And so here
we sit this evening with no FISA bill to debate.

"Assuming this bill is put back on the schedule at some later date,
it's my hope that Democrats in the House will take a hard look at some of
the more serious flaws in the bill -- and maybe even work with Republicans
to help fix them. Tonight's performance got us no closer to that goal."

NOTE: The majority's FISA bill sought to prevent the tracking and
monitoring of foreign organizations of terror by requiring our intelligence
agents to obtain court orders before listening to their communications. The
Republican motion-to-recommit would've highlighted that error and taking
positive steps to help correct it. But faced with the prospect of losing
huge swaths of their membership on the vote, Democratic leadership struck
the bill from this evening's schedule.

SOURCE House Republican Whip Roy Blunt

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