Cotton, King Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Counterterrorism Tools in Wake of Paris, San Bernardino Attacks

Statement

In the wake of the brutal terrorist attacks in Paris last month, as well as initial reports that this week's attack in San Bernardino may be tied to terrorism, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) today introduced legislation that would ensure that U.S. counterterrorism officials have the necessary tools to track suspected terrorists and prevent terrorist attacks in the United States.

"The first line of defense against terrorism is intelligence, and today, our government is reliant on telecommunication companies to retain records that we use to connect the dots that can help us prevent attacks," Senator King said. "Our legislation would simply require that U.S. officials are provided with adequate warning if a company decides it no longer will hold these vital records, allowing time to ensure that we don't lose a potentially valuable tool in the battle against terrorism."

"Our Intelligence Community and Law Enforcement professionals are skilled at connecting the dots to thwart and respond to terrorist attacks. But if there are no dots to connect, those skills won't do us any good," Senator Cotton said. "The King-Cotton legislation will help preserve metadata currently stored by phone carriers by forcing them to notify the federal government if they change the amount of time they retain billing records to less than 18 months. This will give Congress and the Executive Branch an opportunity to respond before those dots are lost forever."

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