Capito: FISA Needs Real Updates

Press Release

Capito: FISA Needs Real Updates

Congresswoman Says Foreign Intelligence Laws Need Permanent Updates As Deadline for Expiration Approaches

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) issued the following statement today after voting to temporarily extend the Protect America Act to prevent its expiration on February 1st:

"House leadership has had more than six months to finally make permanent reforms to our foreign intelligence surveillance laws," noted Capito. "Yet today we faced a scenario where updates we passed last summer would have expired without action from Congress. We must not let our intelligence laws expire, but this issue is too important for Congress to tackle with a short-term fix.

"Our intelligence community deserves - and our national security demands - a permanent update. We came together in August to pass the Protect America Act with bipartisan support, and we should do the same with a permanent update.

"The Senate Intelligence Committee has come to an agreement on a plan that protects civil liberties, while also giving our intelligence community the resources it needs to effectively monitor terrorist activities. Congress must focus its efforts on finalizing that agreement and pass it out of both chambers in the coming weeks."

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