Cornyn: Failure to Act on FISA is "Irresponsible" & "Imperils America's Security"

Press Release

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor earlier today regarding the apparent decision by the House Democratic leadership to allow the Protect America Act to expire:

"I come to the floor to express my grave concern with reports out of the House of Representatives that they intend to adjourn and basically go on vacation for the next week or so without taking action on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Reauthorization Act. This is the legislation we passed out of the Senate, which provides the eyes and ears for the intelligence community in the United States to detect and to deter future terrorist attacks against the United States. It is unthinkable that the House of Representatives would adjourn and be so irresponsible as to leave this unfinished business undone and to leave America unprotected against future terrorist attacks.

"I would say also that one important part of the Senate legislation was to provide protection for the telecommunications carriers who may have cooperated with the United States government shortly after September 11, 2001, in providing the means to listen in to al Qaeda and other terrorists, foreign terrorists who are plotting and planning attacks against the United States of America and its citizens. It is a terrible message for the House of Representatives to say that they're not going to act in a way that provides protection for those citizens -- whether they be individual citizens or whether they be corporate citizens -- who were asked by their country to come to the aid of the American people and provide the means to protect them from terrorist attacks….What kind of message does that send that we are going to basically leave them out twisting slowly in the wind and being left to the litigation, some 40 different lawsuits that have been filed against the telecommunications industry that may have cooperated with the federal government in protecting the American people.

"I would say finally…there are substantial news reports that indicate a group of trial lawyers who stand to make considerable amounts of money in terms of legal fees off this litigation are substantial contributors to members of Congress. I hope the evidence does not develop that there are decisions being made in the House of Representatives on the basis of the interests of special interest groups like trial lawyers who stand to gain financially from continuing this litigation.

"If the House of Representatives leaves town and leaves this matter undone, the security of the American people is imperiled and it would be a tragedy indeed if something were to happen as a result of our intelligence community being blind or deaf to the dangers that do lurk both within our shores."

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