Cornyn: America's Security Put At Greater Risk With Expiration of Protect America Act

Press Release

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement Saturday regarding the Protect America Act, a critical intelligence law that is set to expire at midnight tonight:

"The Protect America Act is a critical piece of legislation that has helped keep America safe. It provides the eyes and ears for our intelligence community to detect and deter future terrorist attacks against the United States.

"So the decision by the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives to leave Washington yesterday without passing this very important bill is simply unconscionable. They are playing chicken with America's security and American's lives.

"Officials from the intelligence community have testified repeatedly before Congress, in open and closed hearings, to explain how the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act's (FISA) outdated provisions have limited their ability to protect the Nation from terrorists and other threats to the national security. They have testified in very specific detail why the Protect America Act is needed. Yet tomorrow, they will be denied this critical tool.

"What's worse, at the same time the hands of our intelligence community are being tied, terrorist activity and terrorist plots will continue. It would be a tragedy if something were to happen as a result of our intelligence community being blind or deaf to the dangers that continue to lurk abroad.

"Make no mistake -- America's security will be put at greater risk at midnight tonight. It will continue to be put at risk until the House Democratic leadership stops playing politics and reauthorizes this critical legislation."

BACKGROUND:

- Four months ago, after much debate and analysis, the Senate Intelligence Committee reported out a bipartisan bill on a nearly unanimous 13-2 vote - this bill was the core of the bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate earlier this week.

- The Senate bill gives the Intelligence Community the tools it needs to keep the Nation safe.

- It would also provide liability protection for those companies being sued for billions of dollars only because they are believed to have assisted the Government in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. This provision is critical to ensuring the future cooperation of electronic communication service providers - without that cooperation, the intelligence community cannot obtain the intelligence it needs to protect the Nation.

- Finally, the Senate bill leaves unchanged the strong protections FISA provides to Americans in the United States, requiring a court order to target people located in the United States for surveillance.

- Yet, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership refused to pass this bipartisan bill and instead left Washington D.C. yesterday for a week-long recess. As a result, the Protect America Act will expire at midnight tonight.

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