E-Newsletter: Striking a Balance Between Privacy, Security

Statement

Dear Friends,

A year ago this month, former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden stole a massive trove of highly classified documents, fled to Hong Kong then Russia, and disclosed a variety of government surveillance programs. These unfortunate disclosures did spur a national debate on the role of surveillance operations in today's world, and the appropriate balance between protecting our nation's security and the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens.

As a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, after serious study I was troubled by the NSA's controversial metadata program that was revealed following the Snowden leaks. While I am concerned that the post-9/11 PATRIOT Act authorized the NSA's metadata program, it is not clear that any of the program's activities were illegal. The key question is whether these activities should be legal. Fundamentally, I believe that gathering huge quantities of data on its own citizens is not something a government does in a free country.

Over the last year, I have heard from hundreds of constituents who are also concerned about NSA's domestic collection programs. Many of these concerns were echoed during a roundtable discussion I hosted in Westport recently that brought together experts on intelligence and civil liberties, as well as constituents of the Fourth District.

I strongly believe there should be tougher reporting and transparency requirements between the intelligence community and Congress to ensure adequate oversight. To that end, I have introduced and supported measures to scale back existing data collection programs and bolster oversight of U.S. intelligence activities.

In May, the House of Representatives passed the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 (H.R. 4681), which included two amendments I sponsored to improve oversight of the NSA and ensure intelligence agencies are taking Americans' privacy into consideration. The first amendment provides for an independent and Senate-confirmed Inspector General, which will have the authority to subpoena former employees and contractors. It also establishes a Chief Legal Officer within the Inspector General's office that will have legal powers including establishing rules of professional responsibility. The second amendment closes a reporting loophole by requiring an annual report on violations of law or executive order that were determined by an element of the intelligence community to have occurred.

This week, the House cleared the Senate version of the Intelligence Authorization Act (S. 1691) for fiscal 2014, sending the bill to President Obama for his signature. The measure represents the consensus of the House and Senate, and it includes the provision I called for to require the president to appoint a Senate-confirmed Inspector General for the NSA. I will keep pushing for additional reforms as Congress continues to work on a final Intelligence Authorization for fiscal 2015.

The House passed the USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 3361) in May, legislation that would largely end the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' telephone call records in favor of more targeted, individualized collection of information. While I believe the final bill was weakened from the version the Intelligence Committee approved unanimously, it is a significant improvement over the status quo and an important step in better protecting Americans' privacy.

These bills will not be the final word on NSA or intelligence reform. I will continue working with the President and my colleagues in Congress to achieve a balance that respects and protects the civil liberties enshrined in our Constitution, while providing the government the tools it needs to keep our nation safe.

Sincerely,

Jim

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