Senator Durbin's Safe Act Press Conference Statement

SENATOR DURBIN'S SAFE ACT PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENT

Tuesday, April 5, 2005

"The Patriot Act was passed at a time of national crisis. In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the President came to Congress and asked us to pass a bill giving the government more power to fight terrorism. While the ruins of the World Trade Center were still smoldering, Congress responded by passing the Patriot Act with overwhelming bipartisan support.

"We understood that this was a unique moment in American history. Even then, we were concerned that the Patriot Act might go too far in sacrificing American freedoms, and so we put an insurance policy in the law, a sunset clause. This gives Congress an opportunity to review the provisions of the Patriot Act thoroughly, to see how they are working, whether they are needed for the war on terrorism and whether they violate civil liberties.

"Since that time, many Americans have raised their voices in opposition to the Patriot Act. In fact, 377 cities and counties in 43 states have passed resolutions expressing concern about the Patriot Act. These communities represent over 56 million Americans.

"Some people dismiss this public concern, claiming that the American people don't understand the Patriot Act. That's a condescending attitude. We were all sent here to respond to the concerns of the American people, not ignore them. And it's a dangerous attitude. Some claim that changing one word of the Patriot Act would be a grave threat to national security. It's a far graver threat to national security for the government to lose the trust of the American people.

"What is clear is that Americans want us to strike a careful balance - giving the government the powers it needs to fight terrorism, but also protecting their constitutional rights. In that spirit, Senator Larry Craig and I, joined by our colleagues Senator Feingold and Senator Salazar, will reintroduce the SAFE Act.

"The SAFE Act is a narrowly-tailored bipartisan bill that would revise several provisions of the Patriot Act. It would protect civil liberties while giving law enforcement the powers they need to fight terrorism.

"Senator Craig and I are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Yet we have come together with the understanding that whether you are conservative or progressive, all Americans value our civil liberties.

"The SAFE Act is supported by a broad coalition of organizations and individuals, including, for example, the American Conservative Union and the American Civil Liberties Union.

"The SAFE Act does not repeal a single provision of the Patriot Act. In fact, the SAFE Act retains all of the expanded powers created by the Patriot Act but places important limits on these powers.

"Let me be very clear. We want to mend the Patriot Act, not end it. The great challenge of our age is combating terrorism while remaining true to our Constitution. The SAFE Act will help us to meet that challenge."

http://durbin.senate.gov/releases.cfm