Murkowski Votes for USA Freedom Act to End Overreaching NSA Surveillance Tactics

Press Release

Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted for the bipartisan USA Freedom Act that she co-sponsored that will restore many effective, responsible national security procedures that expired on Monday, but end the controversial bulk collection of Americans' phone records without probable cause. The bill also requires greater oversight, transparency, and accountability with respect to domestic surveillance authorities. The bill passed the Senate 67-32, and Murkowski shared her reasoning afterwards:

"Today is a fantastic day for freedom and individual liberty and a win for those of us in Alaska who have been circumspect of the PATRIOT Act since it was enacted. I continue to acknowledge the new reality we face against a complicated and tech-savvy terrorist network, but believe our lives and privacy rights can still be protected with some targeted improvements to surveillance.

"After years of fighting to have a serious debate about striking a better balance between privacy and safety, the Senate stopped kicking the can through extensions and crafted a more considered approach that includes intelligent reforms. This is not a perfect bill, but is a tremendous improvement from where we were a week ago.

"I co-sponsored the bipartisan USA Freedom Act because it reins in the overreaching bulk surveillance of phone records that was ruled illegal by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals -- and why I have backed similar efforts to improve this process for the last ten years."

The USA Freedom Act passed the House of Representatives 338-88 and now heads to the President's desk for his signature.

For the past decade, Senator Murkowski has actively pursued efforts to reconsider federal surveillance policies and address concerns about the potential infringement of civil liberties.

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