On the recordMay 22, 2014
As a cosponsor of the USA FREEDOM Act and a member of Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I have been committed to reforming these laws. No bill is perfect, including this one. The USA FREEDOM Act we are voting on today is quite different from the original bill I cosponsored. It has changed significantly from the version recently passed by the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees. On its path to the floor, several of the bills' proposed reforms have been watered down and many of us would like to see stronger more meaningful change. However, we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and I want to congratulate all those who have been part of this bipartisan compromise. The bill we are considering today includes real reforms, and the intent of Congress is clear: we are putting an end to the bulk collection of metadata, establishing meaningful prior judicial review, and ensuring that important FISA Court decisions are declassified for public consumption. These reforms are important, and future interpretations of FISA must reflect our intentions here today. I support the act, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to work with my colleagues to make even more improvements in the future.
