John Yarmuth: “the politics of fear are alive and well in the Republican Party. Despite the fact that the House and Senate are actively…”

“the politics of fear are alive and well in the Republican Party. Despite the fact that the House and Senate are actively working to craft a strong new FISA bill, Republicans and the White House refuse to attend the negotiations. Instead, they're insisting that this House simply rubber-stamp a bill that was recently passed by the Senate. The decision to boycott these negotiations shows that Republicans prefer a political issue rather than a strong new FISA bill. Democrats are hopeful that Republicans will consider their decision to sit on the sidelines and will instead join us in crafting a bill that protects our country while respecting the fundamental rights of American citizens. Mr. Speaker, House Democrats passed a bill in November that meets both of these criteria. Then, earlier this month, the Senate passed its own version. As is common procedure here on Capitol Hill, we are now in the process of negotiating the differences between the two bills in order to come up with the strongest bill possible. I would hope Republicans would want to remain relevant and would join us in passing the strongest FISA bill we can.”