Steve Daines: “I thank my colleague for raising this important issue on the Senate floor today. It wasn't all that long ago that I…”

“I thank my colleague for raising this important issue on the Senate floor today. It wasn't all that long ago that I served as a House Member. I served one term in the House and then came over to the Senate this year. I came over to the Senate floor, and I stood in support of my colleague's efforts to protect the American civil liberties and ensure drones are not being used to target American citizens on our own soil. In fact, I am grateful to see that in the Senate Chamber today, we have five House Members who are here standing with the Senator from Kentucky as he makes his very important point which relates to our Constitution and our freedom. Well, 2 years later, we are here again, and the threats to America's civil liberties and constitutional freedoms remain ever present. As my colleague from Kentucky is well aware, I spent more than 12 years in the technology sector before being elected to Congress. I know firsthand the power that Big Data holds. I also know the great risks that arise when that power is abused. There is a clear and direct threat to Americans' civil liberties that comes from the mass collection of our personal information in our phone records. I, like so many Montanans, am deeply concerned about the NSA's bulk metadata collection program and its impact on our constitutional rights.…”