Steven Holt: “Yesterday afternoon, 26 Republicans joined me and 121 of my Democratic colleagues in defeating a misguided attempt to…”

“Yesterday afternoon, 26 Republicans joined me and 121 of my Democratic colleagues in defeating a misguided attempt to extend, without badly needed changes, three soon-to-expire provisions of the Patriot Act. We must remember that the powers of intelligence and enforcement are among the most important powers of government but also the most fearsome. They must be used very, very carefully. Last year, I joined Representative Conyers and other members in offering the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act. This bill would have revised the three controversial provisions we debated yesterday, and other provisions, to ensure that government agents would have to demonstrate a clear connection between the target of surveillance and terrorism investigation. It is that bill we should be voting on, and I ask the House leadership to schedule hearings and a vote on that bill.”