John Cornyn: “unless the Congress acts, on December 31, 2005, 16 different provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act will expire. Two days ago…”

“unless the Congress acts, on December 31, 2005, 16 different provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act will expire. Two days ago we had a vote to determine whether a minority in the Senate would allow a bipartisan majority the chance to have an up-or- down vote on the reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act. As everyone knows, that vote failed. Fifty-two senators voted to close off debate. There being a requirement of 60 votes to cut off debate, that threshold was not met so we did not reauthorize the PATRIOT Act. So here we are with the clock ticking, with America's security at risk. We find ourselves in the incredible position of seeing certain ordinary law enforcement tools that are used everyday in State and Federal courts all across this country will, in about 2 weeks, no longer be available in the case of international terrorists or spies or cases involving the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Perhaps the one provision of the PATRIOT Act that will expire that causes most concern is the so called wall. That, of course, is the term used to describe what previously--before October of 2001--was a wall that separated the sharing of information between our law enforcement personnel and our intelligence authorities. It is clear, as the 9/11 Commission demonstrated, that this wall made us less safe. It was not required by the Constitution. It was not required by any provisions passed by this Senate and signed by the President.…”